Freeport in the 70's and 80's.
In a recent discussion with an acquaintance who is a long time resident of Grand Bahama, he said he hopes Freeport turns around to which I quickly reminded him of the days when we thought Freeport was going down. After the rush of the 50's and the 60s that ushered in a lot of constructions and the building of Freeport which pushed the natives to the outer areas, there came the 70s and the smaller investors leaving quickly. However, in the late 70s and early 80s there was still a lot of activity here. There were over ten big hotels on the island and two casinos. Also there was Sir Laker who came in to add Laker Airways to the airlift to this island. The industrial side was holding its own but things were beginning to taper off. Around this time there were calls of a diversification of industries in the country and to stop relying only on Tourism. Some complaints were flying that there were too many foreign croupiers and well qualified Bahamians who could do that same job Th