Situated between the communes of Jacmel et Bainet. The name La Vallée de Jacmel could translate as "The Valley of Jacmel" but it is actually located 800 meters above sea level.
Demography
As of March 2009 La Vallée had 36,188 inhabitants. The small urbanized area of Ridoré had 1039 people with 239 households, roughly about 3.13% of the total population. The area's population has a slightly above the average in Haiti, mixed-raced heritage due mostly to French ancestry. La Vallée has an extensive diaspora in the United States and Canada due to a substantial emigration beginning in the 1950s.
La Vallée really started to gain importance by 1910 when it was raised as a parish. The first resident priest was Léon Bonnaud, from Brittany France. Father Bonnaud played a major part in the development of the area setting forth the construction of its first masonry accommodations. The Presbytery in 1912, the St John the Baptist parish church completed in 1922, the boys' school, école Léonce Mégie in 1926, and the girls' school, école St Paul inaugurated in 1931, shortly after his departure. He also built the first dispensary, structured and enlarged the local open air market, one of the most important in the area. La Vallée was a pioneer in the Haitian "cooperative movement" with the founding of the historic "Caisse Populaire" in 1946. An association of locals, created CODEVA in 1975, an organization who initiated many development projects such as building the St Joseph hospital or the Lycée Philippe Jules.
Places of interest
St John the Baptist church, completed In 1922. Bust of Fr. Bonnaud, founder of the parish. Panoramic view of the bay of Bainet, the Caribbean Sea and its surrounding mountains. The open air market fair, every Friday. The L'Etang river and waterfalls. The Séjourné pit, one of the deepest in the Caribbean, 167 meters.
Ing. François Laroche, highly talented architect engineer, and nephew of Mgr. Léonard Pétion Laroche. The magnificent Cathedral Immaculée Conception of Hinche is among his architectural masterpieces. He has the distinction of being the first Haitian to design and build such a construction.
Marie Carmelle Jean-Marie, Haitian minister of Economy and Finances
