Some guidance about starting a new life in the USVI. Thank you!

FOR GROCERY SHOPPING AND HOSPITALS- stt is the island. if i am not mistaken there is a clinic on stj and a market, but not major shopping like on stt

STT would probably be a better fit.
More options for housing, jobs, groceries and access to STJ for weekend exploration of their beaches, etc. There are many quiet areas to choose to live here in STT. Not everywhere is all hustle and bustle..

Yes, there is crime and drugs as there are everywhere but if you aren't into drugs and hanging out in areas that you shouldn't at wee hours then doubt you'll have issues unless extremely unlucky.

Most homes have cistern and their own water supply.
It is expensive to live here, so be prepared.
Just saw prices for paper towels go from $15 to $20 at cost u less and Kmart selling same for $26!

Electricity is more expensive as well and we're prone to more outages. Bring $$$$ to see you thru until you get jobs.

You will not be able to get individual health care insurance in the USVI unless your employer provides or you work for the government. Best to check with your policy holder, if you presently participate in a plan.

Hopefully you've already read the vast amount of information in the pull-down menus top of this page from, "The USVI" on the left to, "Forum" on the right. You asked about "the best health care" here so if you have any ongoing health issues which need specialized attention, do be sure that there are such specialists here. And, as Alana33 pointed out, the territory is NOT included in the Affordable Care Act and individual health care coverage is prohibitively expensive. Whatever coverage you currently have is unlikely to cover you once you live here.

Good luck with your move, but boy friend/girl friends usually don't last very long on the Island as I have also seen with married couples as well. There are WAY to many temptations...... So the troubles you have on the mainland will be intensified several fold on the Island. You will more than like arrive together and leave separately. Alcohol, drugs and prostitution are rampant on the Islands so if you have a weak constitution, reconsider your move.

mike

Wow, I guess I should be glad my husband hasn't been visiting the prostitutes or shooting up heroin while we're here. Of course, none of that stuff exists in FL where we live year round.....

I would write more, but it's time to drink another bottle of Cruzan.

There is plenty of guidance to be had on the main site here under all the headers at the top of this page -- and this forum is also very useful for specific questions - you may also find the search function helpful for general or specific questions.

You are leaving in a few weeks and havnt chosen an isalnd? Do you have housing arranged for when you arrive?

Wow, I guess I should be glad my husband hasn't been visiting the prostitutes or shooting up heroin while we're here. Of course, none of that stuff exists in FL where we live year round.....

I would write more, but it's time to drink another bottle of Cruzan.

That you are aware of:) I'm sure it took awhile before some of the others became aware. The wives are always the last to know.

Yes, those same things do exist in Florida, but just not as rampant or condensed as on a tropical Island where there's not a whole lot to do once you get past the laying on the beach thing. It reminds me of the episode of Andy Griffith where Howard got the bug to sell everything and move to a tropical Island. But once he found his Paradise, he found that the main inhabitants much like himself were sooooo bored that they spent most of their time making ships in bottles and trying to sell them. hahahahahahaha.

mike

Wow, I guess I should be glad my husband hasn't been visiting the prostitutes or shooting up heroin while we're here. Of course, none of that stuff exists in FL where we live year round.....

I would write more, but it's time to drink another bottle of Cruzan.

That you are aware of:) I'm sure it took awhile before some of the others became aware. The wives are always the last to know.

Yes, those same things do exist in Florida, but just not as rampant or condensed as on a tropical Island where there's not a whole lot to do once you get past the laying on the beach thing. It reminds me of the episode of Andy Griffith where Howard got the bug to sell everything and move to a tropical Island. But once he found his Paradise, he found that the main inhabitants much like himself were sooooo bored that they spent most of their time making ships in bottles and trying to sell them. hahahahahahaha.

mike

LMAO!!!
Dude, go to Google and search, for example, Orlando backpage...
You will find an enormous amount of explicit ads for 'escorts', complete with pictures and rates for quickies, half hour, hour, etc...
Poor little St. Croix cannot compete. LOL at ignorance. I would advise you to ignore anyone on this board who uses words like rampant to describe anything here in the VI. There is usually a spiteful agenda behind it. This is a Black majority place and many people come here and bring their biases with them...anybody who says life is not based on color is being foolish, everything is about color.
I live in Florida, and it is NOT better here than in the VI.

With that said there is crime every where.

That's a commonly used argument, and quantitatively, it does not mean much. This is like saying, "there are cold days everywhere", while living in Antarctica. Crime is a frequently discussed topic in this forum, and there is a good reason for that.

I have found that it's is a little more expensive then the other two USVI.

STJ is a *lot* more expensive than the other two islands. The average price of a singe family home on STJ is over $1M.

I guess I'm just looking for a little guidance of which areas are good to new comers

"Good" means many different things to different people. What's important to you?

And where the best health care is.

The islands can't compete with the mainland over quality health care. By definition of island life, there are far fewer choices of doctors and the facilities may not be well equipped. Additionally, as someone already mentioned, the Affordable Care Act does not apply in the USVI.

"Quote
Jes1Rotoli
With that said there is crime every where."

"That's a commonly used argument, and quantitatively, it does not mean much. This is like saying, "there are cold days everywhere", while living in Antarctica. Crime is a frequently discussed topic in this forum, and there is a good reason for that."

Just wondering, wanderer, if you were impacted, directly, by crime upon your person or belongings, etc.,during your month long stints in both STX and STJ? Including when you were buying pot while in STJ?

I've lived here for decades and have had no encounters of the crime kind. I'm not denying there's crime and many on this forum have been impacted from crime but if crime was truly as bad as those that don't live here espouse, no one would live here.

Just wondering, wanderer, if you were impacted, directly, by crime upon your person or belongings, etc.,during your month long stints in both STX and STJ? Including when you were buying pot while in STJ?

No, I was not impacted by crime during my short visits. However, I constantly felt the danger while on STX. It felt like something is about to happen, all the time. It's the smell of gun power in the air, the sounds of gunshots, the abundance of ruined and abandoned properties in Fredericksted, the barbed wire, the vicious dogs, and frequent sights of obviously insane people. And then there are police reports. One day I took a swim at the Rainbow beach, and the next day I read that the police retrieved a dead body (a homicide victim) from that beach. That's gross. On the continent, I am privileged to live in a town which ranks in the "top 10 safest cities in the U.S.", so by comparison, Fredericksted was a bit of a shock.

On the other hand, STJ felt remarkably safe. Paradoxically enough, that perceived safety turned me off. It's sterile over there.

Wow, Wanderer. I'm so glad you made it out of the hellhole that is Frederiksted alive. I've walked the town quite a bit at night to go check out the pier or go fishing. There are some nice places to have a meal there as well.

I'm not taking away from your personal feelings on the place but I feel your description is grossly exaggerated. Not every homeless person you see is insane. Mental issues are one thing that leads these poor souls to end up wandering the streets homeless. If you want to complain about the lack of adequate mental healthcare to help these people I'm right behind you.

To any people that haven't visited Frederiksted or STX, the statements by Wanderer are his/her feelings and I don't want to take that away. I have lived near Frederiksted for only a year but have never felt nervous or threatened when walking or driving through town. There is a fine group of people taking pride in their hometown of Frederiksted that volunteer to clean the streets, put out painted trashcans, paint murals on the walls and try to make the town as inviting to tourists and their fellow citizens as they can. I haven't helped that group due to my own work schedule but I want to commend them on their hard work and dedication. They are part of the solution and not just another complainer.

Sometimes marijuana can induce paranoia, wanderer. Just saying.

Sometimes marijuana can induce paranoia, wanderer. Just saying.

LOL..I like that one...:@)

alana, i have to agree with you about wanderer. where in the heck does he get that bs from

If you hate it so much tell me why you are on this forum???

While I don't agree with Wanderer, I wouldn't discount his experience.

Right now due to Beachfront Bargains/Caribbean Life there's a huge misconception as to what life is like living in the VI from stateside folks. IME a lot of people are under the impression that living is St Croix is like their last trip to some all inclusive resort in Mexico where you don't leave the fenced in properties. It's not and there can be a pretty steep learning curve for some folks.

What is the interest rate and the sales tax rate tax in STX?

Bank interest rates? You'd have to contact the banks as they vary depending on the type of accounts. Bank of Nova Scotia, Banco Popular, Merchants Commercial Bank, First Bank.

There is no sales tax here.

Good luck with your move, but boy friend/girl friends usually don't last very long on the Island as I have also seen with married couples as well.

mike

Have you seen the breakup/divorce rate in the States? I hate the apologists on this forum, but this is a ridiculous argument.

While I don't agree with Wanderer, I wouldn't discount his experience.

Right now due to Beachfront Bargains/Caribbean Life there's a huge misconception as to what life is like living in the VI from stateside folks. IME a lot of people are under the impression that living is St Croix is like their last trip to some all inclusive resort in Mexico where you don't leave the fenced in properties.

Yep! This is a fair analysis. And then they come here and treat it like a resort and then play the race card when they realize people hate them.

I've lost many many friends to gun violence. My experience is typical of 80% of Crucians. The people on this forum are mostly out of touch. One of my friends was robbed in F'Sted maybe 3 weeks ago. Remember, not all crime is reported.

1. The people on this forum are mostly out of touch.

2. One of my friends was robbed in F'Sted maybe 3 weeks ago. Remember, not all crime is reported.

1. A crass generalization but being "out of touch" applies to some transplanted residents as equally as it applies to some native Virgin Islanders. Nor is it a phenomenon unique to the USVI.

2. If it's to be inferred from this that your friend didn't report the robbery then your friend is part of the problem.

What is the interest rate and the sales tax rate tax in STX?

There is no sales tax. However, there is a gross receipts tax that is paid by the seller at each level (wholesale,middle man,retailer) that tends to be cumulative and is a hidden tax on goods and services.