For families who have moved to the islands

My wife and our two children moved from Ontario to St. Croix 10 years ago after we purchased a business here. Our daughter was 7 and our son was 12 at the time. The kids had no trouble making friends and loved their school (Good Hope School at the time). My wife was a bit slower in becoming used to the lack of shopping choices and standoffish locals but eventually went on to make many friends and take up hobbies and activities in the community. Today, she loves living here. Our business continues to prosper even in these tough times.

Fast forward...our son went off to college back in Ontario, completed his studies and still lives in Ontario. The daughter is in grade 12 at Country Hope and was just accepted at her first choice of Ontario universities. Your kids will naturally want to leave the island when they get older because almost all of their friends will be leaving too. But they will love to come home to the island on holidays to party with their old friends.

For us, the move was a great success and we would do it over in a minute. Island life isn't for everyone but it works for us. We still indulge in all the same consumer-based stuff mainlanders enjoy although we have to wait a week or two for internet purchases to arrive. We still eat out very often and party with friends frequently. Now that we're a bit older, old friends are coming to stay and visit more frequently from the northland, which we welcome.

As a Canadian, I can't vote and stay far away from local political nonsense. I love all the people from the island of all races and the closeness of the community. We have experienced very little impact from crime but are alert at all times. We enjoy vacationing in Puerto Rico and other nearby islands.

All things considered, I'd rather live here than live in the over regulated and taxed police state the real world has become. I'll take the slower paced island life anytime. PM me if you have any specific questions or concerns.

My husband and I are looking to move to the usvi as well (Preferably St. Thomas). Our children are 8 and 12. We have been trying to research everything we can about island living but sometimes you just don't even know the questions to ask because there are so many differences in the way of life. Any advice on home buying, job searching and Healthcare would be greatly appreciated as these are my main concerns, especially since I am a type 1 diabetic. Feel free to also private message me as well if you like.Thanks!

Cara

dont buy a home right away, and plenty of info right here for most of your questions. if after reading you still have questions. just ask

CaraBearWNY - maybe it's stating the obvious but there's a ton of information in the scroll-down menus top of this page if by chance you didn't see them (and many don't!). Some of the moving stories are dated but their message is the same as it was when they were written.

Apart from general adaptation to island living (it just doesn't work for many, one has to be honest) healthcare and schooling will be your major concerns. No affordable health care ("Obamacare") here and public schooling can be challenging while private schooling is very good but VERY expensive. And absolutely don't think of purchasing a home here until you've lived here for a few years. Good luck!

The territories can not join or form health exchanges that were formed in many States. No other private health insurance unless through employer or ABA or maybe other professional group.

Except if you or your spouse holds citizenship from another country. Then you can get Cigna Global (or other similar) health insurance, which is much cheaper and offers more options than ObamaCare.

Vicanuk,

thanks for the insurance tip. My wife still holds her Romanian citizenship

We're really happy with it!

Healthcare International also offers individual health insurance in the USVI, but they exclude pre-existing conditions (it's health insurance for the healthy, which is all you'll find for new individual policies here).

There are several threads about it: https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/search.php?4,search=healthcare+international,author=,page=1,match_type=PHRASE,match_dates=0,match_forum=4,match_threads=0