Company owned towns
Freeport is a company owned town. When it was established it was not a unique concept. Business visionary Wallace Groves, tired of his life in the United States moved to The Bahamas first moving and taking over the lumber business in Abaco then moving to Grand Bahama. He shared his vision and got others to see something what there only stood many pine trees. He enthused other business people and even the Bahamian government that approved his vision and began what became known as the first company town in The Bahamas. Now this came about in the mid 1950s, but it was back in 1903 that Milton S. Hershey broke ground n the first company town that began his chocolate empire. In an article from Forbes Magazine, it was stated by Croft Associate Professor of History and International Studies at the University of Mississippi, Oliver J. Dinius that employers had practical reasons for company towns. It was said that in response to the industrial revolution, they needed large work forces