Estate Grove Place Subdivision

Thanks for the compliment Kathy! No, I am not a published writer but I have always enjoyed writing.

The great rock group "The Eagles" had a line in one of their songs that went "you call someplace Paradise, kiss it goodbye..." and every time I hear it I think of St. Croix.

Native Son, I think you are the type of person my husband and I would love to meet once we arrive on island.
I'll post again just before we arrive and maybe we can get together.
We know about paradise lost. If I could go into all that we have experienced and could explain our adaptability, I believe you all would have a different idea of our ability to adjust to island life. But I know, you all are experienced and I would be foolish to think I should not heed your advice. I hope I don't regret letting that piece of property go. It looked pretty, flat, and had water lines on the property already. it was fenced too.

Kathy C,

For what it's worth, I think you've made a good decision.

As I said before, I'm sure you'll do well here. All of the posts from folks who have made this move already are attempts to let you know that making the adjustment to living here includes some intangibles that simply cannot be described, and that you don't encounter when moving between locations in the continental US. Many of us were once in your shoes and we totally understand being so very eager to be here. I'd even go so far as to bet that most all of us also felt like our particular life circumstances had prepared us to handle anything, yet still found ourselves surprised/frustrated/saddened by some of the situations and circumstances we encountered as we settled into our new lives on island. And I'm certain that all of us would say getting advice from folks who came before us helped prepare us as best we could, and saved us from making mistakes that might have taken some of the joy out of realizing our dreams.

I know you're a woman of strong faith. Hopefully you can trust that God helped to bring Native Son (who is one of my favorite folks here on the board) and the others who make up this online community into your life to help make sure that you didn't end up in the wrong place, and that He will lead you to the right place for you at the right time, with the help and support of the new friends you've made here.

--HC

BTW, we're some of the only continentals I know who bought a home in one of the "local" neighborhoods here on island (which seems to be realtor short-hand for working class neighborhoods whose residents are mostly West Indian, down islanders, Puerto Rican, and other ethnicities.) We adore our neighbors and get along very well, we feel very safe here, and we didn't have to break our budget to afford a nice home with a pretty good sized plot of land (about 1/3 of an acre that backs up to a wooded area). Just wanted to let you know that there are some very nice "local" neighborhood areas, and that you don't have to go to the East End or live in a gated community to be safe and comfortable, which is what some uninformed folks might have you believe.

Kathy, I would love to meet you and your husband whenever you arrive on island, and my wife and I would be more than happy to show you around.

Like HipCrip said (thanks for the compliment BTW, HipCrip) there are working-class neighborhoods where you can buy a house at a decent price and be surrounded by pleasant, hard-working neighbors who will look out for you and your property...places like Tamarind/Humbug, Barren Spot, Mary's Fancy, Queen's Quarter, Rattan, St. John's, Sion Hill, to name a few.

Kathy,

I'll look into the specific lot for you in Grove Place. Please contact me via email ( stcroixhomes@hotmail.com ) or private message to give me your direct email address so I can forward photos once I get them.

You know, in Birmingham Alabama there were 105 murders in 2005. I attend church in the worst part of Birmingham and I am not afraid. Do you know the race relations in the south? My family and I are the only 3 white people in our church. There are drug dealers walking the streets everytime we go to church. Hookers stand on the corner. There are drive by shootings, rapes, robberies, etc.
I am so discouraged now. Everyone paints such a pessimistic view of island life. I lived in a camper as a child, a family of six, I had to bathe in a cold river. I've lived out of the back of a pick up truck in the woods by a pond. I cooked on a propane stove and had to buy bottled water. Right now, I live in a tiny little cabin and I do not live an exciting life. The only thing I do is go to school, occasionally go out to eat, and sit here doing nothing. I have no friends to go visit and my family are out of their minds. That's why I'm getting as far away from Alabama as possible. But since life is so horrible on the islands I guess I'll try to find something here. At least on St. Croix I could have gone to the beach whenever I wanted to or gone down to listen to the Jazz on Friday nights. It's been fun exchanging posts with you guys. Have a wonderful life!

Hmmm... I definitely do NOT think that St. Croix is a horrible place. There are a few places worthy of avoiding, as there are anywhere. I've lived in more than a dozen towns in my life and far prefer St. Croix to anywhere else I've ever lived. I feel safe here and find the people (both natives and transplants) to be more openly friendly than nearly anywhere else I've been. It's the few individuals with criminal intent who you watch out to avoid. You make Alabama sound pretty bleak.

Kathy,

Please don't be discouraged!

No one is trying to be negative, or to deter you from coming here. After all, we must love it here or we wouldn't be staying and offering to help others join us!

Unfortunately, we encounter a lot of people who think that moving to the USVI is making a move to a place where there is no crime, everything is affordable, and that it's just like living in Florida. All we try to do is make sure that people know that being a resident here has some realities that should be considered, like the cost of living and relatively low wages, before you uproot your life and spend thousands of your hard earned dollars to get here and establish a home.

I stronly believe that you can do this, and could be happy living here. You're right, the difference here on the positive side are AMAZING! I almost cry with joy just from being able to drive by brightly colored flowers every day of the year, and there is nothing that makes me feel better than seeing that blue, blue water under a bright blue sky.

So please don't let your dream go so quickly. Your life experience speaks of a survivor with drive, patience, persistence, and flexibility -- and those are, IMO, the ingredients most needed to make a successful move. If nothing else, just look at the number of folks here who want to help you and become your friends -- that's the norm here instead of the exception. I have told everyone I know that this is the friendliest place I have ever lived, and I grew up in a pretty close-knit neighborhood.

As you might be able to tell by my handle, I use a wheelchair. Getting around on this island isn't easy, and I don't have access to some of the complex medical care I need. Frankly, my life would be much easier in some ways if I returned to DC. But I'll never do it. There are so many wonderful people here who go way out of their way to do niceties like make sure I can get into places I want to go reach items on high shelves in the store, such gorgeous weather and beautiful scenery, that living anywhere else would be a major decline in the quality of my life.

In all honesty, I also got discouraged when I first started exploring the idea of moving. There was a rash of posts about murder rates and crime about that time, but when I looked more closely and compared it to Detroit (where I grew up) and DC (where I last lived), I had the same reaction you did -- it can't be that much worse than what I've experienced, even if it is different. Since common sense and prayer have done me good so far, I felt I had no reason to believe they wouldn't be what I need to make it on STX.

And that's exactly what I found to be true when we came on a pre-move visit. We deliberaqtely stayed in Fredericksted so we'd have to drive back and forth across the island a lot -- that way we'd be able to get a feel for what was where and what areas best suited our needs. We stayed near a housing project where one or two of the hotel staff (and native Crucians) lived -- and we found they were delightful people who were just as saddened by the few bad folks and downslide of certain neighborhoods as Native Son is. After only one afternoon on island, ALL of my concerns about being at home here were gone, and I knew that the good things STX offered, and good people of the island, far outweighed the challenges that come with living here.

I have a feeling that you'd have a similar experience if you hang in there. Please try to remember that what we're telling you is info that we felt we wanted to/needed to know before making this major move, and to ensure that we were coming here with as much knowledge of what to expect as we could get. Hopefully you can reach a point where you feel better about learning the challenges that come with this transition rather than getting a rude awakening to some of the harsher realities after you arrive.

--HC

We weren't really painting a bad picture of St. Croix, we were mostly just telling you to be cautious when choosing a property in Grove Place, and this is based on some realities of the area like Native Son pointed out. Most of St. Croix does not have any significant issues or problems or heavy crime, it's just that Grove isn't one of them. We were just saying to look elsewhere on the island, that was all. I think you could find peace here. If we thought St. Croix was such a bad place, we wouldn't spend so much of our time talking about island life to people on a message board.

Kathy, you've missed the point...which is that we WANT people who will embrace the island...but it is different, and there is absolutely no way around that. As a group, we are trying desperately to make you understand that you must be wise and really aware of what a situation is.

You asked a specific question and have been given way more info than perhaps you wanted, and certainly a different answer than you wished for - but it doesn't make it any less true.

Personal experience? I read every friggin' page on this board and I THOUGHT people must be exaggerating some things...okay, so maybe a few things were overstated, but mostly right on the mark. It wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear at the time, so I decided to disregard advice. Guess what? They were right, I was wrong. That's not to say things were bad or horrible or whatever - it is just simply that we as mainlanders have this thought that the islands are under the U.S. flag, then they must not be too different than what we have always known. Well, it is.

No one is trying to discourage you from St. Croix, but you have been given very sound advice from people who know. What you choose to do with that advice is your choice - but please don't lash out at people who are only trying to help. As Hip Crip said, we are trying to open your eyes and help lead and guide you, not discourage you. If you choose not to accept what is said, well...you won't be the first or the last.

The island is lovely, the people are lovely, and the view just can't be beat. But if you will accept that we just might have a clue after having been here, even if for a short time, and take the advice and pointers you are given in stride, your path will be easier. Folks who are native to the island are trying to explain the good and the bad, not run you off....good grief, you should thank your lucky stars that they are willing to help with the transition. Sorry to be so blunt, but you've really taken the goodwill and good intentions of every poster and turned them inside out. Don't stomp your feet and go away mad - believe that we truly want to assist you and work with you on making your dream a reality and not a nightmare.

Gee Becky, I didn't mean to make you think I was stomping away mad. I'm not stomping away anywhere. I said before, I understand, it's difficult there. I was just trying to let you know, I have had a very difficult life. I know I don't know how it is on the island, I know. I just thought that perhaps I could explain to you how adaptable I am. I do not expect anything easy. I do not expect life to be what I see in those wonderful vacation brochures. I'm not looking for paradise, or expecting it for that matter. I'm looking for a quiet life, no hustle no bustle. Just life, just making it, just able to go to the beach and watch the sunset.

Well I think it was the "It's been fun exchanging posts with you guys. Have a wonderful life!" that gave people the impression that you were stomping away.

Anyways, if you want the quiet life, STX is the perfect place, and you learn a lot about the world and yourself at the same time! I definitely think that this is an endeavor you should undertake.

To KathyC :

Kathy, my mother moved to St. Croix from the island of Dominica way back in the long-ago 1960's. She never finished school, though she was literate. My mother worked as a maid for years, earning less than $50.00 per week. She somehow managed to send my sister and I to private schools, and she managed to build a house with the help of the FHA. We moved into that house when we left Grove Place.

My mother is typical of the generation of people who came to these islands back in the sixties and seventies with nothing but a strong work ethic and a sense of wanting better for themselves and their children. The obstacles were enormous...lousy pay and working conditions, no medical insurance, no company savings plans, and the constant threat of being deported by the INS. Employers used to hold the INS as a sword of Damocles over the heads of workers from "down-island", threatening to have them sent back if they complained about working conditions or pay. Somehow, my mother persevered. She never let anything deter her from her goal.

I have lived all over the continental United States and also Europe and the Far East as a member of the US military. I can honestly say to you that I would not trade any of those places for St. Croix....not California, Texas, Georgia, Arizona, Oklahoma, Missouri, Montana...none of the above. There is a beauty to this island that is undeniable, and that beauty always comes through no matter what. There is the blooming of the frangipani, the sweet scent of jasmine, the hibiscus showing off, bouganvillea growing wild out of the hillsides, the mahogany-shaded Centerline Road, the lush rainforest of the West and the cactus out at East End. There are the overly friendly drivers who will graciously let you into traffic. There are the free jazz concerts in Frederiksted, where you will see the amazing diversity of the people who comprise the St. Croix demographic. There is a feel here that I have not experienced anywhere else, and I've been to a few places. And, of course, there is the majestic Caribbean Sea, in all of her turquoise glory...what a place.

Call me crazy but I kind of like Grove. I go to church in that area. Mind you, I am just passing through but I kind of like the view I guess it has something to do with the creative side of me and my own personal experiences in the communities where I have lived. I guess its all in what you are looking for in your place called home and community. I have not been here long enough to give anyone advise about real esate decisions, but I think it is safe to say that all of us are driven by different stimuli some of which people will not understand. Alexander seems like a good contact. How about that for advice.

Kathy,
I feel your pain living here!
I am down in Montgomery right now and have been thinking about going to the islands for more than a year.
been on the road working and its time.. got the job lined up and the housing and hopefully will be there by September~
Please email me! I have a long time to go before I leave and I know what you are talking about being here!
Maybe we can get together and talk about the islands~ 😀

Hopefully talk to you soon!
Email: iamtrixx@aol.com
Bye