Relocating to St.Thomas

You do not want to rent anything sight unseen. Best to check into Rhoda's Place at Tillett Gardens or Crystal Palace for a short-term stay while you look. You can find both properties by Googling and on Google Maps.

It seems you haven't read the vast amount of information right at your fingertips on this site.

It'll be hard without a car to get back and forth.
Most resorts aren't on a direct bus or safari route and times vary for pick ups.
They drop off on main road and depending where you'll need to go to get to work and back, you'll probably have to walk or hitch. Neither do buses or safari taxis come and go from all sections of island such as north or south sides of island. Safaris quit at dark.

Don't know what buses do but don't count on a cohesive or on time schedule.

We are hoping to pre-find a place to live before we arrive.

Thank you in advance.

Nope. Not going to happen.

No vehicles? You're setting yourself up to fail. Have you been to STT and see the terrain?

Agree with OT.

Registered today and first post. No offense but I think thats why this board gets so grumpy sometimes - it gets pretty old typing the same answers that are super easy to just search for.

Where you end up working may dictate where you want to live..

Nobody forces us to post. If you're tired of typing the same old answers over and over, just stop answering. Simple as that.

Welcome to the board! The hotels are kinda spread out across the island. Restaurants are concentrated around town and Red Hook. September will be a good time to find housing (lowest of low season) but also some restaurants will be closed. It's also the peak of hurricane season. You don't really want to "pre-find" housing. The stock here is very odd and you'll need to look at units with your own two (or four) eyes. Young people do live here without cars, but it really makes things more difficult. Make sure you have enough money to keep yourselves afloat for at *least* 3 months. 😉

Thank you. Rhoda's guest house seems very convenient and educational to a non-islander.

I have a friend that has lived their for a few years and owns a scooter... So I was hoping to possibly purchase a scooter to make my transportation some what easier if safari and taxes are not available. Is there any location on the island that would best to avoid because of crime related matters?

The search engine comes to your rescue. This is one re scooters:
https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,242077,242202#msg-242202

You can find dozens of threads on crime if you type "crime St Thomas" into the search engine.

Glad your friend has survived the roads and drivers on STT.
IMO, scooters are not a good means of transportation on STT and STJ due to narrow, steep, winding roads, crazy drivers, lack of street lights and potholes.
Even on the flat sections of which there are few, it's not really a good idea, especially, if you're not used to driving one. Good luck to you.

Anyone who things it is safe to use a scooter as a primary means of island transportation should FIRST talk to the surviving family members of the many poof souls who have killed themselves while riding their scooters on our narrow, twisty, potholed filled roads.

I realize that many people contemplating moving to the Caribbean have a limited budget but recognize the need for transportation and are looking for an inexpensive means. Simply put scooters are not the answer.

Well said, Afriend.

I don't know the USVI statistics of those killed while operating motor scooters and they're likely considerably less than the relatively SMALL number of those killed in USVI motor vehicle accidents which, in turn, are way less than those recorded in similarly populated stateside jurisdictions.

What I've personally seen and what I've heard from numerous emergency room nurses and emergency response personnel over many years (decades) has been more than enough for me to maintain a firm stance against their use here as a form of transportation.

I confess that when I became car-less a few months ago (post major surgery combined with fiscal issues) I actually did contemplate maybe perhaps buying a scooter. I did a whole bunch of research and spoke to several people who ride bikes/scooters regularly and the overwhelming feedback from even the most experienced riders was, "don't do it".

It's just not a good choice.

Thank you. Rhoda's guest house seems very convenient and educational to a non-islander.

They are fabulous!

I'm glad you mentioned use of scooters. This was my plan as well to lower initial cost.

Then, with more employment income a car will come second.

Welcome to the forum!