Pre-Move Research

the people i know prefer the private schools for their children. that does not mean they are the best choices for all

crime-not sure what you have heard. we have a high murder rate.most of it is gang related. not all of course

neighborhoods-depends on the island?? any idea of that

not too sure of the last question.

please read a lot of the older posts on here to get some better understanding

Hello, all

I am one of the many who seem to stop by these forums to scope out the feasibility of a move the islands. I think it's great to have so much information in the same place. I am wondering if I can pull a bit of it together, with your help, while I plan my PMV.

Moving with young children - Anyone here do it? What was/has your experience been? Would you recommend for or against? Are there ideal areas on the islands with regard to schools, safety, crime, which would be useful to know?

Speaking of crime and safety - what are considered the "safest", "best" areas to settle? Are reports of crime and violence overblown, or accurate?

I see a lot of posts expressing interest in home-based businesses. I assume this is due to the small economy of the islands. Are there any services or products that could benefit from someone's entrepreneurial focus?

I am sure I will have more to ask, but please accept my thanks for your thoughts, in advance.

I hope this is helpful!

I see a lot of posts expressing interest in home-based businesses. I assume this is due to the small economy of the islands. Are there any services or products that could benefit from someone's entrepreneurial focus?

Reliable handyman/fix-it service that shows up on time and finishes when promised.

How old are your children? I didn't move here with children, but have two that were born here. Oldest went to private school, started my youngest in public school. Two totally different experiences.

Starting a business in the USVI has it's red tape. Can be a pain in the butt to get set up legally. Just takes time and persistence. I have owned a business here, since sold it, and now work for others and occasionally do consulting and bookkeeping for other small businesses. I almost have to keep it a secret that I do bookkeeping... high demand for that for all of these small guys who just need a few hours a month or so after their bookkeeping messes are straightened out. For general information about getting a business license here, you can go to Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs website, DLCA

Not sure if you mean home-based as in work in your PJ's, or having a product or service you can run or make from home, but need to be out and about locally to sell or accomplish. I've seen several home-based business make it here on STX. But most have done so based on experience and skill set. My husband and I are mostly retired, but still work a bit from home (him in engineering and me in running a few commerce web sites and doing some free-lance editing and proofreading (the PJ business type, and we don't require Virgin Islanders as clients to make it work). There are plenty of needs here, depending on what you meant by home-based. Maybe if you could elaborate on your experience, we could tell you if it relates to a missing or poorly-served niche.

Please make sure you consider health insurance in your searching. You can't buy it directly here, and with children, especially, it should be among your top priorities.

Thank you all very much for the replies, they are very helpful. Our little one is 4 years old. Would you be able to suggest neighborhoods and areas you consider to be the safest?

Thank you for the info. I wasn't aware of the health insurance complications. How do islanders like yourself manage it? Cash pay?

Very helpful - thank you!

if you dont have insurance you have to just pay cash. or like a lot of people do, go to the emergency room for minor things and never pay

We need a free clinic to put that to a stop. Too many times I've taken an injured employee who got hurt on the job and they have to wait hours behind a bunch of kids that have the sniffles. Not to sound harsh but It's frustrating. Just open a free clinic already.

there is a clinic in frederiksted and there is the one by christiansted. and there is also the urgent care facility.

dont know if the clinics are free but those with MAPP go there

Since a lot of people pay cash instead of dealing with insurance, how does that affect prices compared to the mainland which is very high?

How much money do you have?

There is no "free" anything, especially in health care. The Department of Health has a community clinic. On St Thomas,additionally there is a private, non-profit clinic, The East End Medical Center Corporation. I'm not familiar with St Croix, do they also have one?

When you ask "How do islanders manage?" They go to the emergency room. They can't be turned away. And many people have no intention of paying.

Thank you for your reply, I appreciate the help. Would you have any thoughts in work for an IT nerd, whether or not in IT?