ST. Thomas

It sounds as though you have enough questions that an extended visit to look at St Thomas should be in your future. You can get a general feeling of the place by sitting down with folks who live here and discussing t'ings. BTW, $600-800 for a 1 bedroom IS reasonable, a cheeseburger is $7-8 and people live all over the island.

well i wish i had a chance to visit first, however i am moving there for due to the job i recieved...any elaboration would be appreciated.

Well, your mind is made up, then? So, next stop would be to link up with a guest house like Villa Fairview for your settling-in period and to begin your search for housing. You will want to get a feeling for the island and the various activities. Do you want to live close to work? Do you want to live high up on a mountain or near the sea? Do you want to be near shops and restaurants or in a more rural setting? When people say it costs a lot to live here, remember that everything is imported and comes to you on those big container ships you will see plying the seas. You can't do much about the prices, you just buy the stuff you have to have and leave the other stuff to someone else! Whether there is anything that you should bring with you, that would depend on how picky you are. You can get most stuff, you just might not have the variety of brands, colors, etc. that you are accustomed to. Most apartments are furnished enough to live in. As to nightlife, well, you'll probably be able to find whatever you want. Just look around and ask. Hey Blaze, welcome and good luck! Remember to stay on the left!

thanks for the info. You didnt mention the crime. What is the best form of transportation? would a bicycle do for beginings? i was thinking of buying a motorcycle or a moped with either of these do? is there a place to buy such an item there?

Best form of transportation in my opionion is a car. Bicycle won't quite due unless your distance between home and work is not far. The island is very hilly and roads curvy - I don't know anyone who rides a bike as transportation, actually one - he was practicing for the triathlon on St. Croix. Other then that - no biking for transportation. People are just starting to get into mopeds as transportation as there is a new business called Island Scooters that nows sells and rents them. Recent thing - but yes this is an option. Motorcycles will work too. Yes you can buy them here.

Crime - crime exist here. Don't think because its 'paradise' it does not exist. Best bet is to be careful - just as you would in new places in the mainland. Much of the crime here is related to domestic disputes, domestic abuse, child abuse and drug related incidences.

some of the best ['cheap' and 'safe' places] are on the north side of the island-- hull bay, mahogany run area, northside, even some peterborg rentals... but, theyd all be much easier with a vehicle-- public transport doesnt exist on that side, so youd be walking and hitching a lot. if there's no chance of you having a car on the island, id try to get close to red hook [sort of the second biggest 'town' area on stt], it's a little nicer. safaris run through there, so there's cheap transport. plus, for the weekends, youre closer to st john 😉 dont even bother with listings of contant, hospital ground, smith bay, nadir, town, bovoni, tutu... while there are some individually nice properties in these areas, theyre mostly pretty dismal. and many of the ads in the papers will be in these areas.
much good luck...

-- just one random opinion, specific but somewhat knowledgeable as i moved to stt a few years ago, also without knowing much of anything.