debating the move

just curious why key west isnt a good option. i lived in marathon for 3 years and loved it. i only like it here.
the biggest drawback for me is how costly it is to go see family.
i have heard from those with children in school that the only schools that would be good choices are country day and good hope, both private schools and tuition is costly.
cost of food is twice that of the states.

There aren't that many jobs of any kind in this economy down here. Your mileage may vary.

I actually grew up on Big Pine and went to school in Marathon. I might be paranoid from my experience but I have lost so many of my friends to drug addiction and alcohol. I left 10 years ago and some of my friends are still sitting on the same bar stools as when I left.
I also feel the keys are over crowded now and it breaks my heart to see the the reefs changing. I want to get back to where the keys were 30 years ago when I first moved there. I want my kids to experience the blue warm waters and oceans full of fish. I'm hoping St. Croix is still as beautiful as the keys used to be.
Kim

There's sure no shortage of drug addiction & alcoholism down here. If anything it may be worse since it's cheap here.

yeah i have been gone for 4 1/2 years and things have changed since ive been gone. too much of the local flavor is gone now. i hear you about the drinking, i guess thats the local sport. efore the economy went south they were turning the keys into a playground for the rich, even busing in help from homestead to work in the resorts. rich people in the keys want to be waited on but they dont actually want to live next to the ones waiting on them( basically said that in a letter to the editor about 5 years ago, said only rich people should live in the keys) i still read the keynoter everyday on line.
the water here is a different blue and i miss the blue of the keys.
i like it here well enough.

I'm also curious why you would consider the Keys a bad environment to raise kids. I think I would probably feel safer raising kids there than in STX, and I'm sure it would be way cheaper. Of course STX is more beautiful, better diving etc, but the only way off is by plane. You need to either be rich or prepared to lead a simple life - don't expect to have the same life you had back home, but on a beautiful island. There are a lot of trade-offs, and only you know the things that are more important to you.

We are suffering the same overfishing and reef degradation that the Keys are suffering. The water is still warm, but sometimes too warm causing serious bleaching and disease outbreaks. Because of the currents around the island, we also do not get as much fish recruitment so overfishing has had a serious impact on our fish populations. That said, the diving is still good and very beautiful in some places. But we are in no way pristine.

Have you been to St Croix yet? You really should come down for a PMV (pre-move visit) to check things out for yourself. There is a lot of substance abuse (alcohol and drugs) down here as well if that is what you are worried about.

Locals do not hate statesiders here (I am married to one, so can vouch for this!). But there is a degree of wariness towards new transplants because this is such a transient society. It gets very old very fast becoming friends with someone who will just leave in 6 months. It may be difficult to be "accepted" until you have been here for a while.

Some of my friends would not raise their children anywhere else but the island, others moved away because they didn't want to raise their kids here. It is very subjective so a visit is necessary, especially when you have kids. You have to think about crime in the same way you would in any major city. Keep doors locked, always be aware of your surroundings etc etc...There is a high rate of crime here which bothers some people and others not a whole lot.

Hovensa, the oil refinery would be your husband's best bet for a job. They employ many engineers and if hired from the states, assist with moving costs, housing and in some cases, school tuition. Most other jobs you really have to be here on island to hear about by networking and word of mouth. A lot of employers don't want to hear from you unless you live on island.

Stay in New York, its the greatest. plus it only snows about 6 or 7 days a year. That is when you go skiing or ice skating or on vacation to Key West or St. Croix. Besides kids who grow up in the city have a certain sharpness to them that never leaves them during the rest of their lives, They tend to be go getters, people who make things happen as oppose to being to laid back waiting for things to come to them.