how many relocations to USVI are successful?

I agree with you its doable. I have other post similar to yours and people advised that it depends on you. We have not told our families yet, mostly because we are planning our move for next year. I know what they will say. When we went to NYC my father in law called every hour (literally) and kept preaching at us not to ride the subway because we would be killed. I can only imagine what they will say about this. I know also while family is usually good intentioned, they also have their own agenda. They most likley want you to live closer to them. I imagine that will be my in-laws biggest concern. I have noticed that my family has been very supportive in the past when we have discussed moving away from Ohio, (none of them live here and therefor it does not effect how often I see them). But when it comes to my in-laws (whom all live in a fifteen mile radious of where we reside) they never have anything good to say about moving out fo state let alone the continent. I am very unhappy with where I live and have been for many years. But, my in-laws are very controlling and they guilt trip my husband. My advice is no matter how much you love your family and value their opinion make your own decision. Do not look back in 10 years and wonder what could have been. Good luck . Mabye we can talk sometime.

Many, many more folks move here and leave within a few months than move here and live permanently. The population here is very trransient for a number of reasons, chief among them ithat people come here dissatisfied with their life in the states and discover, frequently to their great surprise, that what dissatisfies them comes from within and can't be resolved by moving to the USVI.

April is really correct about some families (not all) with agendas. I can understand their worry but I didn't let it stop me. Dntw8up is also correct about people seeking a geographical cure & stated it really well. Beats me what makes some people stick it out & other don't.

I have known many couples where the husband is an executive & loves the job, loves the island, thinks it's terrific & the wife really hates it because a lot of the time she's stuck with the day-to-day hassles & he isn't. Therefore, a lot of people leave because of that.

I'm an extreme type A & still love it here. I'm no good with island time but I'm the one who has to adapt & maybe that's the key. YOU have to adapt. The island sure won't.

dntw8up: Much wisdom in your statement. I would add that the expense and hassle of moving to the VI to discover this is cheaper than many years with a shrink.

I don't think we live anywhere permanently. The average American moves every 5 years and even our life here on earth is only temporary. Nobody fails by moving somewhere, not liking it, and moving somewhere else. I think most people wanting to move to the VI (myself used to be included) have starry eyes and dream filled fantasies about living in paradise. This board's information and the wonderful people posting here have done wonders for me to slap me upside the head and make me realize that vacationing in the VI and living there are two completely different things.

I still haven't completely decided about moving to STT yet but my trip during carnival talking with a perspective employer should complete the decision. Thanks to this board, I know one thing for sure, my old feeling of drunken-like giddiness thinking about moving to the VI is now replaced with sober thoughts of very high rents/real estate prices, super expensive electricity/water, loads of bugs of all kinds, and high prices and poor selection of many foods/services.

On an up note, all the bad stuff does have to be weighed against the beauty of the islands and their people.

Remeber that Virgin Islanders are just regular folks - not all are 'beautiful'. Also the beauty of the island can be a little obscured at times, by crumbling infrastructure, litter etc.
Go for it - have fun, but always keep a financial reserve on hand to "bow out gracefully" if life there doesn't suit you.

I totally agree with the families' opinons of moving off the continent. My fiance and I are moving there in the fall and we strategically told some people. People who we know would support us in this adventure. Only one has been a downside/negative response. I firmly believe that if you surround yourselves with the positive people (close co-worker, very close friend, etc.) this can aide in the research of and experimentation of the islands. We obviously have not moved yet, but it makes great convo's when there is some need for happiness in the air. I don't know if this is coming out as clear as I see it but tell someone instead of keeping paradise inside to eat you alive.

It's hard to come up with a statistic for successful relocations because everyone's intentions are different when they arrive here. Some people come expecting to stay the rest of their lives, but there are many more people who come here just for a winter season or to work a 6 month or 1-year contract at the refinery or hospital or a school, etc. Those people come and go, but they intended to all along in most cases, so they shouldn't be counted in the statistics when evaluating the success rate for permanent relo's.

I came to St. Croix expecting to stay "a while", probably measured in years, but not necessarily for the rest of my life. I had already lived in more than a dozen different towns in my life before moving to the islands, so moving and settling in somewhere new doesn't seem like a big deal. Each new place has its own quirks to adjust to. Most of the moves I've made were work related as my father was transferred by the government multiple times while I was growing up and then my ex-husband and I moved another six times during our marriage as his work moved us around. Leaving places isn't always about failing and bugging out. It can also be that you get a promotion that requires you to be in a different office somewhere else. Or that you like to travel and explore the world and will continue to move every few years throughout your adult life to see new places and experience new things.

Even though my mother has lived in dozens of places in her lifetime, she really didn't want me to move so far away... mostly because I brought two of her grandsons here with me and she wouldn't get to see them as often. It was funny how many people commented, "but you won't know anybody!" when they found out where I was moving to when I came to St. Croix. But I hadn't known anybody in any of the other towns I moved to during my life, either, and it really didn't matter. You get out and meet new people and get on with your life in the new place.

Don't let other people's fears or jealousies hold you back if you truly want to come. Do take a little time to examine your motives and expectations and be honest with yourself about your adaptability. You need to be pla-dough while you are settling in. Once you have shed your mainland need for immediate gratification and service, the island starts to feel pretty comfy.

People talk about surviving the 1-year mark in the VI as being a big milestone, and the sign of a successful relocation. Others say 2 years. Here's a summary in round numbers of me and my various friends on STX who moved here in the last 2 years, who all intended to stay here permanently. It's not a scientific sample, but gives an idea of the success rates here. All of the couples are married, with no kids here.

Couple #1: Still here after 2 years. Work in property management, programming, consulting, arts. Renting. Ages: 40

Couple #2: Still here after 2 years. Home was burglarized after 1 year. As a result of this and other factors of island life, they plan to move to the mainland as soon as they can sell their house. Work in hospitality lodging and home contracting. Own their home. Ages: 40

Couple #3: Still here after 1.5 years. No plans to leave. Work in real estate and home contracting. Own their home. Ages: 50 & 60

Couple #4: Still here after 1 year. No plans to leave. Work in maintenance and telecommuting from home. Own their home. Ages: 40 & 50

Couple #5: Still here after 1 year. No plans to leave. Work in dive shop and photography. Renting and building a home. Ages: 30

Couple #6: Left after 1 year due to cancer relapse and later death. Worked as beach attendant. Owned their home. Ages: 50

Couple #7: Left after 6 months due to inability to sell house on mainland, and need for a real job. Didn't look for work here. Rented. Ages: 40 & 50

Single #8: Left after 6 months to get away from crime (was in a restaurant robbery) and to be with boyfriend on mainland. Telecommuted from home. Rented. Age: 30

Ric and I have lived on STX for 3 1/2 years. We came with considerable savings and my pension. We are in our late 50's. We both have jobs, Ric's full time and I'm part time. We probably won't live here forever - but we like it and will be here for the foreseeable future.

But, most of the Continentals we've known who moved down since we have are now back in the states.

I lived there 5 yrs - husband and I had terminal 'Rock Fever" and moved somewhere that suited us better.

such very good threads on this message board - interesting and very in-depth information; i doubt if people emailed folks where i live regarding a potential move here that very many people would even REPLY, much less with so much passion and honesty as you islanders do. i have found great information - pro and con - since finding this board. one of the above posts, from _jenn_, i do agree, has also opened my eyes somewhat more:
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"Nobody fails by moving somewhere, not liking it, and moving somewhere else. I think most people wanting to move to the VI (myself used to be included) have starry eyes and dream filled fantasies about living in paradise. This board's information and the wonderful people posting here have done wonders for me to slap me upside the head and make me realize that vacationing in the VI and living there are two completely different things.

I still haven't completely decided about moving to STT yet but my trip during carnival talking with a perspective employer should complete the decision. Thanks to this board, I know one thing for sure, my old feeling of drunken-like giddiness thinking about moving to the VI is now replaced with sober thoughts of very high rents/real estate prices, super expensive electricity/water, loads of bugs of all kinds, and high prices and poor selection of many foods/services." ..................................this encapsulates alot of how i feel as well, and in a concise manner. eloquently said, jenn. i am going to move to the tropics still, i've just started making some more in-dept comparisions with other places, mainly Puerto Rico, and mainly because of cost of living differences. Oh yeah, i know it's culturaly a totally different place and on and on, and i AM still coming to both STT and STX in May, but i have made some changes to my probable itinerary to include more time on p.r. as opposed to the USVI. Then again, i may find myself in totally different emotions once i am down. 🙂 marc

STXBob - it's definitely a small island. Just from your minimal descriptions, I know who your couples #2,5,&6 are and I have an idea about #3. But then I sold #5&6 their properties on STX. Everyone's story is uniquely their own and people come and go for diverse reasons.

IslandGroove4Me, thank you for the compliments. Just an FYI on Puerto Rico: I've made many trips there on business and it would help you immensely to know/learn spainish. I did consulting to the pharmaceutical industry on industrial automation software. Every major pharmaceutical company has a big presence in P.R. due to the tax laws there. (it's something like resolution 936 that gives companies an exemption on corporate tax profits for setting up manufacturing in P.R.) It's been about ten years since I've been to P.R. so I don't know the current state of things but several of the people I was working with were making 40 - 60 k a year back then (professionals).

Hi, my name is Patrick, and my wife's name is Laura. We plan to move down to St. Thomas sometime in the fall from NY, not NYC but upstate, in a beautiful town named Canandaigua. I have a storage bus. here and I am sooo tired of slow paying, sometimes not paying customers, snow plowing, salt, cold, and ungodly taxes, up 6 grand last year alone. We have a very large family on both sides. We, as a couple have 2 dogs and 86 fish. No kids. The dogs will join us and the fish will stay here in the home we will continue to maintain via house sitter. We figure we will make St. Thomas our primary home, and use the house in NY as a vacation house for the months of August and September to visit family and friends. My wife is a nurse by trade and as accident prone as I am, I made a good choice. I, at one time was a certified S.C.U.B.A. instructor, as well as a bartender. We both have very positive attitudes, and look forward to a change in life style. We look very forward to the new experiences, and yes, the Home Depot will be accepted with a fever. We are coming down mid June to look at houses, and we look forward to meeting new friends there. We understand that work is done at a relaxed pace and as handy as I am, I also look forward to new obstacles that we may come across. Ohhhhhhhh the dream is so close at hand I can taste it. We anticipate a renewed enjoyment on that wonderful island known as Saint Thomas. C'Ya soon.