Change of Plans!
Hi, in my last post I told everyone that I had dreamed of opening a Beach Grill in St John and living there.
A fter doing some research into the matter, I have found that St John is way too expensive and St Thomas is more my price range. After also researching St Thomas, I have also found that I may even like St Thomas better because I am a city boy and I do love nightlife and to some degree (for whatever reason) the clutter. The problem....I am terribly scared of the crime, that is the only thing that would keep me from moving down. I know this topic is repetitive but I need to ask a few things.......first of all, the part of "crime" I am mostly afraid of is Burglary/Robbery, maybe I need to see someone lol but I have been afraid of Burglars for a long time:
Is their any housing community or condo community that is gated? Also, I would prefer cheaper housing but with security
Im sorry if this topic is repetitive, but I have searched on this board just to make sure and there is no record of an inquiries for a gated community and I have found none
Hi Jamie,
I don't know that I can put your mind to rest with regard to crime specifically in the islands, and because I don't know where you're coming from, I can't say whether you'll experience any more or less than your current situation. Of course, there are always "safer" areas we could be made aware of.
I do know, from experience in being burglarized, it does NOT matter where you live - gated or not. I have been broken into in gated communities as well as non-gated. (Boy, I'm doing a crappy job of making you feel secure!). And, "safe" is a matter of personal opinion. However, I do know that most burglaries do not happen while people are at home and usually do not result in physical harm to someone. Regardless of where you live, security begins with awarness; knowing the people and area in which you're about to live, keeping locks or security systems on your home in good working condition, keeping your personal "wealth" to yourself, and so on. As for personal robbery - pick pockets, held at gun point, etc. - again, awarness is key. Where you are, at what time, etc. WILL make you safer.
The Settler's Handbook sold on this site provides information about less safe areas on all 3 islands. I trust the people who wrote this book really know what they're talking about. Also, although real estate people, by law, are not allowed to give that type of opinionated information - some will if you poke them enough 😉
Good luck.
Jamie: Have you spent some time reading the on-line newspapers: The Source- www.stthomassource.com and The Daily News- www.virginislandsdailynews.com? This will give you some idea about current events on St Thomas. (There is a Source for St Croix and St John, also.)
You are a prime candidate for a look-see visit, to determine if your dream is do-able. There are very few beach bars on St Thomas that are not affiliated with hotels. I wish someone would buy the old For the Birds and re-open it, but that is not in the cards, I don't expect.
is there any particular reason people people dont open more beach bars on st thomas?
Most of the beaches already have hotels on them. Anyone messing with pristine beaches is subject to big problems.... (read the archives of the on-line papers on Lindquist Beach and Vessup Beach...)
I have lived here for 7 years and not had one problem with crime. I am a big advocate of not putting yourself into any bad situations. But, then again, I haven't locked the door at my house in the 5 1/2 years that I have been here! Haha! Get yourself a big dog and you probably won't have a problem, regardless of your location. I have only had my dog for 2 years, but I never locked my door before that, either. I live on the Northside (at an undisclosed address! Haha!) and feel perfectly safe.
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