Pétion-Ville

Pétion-Ville
Petyonvil (Haitian Creole)
Pétion-Ville's hillside
Pétion-Ville
Location in Haiti
Coordinates: 18°30′46″N 72°17′11″W / 18.51278°N 72.28639°W / 18.51278; -72.28639
Country Haiti
DepartmentOuest
ArrondissementPort-au-Prince
Area
  Total
63.90 sq mi (165.49 km2)
Population
 (2015 Est.)
  Total
376,834
  Density5,900/sq mi (2,277/km2)
Time zoneUTC-05:00 (EST)
  Summer (DST)UTC-04:00 (EDT)

Pétion-Ville (French pronunciation: [petjɔ̃ vil]; Haitian Creole: Petyonvil) is a commune and a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in the hills east and separate from the city itself on the northern hills of the Massif de la Selle. Founded in 1831 by president Jean-Pierre Boyer, it was named after Alexandre Sabès Pétion (1770–1818), the Haitian general and president later recognized as one of the country's four founding fathers.

The district is primarily a residential and touristic area. It had a population of 283,052 at the 2003 Census, which was officially estimated to have reached 376,834 in 2015. Many diplomats, foreign merchants and wealthy people who engage in business reside in Pétion-Ville.

Despite the distance from the capital and the general affluence of the district, the lack of administrative enforcement has led to the formation of shantytowns on the outer edges of the district, as poor locals migrate upward and have settled there in search of job opportunities. On 28 or 29 August 2020, Haitian Lawyer Monferrier Dorval was assassinated in front of his home. On 7 July 2021, Haitian president Jovenel Moïse was assassinated at his private residence.