Originally settled by the Carib (and possibly Arawak), a French map from 1717 provides the first identification of the area as Gros Islet. The community has had a long history of being a Roman Catholic parish, as the first priests who arrived on the island settled in the village in 1749.

In modern times, the community has continued to flourish. Between 1991 and 2001 the population rose 54%; the highest rise in the country. In 2001, the population was 19,409, making it the second most-populous community in Saint Lucia, up from 13,505 in the 1991 census and 10,164 in the 1980 edition. Of this number, 9,307 were male and 10,102 were female.