Sangre Grande is the largest town in northeastern Trinidad

Trinidad

Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...

, in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...

. It is east of Arima

Arima

The Royal Borough of Arima is the fourth largest town in Trinidad and Tobago. Located east of the capital, Port of Spain, Arima supports the only organised indigenous community in the country, the Santa Rosa Carib Community and is the seat of the Carib Queen...

 and southwest of Toco

Toco

Toco is the most northeasterly village on the island of Trinidad in the County of Saint David at the point where the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet. Tobago lies only some 35 kilometers to the northeast which renders Toco the closest point in Trinidad to the sister island. The name Toco...

. Sangre Grande is sometimes abbreviated to just "Grande". It is the seat of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation

Sangre Grande Regional Corporation

Sangre Grande Regional Corporation is a Local Government Body and the largest Regional Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago. It has a land area of 898.94 km². The Sangre Grande Regional Corporation is headquartered in Sangre Grande. Other urban areas within include Guaico, Toco and Valencia...

. The town falls into the Toco/Sangre constituency of the Elections and Boundaries Commission. The Member of Parliament for the Toco/Sangre Grande constituency and by extension of Sangre Grande itself is Rupert Griffith.

Overview

The name Sangre Grande means big blood, and it has been suggested that the town was named for a battle that took place between the native Amerindians and the Spanish settlers. However, this interpretation is not supported by historical records. The true origin of the name refers to when, in the late 1770s, Spanish surveyors who were charting the island for the purposes of creating a map, found that the waters of two of the tributaries of the nearby Oropouche River were red as blood, hence the name.

Similarly, the neighbouring town is called Sangre Chiquito (small blood) is named for the presence of a smaller, similarly colored river in that town. Sangre Grande grew as a result of the growth of cacao cultivation in the late nineteenth century. It grew further when it became the terminus of the railroad. Construction of the railroad caused the town to migrate down the hill to meet the railroad. When the town relocated to the foot of the hill, the name Sangre Grande moved with it. As a result, the name of the pre-existing village, Cunapo, was largely, but not entirely, lost.

Infrastructure

Sangre Grande is more developed than its surrounding areas. Many residents from surrounding areas depend on Sangre Grande for Government facilities as well as for shopping. Many residents in surrounding villages also come to Sangre Grande as a means of getting transportation to larger towns for example Arima and Port of Spain.

Healthcare

Sangre Grande has both a Government hospital (located on Ojoe Road) and a Government Health Clinic.

Transportation

There are many roads that lead in and out of Sangre Grande. The Eastern Main Road is the most important road leading into Sangre Grande as the Churchill Roosevelt Highway ends in Wallerfield. The Eastern Main Road connects Sangre Grande to the east to Sangre Chiquito and Manzanilla and to the west to Arima and Port of Spain. The second major road in Toco Road connects Sangre Grande to villages in the northeast for example Toco and Matelot.

Railroad

The railways in Trinidad closed in the late 20th century, but many traces of the railroad's passage through Sangre Grande still exist. The current Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) terminal was formerly the train station. Additionally, tracks leading into Sangre Grande have been converted into roads although it still bears the name of Railway Road. However, with growing road traffic congestion on the nation's roads, there are plans in to introduce a rapid rail whose first stage of development will stretch from Sangre Grande to Port of Spain.

Bus

Buses still ply the routes in and out of Sangre Grnde. The bus terminus in the heart of Sangre Grande was recently upgraded.

Maxi Taxi

Maxi Taxis

Maxi taxi

Maxi taxis are private, owner-operated minibuses in Trinidad and Tobago that are used in public transport. They operate along fixed routes, having fixed fares and meeting points. However they do not operate under a timetable...

as well as traditional taxis service Sangre Grande. The Maxi Taxis were first situated in the vicinity of the PTSC bus terminus, however the busyness of this location combined with the growing number of Maxi Taxis had exascerbated traffic problems in the area and the old PTSC service station and washing bay on Brierly Street was converted to a maxi taxi hub instead. Here, Maxi Taxis heading to both Arima and Port of Spain can be found.

Taxi

Taxis heading to Port of Spain and Arima can still be found around the bus terminus while those heading to Mayaro, Manzanilla, Toco, to name a few are found in other areas of the town.

Education

As in the rest of the country, Sangre Grande is home to primary and secondary schools which fall into three categories: Government-run, Government-assisted and private. However, while private primary schools exist in other parts of the country, there are none in Sangre Grande.

Primary Schools

Government-run Primary Schools:

• Sangre Grande Government

Government-Assisted Primary Schools:

• Cunapo (St. Francis) R.C. School
• Sangre Grande Hindu School
• Sangre Grande Seventh Day Adventist Primary School
• Upper Sangre Grande R.C. School
• Guaico Presbyterian Primary
• SWAHA Primary School

Secondary Schools

Government Run Secondary Schools:

• Guaico Secondary School
• Northeastern College
• Sangre Grande Secondary School (formerly Sangre Grande Junior Secondary School)

Private Secondary Schools:

• Sangre Grande Educational Institute
• Bates Memorial High School
• SWAHA Hindu College

Sports

Sangre Grande is home to many sports teams that take part in national competition such as the North East Stars football team and the Sangre Grande All Stars basketball team.