Tourists pass through this historic village on their way to the Community Baboon Sanctuary, where the population of black howler monkeys has grown to over 2,000.

[3]: 60 In 1837 the Methodist ministers Thomas Jefferies and John Greenwood built a chapel in Burrell Boom,[4] and Catholic missionary activities ensued along the whole Belize River from the mid-nineteenth century.

Each Good Friday Anglican, Methodist, and Catholic communities in town gather for an ecumenical service which rotates among the churches.

A number of refugees from neighboring republics have settled near the town and drawn Jehovah's Witnesses on mission to the area.

After 2000 the link between the Northern and Western highways was improved, passing near to Burrell Boom and bringing the village greater prominence.