Colón << koh LOHN >> is one of the largest cities in Panama. At the time of the 2010 census, it had 34,655 people. The city is in central Panama, at the Atlantic Ocean end of the Panama Canal.
Colón is one of Latin America’s busiest commercial centers. Since 1953, it has had a free trade zone, where merchants can import and export goods without paying duties (taxes). As a result, many trading vessels carry a variety of goods to and from Colón. Merchant ships from many nations also anchor at Cristobal, just south of Colón, while waiting for passage through the canal. The main streets of Colón are often crowded with sailors, traders, and tourists. The city has many bars, nightclubs, and gambling establishments. Colón also has duty-free shops, which sell many products at low prices. Many Colón residents are descendants of people who came from Jamaica and other Caribbean islands to work on the Panama Canal, which opened in 1914.
Colón was founded as a result of the California gold rush. The city began in 1849 as the starting point of a railroad that carried people across the Isthmus of Panama. These people came by ship from the eastern United States, crossed the isthmus, then continued by ship to California. The town was first named Aspinwall after one of the railroad’s builders. In 1890, the name was changed to Colón, the Spanish word for Columbus, to honor Christopher Columbus. Columbus had landed nearby in 1502.
