Neighborhoods on STX

The West end is more lush, as is the North side.
The East end is drier, as is the South side.
The East end is more the higher dollar area.

These are generalities, as there are some lush areas, and more affordable areas in the East end.

It depends on what you want, but on STX, the most classically tropical island lushness can only be found in the West End and to a lesser extent the North shore. I'm confounded, why years ago, the North Americans chose to settle in the East End. The views are fine, but the land itself is a barren desert cactus aesthetic. Who wants to constantly water to keep your tropical garden and palm trees alive?

The Carambola beach area is absolutely the most breathtaking. Verdant hills meeting palm trees on a white sandy beach. My guess is 10 years from now your going to see a dramatic "flip" in the development trend. With the high-end money moving from East to West. Investment wise buy towards the West or North.

Just an opinion from someone who owned on the East End.

I have lived in 3 different "neighborhoods" on Stx in the last year and a half.
I lived in the Blue Mountain/Scenic Road/MonBiju area (more Northshore-ish) and it was nice - neighbors were not close - more rural.
Then I lived in the Flamboyant Welcome neighborhood (behind Connegata Ball Park) near Schooner Bay Market. This is an older neighborhood with homes quite close together, but was very comfortable and felt safe there. The population was a good mix of singles, elderly, and families. Very comfortable - but older homes - not cheap - still in the $130 K to $170 K range. I spent a year in this neighborhood.
I have recently moved to the Estate Tamarind area - Southshore road about a 1/2 mile south of Junies Rest./Gateway Gas station. This is like having taken the countryside and put 3 streets worth of houses in. They are on about 1/4 - to 1/2 acre lots and the neighborhood is wonderful. Quiet, (except for the morning dogs barking) - no one bothers you - and it is peaceful.

I have driven thru some that are much more dense with houses and people - like you could reach out the bathroom of either house and hold hands.

Your lifestyle and expectations will dictate to you what and where you want to be. In my Welcome neighborhood I knew many of the neighbors. Some people would wince when I said I lived in Welcome. It's a nice place. Just not Cotton Valley.

Hi Independent man

You ask a question with an obvious answer.
The west end was settled years and years ago by local people who recognized that it had the best beaches, the most water, the most desirable scenery and the most potential. It is , in short, the nicest part of St Croix.

Unfortunately those same people have squandered their legacy. They have run rough shod over the beaches and trashed the countryside. The government has allowed hodge podge development and have not supported the infrastructure.

When some newer money began arriving, they saw the mess that had been created around Fredrickstad and decided to spend their money in the mostly unoccupied east end.

It is a sad commentary that the Cruzian people and VI government did not realize what they had and so did not take care of the legacy and beauty.

You may be right about the future. The "money" is looking at the west end of the island and a renaissance may yet occur.

the stxer,

Actually, I didn't exactly understand the STX development history. Thanks. Regardless, my guess is that the new high-end development planned for the West End/Northwest shore (and it's infrastructure) will overwhelm the existing bad because there is so much beautiful land available to build on.

Lets try to remember that this is stxer's perspective and VERSION of STX development history.

Thank you johnnycake

Yes, from a history perspective my comments are very simplistic. They do not in any way cover all of things that happened to help form the character of this island. I would like to sit down again with those who have been a part of St Croix's development to learn more.

As far, as the stewardship of the legacy of St Croix, yes that is how I see it. Most people who I have talked to state the same thing. The past cannot be changed, but the future can and should reflect a new understanding and caring for this beautiful place.

Another defining element in the unusual way that STX has developed was Hurricane Hugo. Following the storm, many island business owners fled. The largest core of money men left on the island when reconstruction got underway was centered in and around Christiansted, so that is naturally where much of the focus was on reconstruction. On most tropical islands, the million dollar villas and the upscale resorts are in the beautiful, lush, rain forest zones and/or where the best beaches are located. Over time, STX may yet return to that sort of development and some of the current plans for the western and northwestern shores already show this trend on the way. The northeast sector of the island will likely always continue to be seen as an upscale neighborhood, but it is also likely that there will be additional high dollar neighborhoods constructed in the west end of the island over the next 10-15 years.

When I arrived on STX, I had seen what I thought had been a lot, but in fact was very little. Much of my exploration was done with a realtor, so that skewed a bit what I saw and when.

Over the past year and several months, I have truly explored many areas of the island in depth. From what I have gleened, you can make a wonderful home in a safe neighborhood just about anywhere. Much of it depends on what you want from an island and island living. As was mentioned above, I live in Flamboyant Welcome and love it. We get enough rain to keep both the cisterns and the tropical plants happy, have back up city water and am three minutes from C'sted, one minute from Gallows Bay which reminds me of an old time township.

There are some areas I would not live in. When I see a LOT of dead cars on the side of a road and every house having an attack dog, that would not work for me. It has nothing to do with station of life, but how one cares for their own homes and attitudes towards others. I also would not live between two mountain ranges, basically in the valley. I visited someone, and even with air conditioners running, it was HOT. Absolutely no breeze. I prefer the winds to ventilate the house. Althoug I do not get bitten by mosquitoes, they were kind of obscene in that area as well. Lots of undeveloped land with what I imagine are lots of small clay based soils that create stagnant pools of water. In short, the squitors were everywhere, en masse. The people who lived there looked like they had been through a war with black and blue mosquito bites all over their bodies.

Beyond that, I love adventure, and am sure I will live on different parrts of the island over time, but heading westward I believe would be the general direction.

Wow. That was two cents in a whole lot of words!

Best wishes,

Dan

Hi all,

Thank you for everyone's two cents regarding the different neighborhoods.

Are the larger condo developments in a certain area or can they be found in all areas? Do most of the larger complexes have pools and an ocean view? What are the names of some of the the larger well-known complexes?

Thanks again!

Shawn - you can see all the condo complex names and search to see the active listings for sale on STX via my MLS website at: http://www.ourhomesite.com/stcroixhomes

Many of the complexes are in a region often called "condo row", which is located starting just west of the WAPA power generation plant at the western edge of Christiansted and then continuing west around the waterfront until it ends with St. C's condos just prior to Judith's Fancy. The primary condo row is made up of Club St. Croix, Sugar Beach, Colony Cove, and Mill Harbor condos, but it then extends west and more complexes are sprinkled along the next few miles of waterfront. Most of these condos are the low-to-mid priced condos on the island. The most notable exception is that Pelican Cove Condos are a bit more upscale, but are in this zone. Some of the other upscale complexes include Coakley Bay, Villa Madeleine, Carden Beach, Candle Reef, and others. Inland on the Carambola golf course, you also have nice properties at Saman and Sweet Lime. Some of the bargain priced complexes include Long Reef, Carlton, Bay Garden and Caribbean View. A new condo complex that has just been "condominiumized" after being apartments for many years is Ocean Terrace. There are more than 50 units in that complex on the market right now, both 1 and 2 bedroom units, many with ocean views. Most complexes have swimming pools. Villa Madeleine is unique in that each separate condo has it's own private pool in a walled courtyard. Others also have unique features that appeal to different buyers. Many of the complexes have security gates. Some are "self-insured" and some are fully insured for windstorm/hurricane damage through their HOAs. Not all condos have ocean views. Some complexes are inland. Some complexes have a mixture of units with and without ocean views. Only a few complexes allow pets and there may still be restrictions on size and/or quantity allowed. HOA fees tend to be fairly high due to the inclusion of hurricane insurance. Keep in mind that you would still have a hurricane insurance policy if you purchased a house, so try not to have sticker shock when you hear what the fees are at a complex. Make a spreadsheet that shows what is included at that price so you can more equitably compare the different complexes and how they would line up against a single family home for costs.

Feel free to ask more questions of me directly via email at stcroixhomes@hotmail.com if you would like. I'll also try to respond to questions you may post in the open forum on this website but once in a while I miss something tossed my way on here.

Shaun,
You just saw by the post from Alexandra, what makes her one of the best / NO THE BEST Realtor to deal with. She will answer all of your questions. When we first started looking from stateside for a condo, some Realtors wouldn't respond at all. Most would respond only to set up an appointment for when we were on island, maybe only answering only one or two questions. But Alexandra was the only one who would answer all of my questions, ( there were many, many, many -LOL). Sometimes even on the weekends.

When we got to the island, she started showing us around, and immediately got the feel for what we liked and didn't like. We ended up with a condo at STC. Most (not all ) of the units there have a great view of the sea and great sea breezes. It does not have a beach, as it is about 50' to 60' above on a cliff. A little safer I think in a bad storm. But we also don't get the "no-see-ums" since then is no beach. But the small waves hitting the rocks sound so peaceful.

IMHO "condo row" is adjacent to some pretty "bad" projects- not a neighborhood for a cute stroll - some people love it, but a lot of people take one look at the neighborhood and turn around. This might affect resale opportunities by reducing pool of potential buyers before they even look at yr property.
The walk to Christiansted or to the local supermarket would be quite challenging in daylight and not one that people would do at night. Always drive around the neighborhood and make sure that you check out all the roads to and fro the complex or house.
You would really need to drive around most areas - don't just look for the dead cars etc. Watch people's reaction as you drive past, watch out for heavy barring on the doors and windows - look at the way the houses appear - open balconies facing the street with people out enjoying the weather, or closed up, protection type ambience - some of our interior areas have greater problems with drive-bys etc.
Some of the areas around Carambola to Centerline, I would not advise for a move. A lot of illegal activity there - ousiders not welcome - mainly drugs and dog fighting.
Best bet - talk to locals in convenience stores etc - ask them where they would like to live (or no)
Have fun cruising around.

... some of "OUR" interior areas...., Jane? Would that be in Port Townsend, WA?

Shawn - there are low-income government housing projects clustered in many areas of the island. The island is small enough that you're going to be within a few miles proximity of lots of different economic groups pretty much wherever you live. The condo row complexes have gone through a tremendous upsurge in sales volume in the past 18 months. While some buyers choose not to purchase near the housing projects, others are comfortable doing so. I have a backlog of buyers waiting and watching for any new listing to come on the market at Colony Cove so they can make an offer sight-unseen. Ease of re-sale is great right now at some of the properties. Many buyers don't have the luxury of being able to afford the much more expensive condos that are located in the eastern third of the island away from the housing projects. Buyers whose comfort zone requires that they be insulated from "locals" should expect to pay a premium price to do so. One also has to wonder why such people would be moving to the island at all. They are unlikely to be happy and satisfied with the overall experience. That attitude also contributes to much of the turn-over in newcomers who live here for a few months or a couple years and then flee back to the mainland with lots of negative things to say about the islands.

No, it isn't as well you know, you big old funster, you!
It was just a slip of the old keypad.
I dont think living in close proximity to locals is the question at all - I am sure that it is the crime, drug-dealing, and general naughtiness etc in some areas that would bother people - not whether the perpetrators were locals or not. I may be wrong.
We lived in a lovely house in Mid-Island for years. All our neighbours were locals and they were absolutely delightful people. They were also law-abiding and peaceful, which mattered a hell of a lot more to me than their place of origin.
I would be very surprised if anyone who reads or posts on this board "require that they be insulated from "locals"..."

I figured maybe you were having separation anxiety from being gone from the island and that was a bit of a Freudian slip. Even though you have moved on, I can understand about still feeling some level of a bond with the islands.

From working in real estate, I do come across some buyers who expect to be "insulated from locals" and other buyers who have had that idea drummed into them by Realtors they have met. The whole push to encourage newcomers to live in the east end fosters that attitude.

Why do you think that feeling of needing to be "insulated from locals" exists? Is it prejudice, fear of crime, or something else?

I do not believe that it is "insulated from locals" - I believe that it is insulated from ugliness, crime, poverty and social problems.
Apart from a few blatent racists who are on Island to make money etc.(and for other more bizarre purposes), the vast majority of transplants are Mr. & Mrs. Middle of the Road, Middle Class, America. I think that they do not want to face up to the social ills of a population in which such a high % live in need. Having spent time in the real estate biz on StX, I recognize the syndrome that Alexandra describes, but I still firmly believe that it is a class, social position thing that just happens to fall along racial lines in the VI.
If one lives out in Shoys etc. then one doesn't have to get down and dirty with the problems that many Virgin Islanders face on a daily basis. One might just be forced to help if one lived amongst "those" people.
That was tongue in cheek and a little harsh, but I saw head turning and denial.

Thank you for everyone's feedback!

It is sad to read the comments of various people on this board, who apparently love St Croix. My mother ("mama said") told me that being honest will only make 75% of the people upset with me. But, she ( and she has been deceased for over a decade) also said that I should alway tell the truth.

Lets tell the truth about condo row on St Croix...well they are selling for more money than any time since hurricane Hugo in 1989. That's good. It says a lot about demand and availability. However some things have not changed. The condos along "condo row" were built along one of the most beautiful sand beaches in the world. However two big things changed their marketability. The Virgin Island government decided to dump our sewage..{often untreated feces and other waste} right off those beaches. The government does a poor job of dumping this s### and it often overflows onto the beaches. The other problem is that the Virgin Islands government built government operated public housing along these same beaches. Instead of trying to make this housing a place that people could live with dignity, they have made these housing units places that collect the worst of St Croix's problems. It too overflows on to the beaches of condo row.

I am happy that these condos are now becoming good places to live. I hope that the Virgin Island government will begin to make public housing a place of dignity and not what it has become. I hope the good folks on this board will stop attacking each other and work together to promote the good things we all desire

I guess my "mama" hopes everyone will tell the truth..

DL - I think that most people interested in moving to the islands don't start off with "being insulated from locals" on their list of requirements for a property. That is something that sometimes works its way into being, at least in part, due to some of the things newcomers are told, not just by Realtors but also by other people they meet at beach bars and other gathering places. One person's personal fears can be broadcast far and wide and become a voice of authority to people who don't know anything about the islands. This is very unfortunate. Many people who have never had an experience where crime on the island touched them personally will still tell newcomers that there is a crime problem and they will be victims if they don't live "out east".

Yes there is crime on the island. Yes there is crime on the mainland. Nobody needs to put their head in the sand and say things are perfect, but they also aren't horrific and I believe this is a wonderful place to live. It's not for everyone. No place is for everyone. Different neighborhoods on the island have different flavors and will attract different types of people. Some neighborhoods are very affluent and groomed to perfection while others tend to collect broken down cars in the yards. Many are somewhere in between. There are posh neighborhoods immediately bordered by low income neighborhoods. The islands are small and no matter where you are you will be in close proximity to many different types of neighborhoods.

Jane mentioned that she sees the problem being more of a class/social thing "that just happens to fall along racial lines". I agree that this is largely true.... but over time it becomes more pervasive so that it transitions into more of a racial thing. One person may understand that it is more of a class issue or a matter of a few young kids thinking that dealing drugs makes them cool but the person they mention something to about problems in the projects may take it to mean that the locals should be avoided. Uncertainty leads to fear and avoidance. You often can't tell just from looking at two people which, if either, is the one to avoid. (If one is coming at you with a gun or is obviously in the act of selling drugs, you can tell he/she should be avoided! So, yes, sometimes you CAN tell just by looking.) The lines between class issues and racial issues are too easy to blur in a location where communication between newcomers and residents is difficult to establish. The attitude that anyone who lives in the projects is somehow dangerous or to be avoided is not a good thing to propagate as it will cause unnecessary racial tension over time. The vast majority of lifelong island residents are very good people just living their lives. Some may not have much education and may live on limited income, but that in itself doesn't make someone a bad or dangerous person. There is a small element that indulges in criminal activities. This doesn't make the island bad and it doesn't make the local people bad. In some places, it can make a local neighborhood less desirable if there is a high concentration of casual criminal activity.

For a prospective newcomer, the best thing to do is drive around the island extensively, with or without a Realtor or someone else who lives here and knows many of the neighborhood areas. Many residents don't explore the island much and live their lives in the region between their home and their work place, so some people make better tour guides than others. While driving around, make notes on the pocket map about which areas you personally feel most at home in and where you might want to avoid. Topography and rainfall pattern and views and proximity to town, work, schools, grocery stores, etc. are as important to consider as the socio-economic status of a neighborhood. It all plays into how livable you will find a property to be. The longer you are here, the more comfortable you will hopefully become with the differences you find versus where you come from. Some new Caucasian arrivals come from places where their experience with African Americans is that they live in ghettos and may have a criminal record. For others, the African Americans they have known are affluent community leaders. We all have a different frame of reference and yours may need to be tweaked after you get here. In the islands, the majority of the "local" population is of African American ancestry, running the full gamut of socio-economic classifications, just as the Caucasian population does in most areas of the mainland. Some of the Caucasian residents of the islands are people you might be wise to avoid! Many of the people who have relocated to the islands have been running from problems in their past and some are actively involved in the drug scene. Newcomers do sometimes need to learn to see things differently than what they have learned in their previous life. Prejudice does no good. Arrive with an open mind and find your niche.

Just as a post script for people moving here...... I worked with people who were homeless and/or people who lived in run down projects in a number of states based on a federal initiative. I have had the opportunity to be in the projects here for various reasons (none including purchasing drugs......professional I assure you) and I have to keep reminding myself that I am in a project or low income housing area.

I do not get bullet holes in my car. I do not walk out of a home and have a gang waiting for me on the street. I may get offered pot, but when I decline it is really no problem. I also must qualify that I do not walk around afraid (big plus), nor do I drive a BMW (I drive an island beater car), I don't wear a suit and tie, etc.

I just want to let people know that if they picture a project in Chicago, they have the wrong picture in mind. I certainly have been in stateside projects that were very much different, where someone had to pick me up and I had to lay down in the back seat. I have been shot at and had my car blocked in by neighbors until they realized that I was there to assist a family with support serivces.

Kind of an apples and oranges thing. It does seem to be economically and disability based, the low cost housing is predominantly resided by people who were born and raised on the island, and there is a certain share of mental illness, disability etc. in these areas. Being a black person in a project does not mean danger, it means poverty.

Just two cents (as usual) for someone who has not driven by but been in the projects here and in the states. Very, very different.

Warm regards to all,

Dan

There are a lot of great posts from many people in this thread and I doubt that I can add much except for personal experience.

Having lived in 17 states in the US and traveled to every major city (including living in Chicago) and many rural areas one does get a sense of where not to walk after dark, ect.. It's a matter of common sense if you have any concern for your personal well being in surroundings you are not familiar with.

On the island of Eluthera where I kept a boat for several years, my experience with the locals was extremely good. I particularly remember being invited by the bartender at the Hatchet Bay Yacht club to go a locals club one evening. I felt uncomfortable for the first 5 minutes like many would in a situation where you were a stranger, but that feeling passed very quickly with the help of my friend. It was a great evening of fun, music, and dance in a very happy and friendly crowd .

For those of you who might remember any basic psychology classes and the role that group dynamics plays in accepting "outsiders" (it's actually called the "pink monkey syndrome" after the famous study that it describes), I was the only "pink monkey" there (no pun intended).

This real life occurrence served very well to remind me and to drive home that if you can find a way to put aside your own negative preconceptions that have been developed in your own "group" about "other" groups and deal with people as peers and equals regardless of what ever group you think they are from, you just might find the world a friendlier and less scary place.

In essence, it is no more complicated than the golden rule! Start with one person at a time. If you want to see them greet you with a warm and friendly smile, yours should be on already. Mirror, mirror, on your face, who's the happy one in this place? Try it, you'll like it.

Ok, so you have to wash your brain a little, but it feels so good to get clean.

Ken