Moving soon

just moved to st. thomas about 6 weeks ago. the east end is very popular. we live on the south side near frenchman's bay and are very happy. it's 5 minutes to town (if that's where you're working) and close to a nice beach. check out the classifieds in the virgin islands daily news online.
good luck

Hey, thanks for the information. Where did you move there from? I am moving from the rain soaked state of Oregon. Are the rents reasonable in that area?

we moved from rain soaked london! i'm originally from texas, but have spent the last 7 years in london and before that ny. was looking for a more relaxing and less ultra urban atmosphere.

we pay 1600 a month, plus utilites for a 2 bed 2 bath with awesome view and large porch overlooking the beach. we can walk to the beach (about 5-10 minutes) and to the marriot next door. haven't gotten utility bills yet but water is more expensive here than on the mainland. we haven't had to use our window units yet, fans and open windows have been fine. there's a usually a nice breeze that keeps it cool. i've heard summmer is warmer so we may need ac then.

i saw the following ad in the paper online (www.virginislandsdailynew.com)
One bdrm apt, furnished, A/C, W/D, avail. now. Very near Morningstar Beach & Marriott. $980 plus util. Call 776-4253.

this sounds like it's very close to us. not sure if you're looking for a one or two bed.

there are usually quite a few cars for sale in the paper too. i've heard it can be difficult to get your car shipped (and probably pretty expensive from so far away!) and registered once it's here on island. there are also car listings in the paper. as you may know there is also a paper here called the island trader that comes out once a week and has lots of classifieds. it's not online.

have you spent much time here? i'm not sure how familiar you are with the island. i had not been here except to interview before i moved so i had lots of questions. what are you going to be doing?
i'm happy to help with any questions that i can.

Thank you again for all the information. It's a great help from someone that has just gone through all of the things I am about to.
I have never been to the Islands but have always dreamed of living somewhere like that. Then the day after we buried my Aunt (the last survivor of that generation in my family) I received an e-mail from The Virgin Island Daily News regarding a Media Consultant position. They saw my resume on Journalism Jobs website. If we come to an agreement then I will come there to see the island, the office and the people to see if I actually want to go there. It's a big step and an expensive one. I have lived in Oregon (always raining and horrible economy) New Hampshire ( tons of snow and ice brrrrrr) and southern California (beautiful but very expensive).
I hope to able to suppliment my income playing music there as well. I'm a drummer.
If I can find a studio or 1 bedroom apartment around $600 I would be jumping for joy. The off season is almost here so maybe I will have an easier time of finding what I want. The only thing I am bringing will be my SUV, clothes, and my drums.
I've ordered The Settlers Handbook and a DVD about the Islands. It looks like a lot of usefull information.
What do you do there?
Most of my friends are already planning their vacations! 🙂
Guy

sorry to hear about your aunt. it's hard when you lose someone in your family.
congrats on the job offer. it's great when someone reaches to you! it is a big step and it is expensive but there are great benefits to living here. of course it's beautiful and the weather is amazing and the slower pace of life is great. you're right that you might be able to find something more easily in the off season. there wasn't much available when we got here (my husband and daughter and myself). we only looked at 2 bedrooms so i'm not sure what 1 bedrooms go for. of course the more desirable the location the more expensive. when you come to interview, see if they can help you at the paper. getting to know people is super helpful, especially since the community is pretty small.
also seems like plenty of places come furnished so if you don't bring a lot with you it should still work out ok.
feel free to ask any questions as they come up, i'll try to help out if i can.
i'm a lawyer...don't hold it against me.
we've already had one set of visitors and two more have scheduled visits!
michelle