Affectionately called “Santa” by St Elizabeth residents, the area takes its name from the Santa Cruz Mountains, which tower above the town. Santa Cruz is the most central town in the parish of St Elizabeth, and although Black River is the official parish capital, Santa Cruz is the shopping, socializing and business mecca of the parish. For many people in the inland mountainous areas of the parish, Santa Cruz is the largest town within reasonable travelling distance, and the town attracts people from as far away as Bull Savannah in the south and Accompong in the north.

It is hard to ignore the fact that Santa Cruz mushroomed from a small market town into a major metropolis. Aside from the occasional 19th-century Jamaican Vernacular building, shopping plazas seem to pop out from every corner and crevice, and everywhere in sight seems to be constantly under construction. All over town, vendors and small shops, selling everything from schoolbooks to kitchen knives to cricket balls, beckon to the hundreds of people that saunter through in search of bargains and supplies. At any given moment, the town itself is a congested throng of shoppers, sellers, taxis and buses. To add to the chaos, Santa Cruz also happens to be a major transportation hub on Jamaica’s South Coast. Despite its limited aesthetic appeal, the town exudes a warm vitality and pleasant, welcoming vibe. As busy as people look, just about anyone will stop to give directions, share information or just chat for a while.

Passing through Santa Cruz, one cannot help but notice all the items for sale everywhere. Anything imaginable is available, from Internet access to cow head soup, from hand-made skirts to Made-In-China plastic toys. The town is famous for the shopping opportunities it makes available to the people in St Elizabeth, who converge in the town en masse to score the best bargains.