Bellefontaine

History

The commune of Bellefontaine is located in the northern Caribbean between Le Carbet to the northwest, Le Morne-Vert to the north, and Case-Pilote to the southeast.

It is the newest commune in Martinique. It was created in 1950 from land that was once part of the Case-Pilote municipality. As such, it shares its history with its neighbor. Bellefontaine was once just a neighborhood of Case-Pilote.

It owes its name to a former settler, Guillaume Michel, known as Sieur de Bellefontaine, who took up residence there in the 17th century and worked to promote the prosperity of the area.

The EDF (Électricité de France) thermal power plant has been located there since 1984. It supplies electricity to the entire island.

In 1991, the cliff adjacent to the road connecting the town and the power plant gave way. Millions of cubic meters of soil were displaced by the impact. Fortunately, there were no reported casualties. A new thermal power plant, boasting a capacity of 220 MW, was constructed immediately beside the former facility. This new plant was officially inaugurated in 2013. The earlier power plant was permanently decommissioned in May 2014.

Economy

Outre sa centrale qui emploie plus de 1000 personnes, les activités économiques majeures sont la pêche et l'agriculture. Si autrefois, la pêche était dominante aujourd'hui c'est plus l'agriculture qui occupe la pôle position. C'est le maraîchage (culture de légumes et de fruits à des fins alimentaires) qui est essentiellement pratiqué. Ainsi vous pourrez apercevoir sur les hauteurs du quartier Verrier des exploitations de tomates, carottes ou encore oignons pays (cives) qui approvisionnent les marchés locaux.

Bellefontaine est également un site où vous pourrez admirer les pêcheurs pratiquant la pêche à la senne.

In addition to its power plant, which employs more than 1,000 people, the major economic activities are fishing and agriculture. While fishing used to be the dominant industry, today, agriculture is more prominent. Market gardening (growing vegetables and fruit for food) is the main activity. On the hillsides of the Verrier district, you can see farms growing tomatoes, carrots, and chives that supply local markets.

Bellefontaine is also a place where you can watch fishermen practicing seine fishing.

Neighborhoods

The main neighborhoods in the municipality are Bellevue, Cheval Blanc, Duvallon, Fond Laillet et Morne Capot.