Differences in living in St. Croix vs St. Thomas.

Well St Thomas has had FIFTEEN HOMICIDES this year. St Croix has had only four. The fact is that St Croix is a friendly island with moderate crime problems. St thomas on the other hand is an island out of control. The government has tried to hide these facts because of the cruise ship business. They do not want tourists to know that when they get off the ships in St Thomas they are exposed to a lawless drug driven society that is running wild. This is a a culture that the police have not been able to control.

I Love St thomas and St Croix. that is why I am telling the truth. I hope that the corrupt government and crime ridden police will hear this cry and try to do something other than lie. We need to attack the problem, not the messengers.

I live on St. Thomas and it does NOT feel out of control to me. It is NOT a lawless drug drive society that is running wild.

I go most everywhere on the island and feel safe which is more than I can say for the city I moved from in California.

Have only been on St. Croix once so couldn't let you know about the differences but just had to respond to this post about a "Lawless society." It just isn't true.

I don't feel like getting into a war of words with "bob", but let me just say that as a resident, despite STT's high number of homicides this year, the island does not feel out of control to me, and it is certainly unfair to call the whole place a "lawless drug driven society". As a matter of fact, I find the police on St. Thomas to be more visible than anywhere else I've lived. As *many* people have pointed out before, the majority of crimes, particularly violent crimes and especially homicides, occur in areas where tourists and most residents are unlikely to wander, and they typically happen to people who know their assailant. Most of the crimes here are related to the drug trade. Steer clear of drugs and you shouldn't find crime to be a major concern.

I would also point out that it is inaccurate to say that St. Thomas is a much more dangerous island than St. Croix based solely on the homicide count. If you look at other statistics, particularly armed robberies, St. Croix is far outpacing St. Thomas this year. Both islands have their ghetto areas interspersed with an abundance of safe areas. I believe a lot of the crime on St. Croix owes to the economic difficulties the island is facing, and that the murders on St. Thomas are related to the drug trade and long standing gang feuds that should not concern the average resident or tourist, because they will not be the target of these crimes.

All that said, I agree that STT and STX have work to do when it comes to public safety. But I find your assessment to be inaccurate and needlessly alarmist.

This does not pertain to STT or STX but the first week I moved to Seattle there was a homicide everyday that week. 7 murders in 7 days not counting all the ones that occured before and after that week during the year. I realize that Seattle has a huge population compared to the islands but STT and STX are not unique when it comes to crime. CRIME IS EVERYWHERE! As a regular reader of the Virgin Islands Daily News I agree with Bob that the government is corrupt and needs to be cleaned up but damnit, stop giving the islands a bad rap and making it sound like that is the only place where, drugs, murders, and sex crimes happen. Bob, you have lumped a small group of individuals and are classifying an entire popultion as lawless. Do you, or have you lived on the islands? Are you an out of control, lawless individual? If you dislike the government so much, why don't you step up to the plate and run for office? Are you a drug user? Well, if you lived on STT, you must have been.

Oh wait, my bad. "Attack the problems not the messenger." What have you done to attack the problem Bob? Are you being a proactive participant in trying to bring about solutions and positive change or are you just living in the problem and spouting off opinions you heard somewhere else? Deal in facts BOB, 15 homicides is not a "lawless drug driven society running wild!" Tell me BOB, what percentage of the STT population is actually drug users? Any actual stats on how many public officials are actually liars and how many get the privlage of being considered good honest human beings just doing their best?

I'll be watching for your statistics to post BOB and interested to see what you are proposing as problem resolution for that lawless out of control society that runs one of the islands you "love."

I live on St. Thomas, and have not lived on St. Croix, but have some friends there.

I could offer my take on the crime situation; but I won't. You can read flame wars on this and other boards and glean what kernels of truth lie on both sides of the debate. I'll leave it at this: if you live in NYC, the crime should not bother you. Instead, I'll comment on what I thought you were trying to get at:

The cost of housing is somewhat less on St. Croix; but what you get, for what I like, is less. But others may not care so much for what I like. It's a personal choice and it has to do with resources.

St. Thomas is more mountainous than St. Croix, and it is at the edge of a chain of islands, unlike St. Croix which is pretty much off by itself. This means St. Thomas has more places with better views. It also means it is more expensive to build a house. Also, there are more places that are high, ergo cool and breezy, than there are on St. Croix.

If you like peace and quiet, St. Thomas has such places; and actually some of those places have the most affordable housing. I would never live in Fortuna, because I spend a lot of time in town, which can be a 20 - 30 minute drive, and some time on the East End, which is another 20 - 30 minutes. But if you're a homebody and want peace and quiet, Fortuna may be for you. And there are plenty of other areas on the North Side, especially West of Four Corners, that are tranquil, uncrowded, cool, breezy, with great views. It is a long way from the nearest bar or restaurant, and you will not see throngs of tourists on the road there.

Although the island is small, it is AMAZING the difference in neighborhood feel, topography, and even climate from one area to the next. Even though the island is only 3 miles at its widest point, people on the Northside never have to buy water while on the South side it seems to never rain. One of the "poshest" neighborhoods (Bakkeroe) seems always hot with no breeze, and some of the least expensive (Fortuna, Pearl, for example) seem to have a breeze even in the lee of the hills. I point this out because I think it is a bad idea to buy a house here until after you have lived here for a while. You should rent and explore and get to know a few people and ask questions. I think this comment applies to both islands.

I probably could not live in St. Croix; but my friends who live in St. Croix could never live in St. Thomas. It's a personal thing.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, all the info is very helpful! When I visit I will probably spend 2 weeks on each island. The problem with renting is that I come with 3 dogs and 2 cats and prefer to own my house., but maybe a 3 month move w/o the pets and no committment is a good idea. I own a spa and a yoga studio in brooklyn, ny so I have to really figure out if I want to leave my business as a whole or commute back to ny to keep it in check....that is a whole nother topic.... to travelbetweens the islands and ny! thanks!

I think it is so funny how some people compare these small islands to crime in cities like Seattle and New York. Doesn't that in itself tell you something is wrong? Personally, I think it starts with the children. These children live in an adult world and have few productive activities. More activities for the young ones need to be in action so they are less likely to bewhirled into the world of drugs and crime. Obviously, it wont solve all the problems but wouldnt it make the future of our young people brighter by promoting school and activities that are constructive? There arent any quick fixes to the drugs and crime and left ignored and unchecked, it is due to get worse.

Hi Loretta

I am also from Midwood Bklyn - me & my wife visited bothe STT & STX more than once(some more too). You will see it for yourself as you planned to go to both but it is still valuable to read opinion of others - some info comes out resonating with your & some new - makes you think & feel that you should check it out. I like STX - my wife likes STT. I got some -ve info about STX & wanted to check it out - I took more that two yrs & now about to buy.

My suggestion will be - keep your business runing in Bklyn even if it is expensive to comute. I know for sure that I need to do that because I feel that all these islands are place to spend - for most of us !