Peice of mind

Brent - the islands are like any other small to mid-size town in America in that the people are generally friendly and predominantly law-abiding. No matter where you go in this world, there are people who live on the fringes of society and cause some problems. In the islands, the majority of the criminal activity that occurs is related to drugs in one way or another. Most of the violent crimes are reported as having taken place in government housing projects. When you have high-pack density housing where many of the people are living below poverty level, there tends to be less hope and opportunity that can, in turn, lead to bad decisions and desperate actions being taken by a few individuals.

That does not mean that you should live in fear in the islands. It does not mean that there is a violent criminal behind every palm tree.

Each island in the USVI is a little different, but for the most part there are lots of houses in rural areas outside the city centers. The neighborhoods come in different price ranges. While you may want to avoid buying a house next door to a housing project, you can probably find other options without spending a million or two. On STX there actually are some decent single family homes and duplexes on the market in rural areas that are priced under $200K. To add a water view will usually cost you a bit more, but even then some can be found between $250K and $400K. If you want to move to STJ, the prices will be much higher, and STT is somewhere in between.

Brent,

Most board members have moved to the islands from the mainland, many with children in tow, and those of us who choose to stay do so despite the islands' imperfections. If this were a dangerous place to live we would likely choose to leave. The reason you see so many posts on this board about corruption and crime is the same reason you see so many reports in your local media about corruption and crime; we complain "publicly" about aspects of our surroundings that give us cause for concern in order to find others who will commiserate and/or help us solve the problem. We do not spend as much bandwidth sharing the aspects of our lives that bring us great joy because our assumption is that others have less interest in hearing about the accomplishments of our families, the kindness of our friends, the terrific weather out our doors and the beautiful views out our windows.

Well said, Wait!