Dangriga, the largest town in the Stann Creek District, is located 55 miles from Belmopan and 105 miles from Belize City. With a population of 8100, it is one of the largest Garifuna communities in the world. The town was originally called Stann Creek when it was a small English trading station. But in 1975, the name was changed to Dangriga by the Garifuna majority of the town. Dangriga takes it name from the local Garifuna language, loosely meaning "here, the sweet water is close at hand." It lies peacefully along the banks of the North Stann Creek River, whose water is legendary. The town's drinking supply is refreshingly cool and arguably the best tasting in Belize. Of all the larger settlements in Belize, Dangriga has most obviously resisted the unrelenting pull of the present. It was settled in the early 19th century by the Garifuna, also known as Garinagu or Black Caribs. They are a unique blend of escaped African slaves and Caribbean Indians. Their story begins on the island of St. Vincent, where, before the arrival of Europeans, Carib Indians arrived from South America to subdue the Arawak people and absorb their culture.