The growth of the city of Jamaica led to an increased population and the development of shanty towns and concrete jungles. These impoverished areas sprang up in the west of the city, and now include Back O' Wall, Tivoli Gardens, Jones Town, Boys' Town, and Trenchtown. The latter is the birthplace of reggae music, while the former is home to government housing projects, including Arnett Gardens and the "Concrete Jungle."
After the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade, the city continued to flourish. This prosperity lasted until the end of the century, when the PNP began to use the area's poorest residents as political foot soldiers. In the late 1800s, land prices increased and mansions were built in the surrounding ghettos. The emergence of the gangs was the result of a political strategy that polarized the population of the city.
The division between the uptown and downtown areas exacerbated the urbanization process. This resulted in the largest visible sign of social segmentation. The city's white population decreased from 6,000 in 1943 to only 1,800 residents in 2018. The white population accounted for just 1.6% of the total population in 1943, while it represented 2.8% in 2013. This shift in the distribution of the white population suggests that whites were moving out of the city to the suburbs, where they had higher incomes and better living conditions.
The Rockfort, a moated fortress at the intersection of the Hudson River and Rondout Creek, is an architectural landmark in the city. The Rockfort, a 17th-century moated fortress, was last manned in 1865. Thomas Hibbert, an 18th-century merchant, built the headquarters house in the town. The Institute of Jamaica, a local interest museum, is home to an art gallery and public library.