Thinking of moving to STX...

You need to read the moving stories on this board, as well as past posts. Have you ever been to STX? If not, plan a 2-4 week trip to check things out before you get to far along with your plans. Some people love it here, some can't wait to get back home. You have no idea if you'll like it or not until you get here.

I researched this move for 4 years,I read every moving story on the list,I kept the vidaileynews.com in my favorites box and read it every week,just as I would if I were here. When I arrived however I found that the St Croix Avis the local STX paper,but at least I had read the vidailey. I watched anything I could that would give a glimpse of life here. One thing I never read in the moving stories is that this is a "foreign country",it's not a contiguous state of America,so if you like the "foreign country feel" you'll be good to go. I personally love the foreign country feel,I love the people(most of them) ie;
.,I took my daughter to the movie one evening and experienced my first "racial" related incident,There were 4 lines at the snack counter moving along slowly,and when I got to the counter for my order,I was ignored for probably 10 minutes,I told the two young people behind the counter,May I order now? I said this at least 4 times when the young man pointed at the young woman and said she will take your order,so I waited while she got the orders ready for the young man instead of helping me,when I got annoyed she said,I get the orders ma'am I dint take them,finally a man and his family were at the front and saw the whole thing and let me order before him. I don't believe it what I have read about the so called "reverse racism" racism is racism there is no such thing as "reverse racism" that term bothers me,although I experienced it,I don't believe anger or disgrace should prevail or even have a part in this topic. It just happens,people have their opinion and we as American citizens (here and mainland etc.) have the freedom to think and judge as we see fit in our own light. That is why countless of our soldiers have died protecting that freedom and enforcing (and I say this lightly) "peace" and our place as one of the top world countries of power.
Any way, I love it here,and asking questions is great,but it really is a come -and- feel- it- out personal choice you must make yourself,other than that,I'm glad you found the message board,because this also helped me understand what the realities here really are, welcome and ask away!!

1. No idea

2. Mosquito are worst when the trade winds die IMO around aug thru oct. We also usually get heavier rains then so it just all adds up. This is a tropical humid enviroment so you are always going to have bugs. You spray your house and you will be fine. Bugs are about the smallest problem you will have living here. You really need to come for a visit if thats your number 2 question.

3. There is always a risk of a pet eating something they shouldnt, but just like stateside that is a rare problem. Animals usually know better then humans when not to eat. Dogs or cats may get stung by a centipede but a little bendryal and the problem should be much better in a hour. Dog stealing does happen, not alot but enough that everyone knows about it. From the stories I have heard the dogs where not in their own fenced in yard. We have always fenced in our yards in bought fences for rental properties and never saw the money back. Recently we have taken to putting locks on our gates, not going to stop anyone determined but I'm not going to make it easy, those are my kids.

4.As you read the message board you will get a grasp that we dont really have good areas and bad areas that are far apart. And definitely not areas where its just mainlanders. West Indians are more then 95% of the pop, why would you move here to get away from them? Good and bad neighborhoods are usually a street by street basis. You can usually tell a good neighborhood by the price of the rental but not always, 1 bdrm $1k to $1500 2 bedrm $1500 to $2000 and 3 bedroom $1800 to $all the way up. More then half of the rentals out there come furnished. Leave your junk and keep your memories when you move, you don't need the expense of moving the funiture. Rentals that rent to dogs are fewer but I always prefer to rent to dog people myself and they are a few other smart landlords out there as well, but it will usually be a house that you have to rent.

Wyld Bill, I can only really comment on the dog question, which somewhat includes the bug question.
Where are you moving from, therefore what kind of climate are your dogs used to? It is hot in the USVI all year, and a/c is very expensive, so if you have dogs that are better suited to Northern climates, you better think again. Then there is a serious flea/tick problem. If you think it is ok to give your dog a monthly dose of "poison", i.e. Frontline etc, maybe that will help the immediate problem, but God knows what you are doing to their health long-term. If you can't keep the ticks at bay there is a good chance of them getting tick-fever. Please don't think I am being negative, I love the islands, but this is probably the biggest reason that has made me hesitate to move back there.

I really think the flea tick thing depends where you live. I have not had to use any frontline when I lived center island (la grande princess area) or now on the east end. I have found 2 ticks in the last 6 years. Our first year when we lived west we had to use frontline becasue the fleas were bad where we were living. Everytime we found a tick it was after going to the beach.

One thing I've noticed is that when I've had 2 dogs, one would seem to attract the ticks & the other hardly ever got any & they would sleep together, play together, etc. Might be the same kind of think as people who seem to get attacked by no-seeums or mosquitoes while others don't.

There are dock workers at the container ports on the south shore and in C'sted harbor. The jobs are likely hard to come by. Hovensa may have jobs also for off-loading and on-loading oil and fuel from the super tankers. For your wife, the post office is a tough job to get into since it's a government job and highly sought after. There is a Mail Box Etc on STX.

All tropical places have bugs. Different sectors of the island have more or less or different types of bugs that are prevalent. You will learn to watch for centipedes and avoid getting stung. Much like avoiding bees on the mainland. Stings can happen, but most people avoid it and so do most pets.

Depending upon the size of a dog, they may be difficult to transport to the island during the summer months due to airline embargoes on transporting pets in the belly of the aircraft in crates when temps rise above a certain degree mark at the airports you fly through. Many locals are afraid of dogs, so if you keep yours from roaming freely it will be less likely to be injured by someone protecting themselves from a perceived threat and also less likely to be stolen by someone who thinks it's a stray or a great dog to breed.

Neighborhoods run the gamut from slums to mansions. It all depends on what you are used to and what you are seeking. The high end and lower end properties are often in adjacent neighborhoods or plats, so there is no easy answer to the location question. Most people are best advised to visit the island and take a tour with a Realtor and/or drive around extensively to identify the areas of the island that feel most like Home to them and then seek housing in one of your preferred areas. Take into consideration things like proximity to groceries and services and work, etc. You can get an idea of the types of properties to be found in different neighborhoods by browsing through the MLS of listings for houses and condos for sale on the island. The price ranges will also fill you in some on what can be found where. If a neighborhood has a lot of properties that have been listed for several years without selling, that may mean that buyers aren't finding the neighborhood to their tastes. Most buyers of properties in the MLS are coming from the mainland. There are many public websites available to access the MLS listings and all contain links to the same properties. Mine is at: http://www.ourhomesite.com/stcroixhomes