As the story goes, the name Annandale is said to honour the two daughters of the proprietor of the tract of land to which the name was given. The two girls, Ann and Dale, reportedly died tragically after which their combined names were given to their father’s land as a tribute to them.
Annandale is located on the East Coast Demerara, some 12 miles from the capital. Wedged between Lusignan and Buxton, Annandale was once part of the much larger Lusignan Sugar Estate. After the sugar factory was closed in 1954, Annandale opted for autonomy.
Historically, the sugar estate had employed many of the men from the community. Others became private service providers, plying their respective trades in ventures that included tailoring, barbering and welding.
The past two decades or so have brought other changes. Annandale’s main economic activity has shifted from agriculture to trading. Several businesses ranging from the establishment known simply as ‘Rasta’ offering necessities like bread and cheese, to the weekend ‘Souse Lady,’ to the more established supermarkets like Paramount and Pepsi offer their services cheek by jowl. The former facilities are spartan, whilst the latter are modern and air-conditioned. Groceries apart, some of the shops offer a limited range of over-the-counter medicines and cellular phone top up.
Beyond the basic service entities, Annandale boasts services like Modern Grafix, a state-of-the-art sign printing establishment that designs and prints customized adornments for automobiles.