Trying to adjust

sailgala said:

"My husband and I will be coming to St Croix in several weeks to look at property and the negativity in some of these post was discouraging. If it's true that all we need to do is follow the advice you posted - we will surely love the 'island way'. "

You will love St. Croix, it's beautiful. People are generally friendly, though you may have the occasional surly store clerk. It's a laid-back place. NOt paradise, but very pleasant.

There are lots of people here who can afford to live anywhere on planet earth, but chose St. Croix.

Some things to do...

Surround yourself with positive, upbeat people.
Have a nice oasis to retire to at the end of the day.
Take everything in stride...things move slower here.
Do not be afraid of the locals...we don't like the bad boys either.
Cultivate a few good local friends.
Go to Sunset Jazz every month, try to catch the "green flash."
Have dinner at Tuto Bene at least once.
Check out the cozy little French restaurant in Frederiksted.
Listen to live jazz at the Blue Moon.
Attend classical music concerts at Whim Great House.
Visit the Botanical Gardens.
Get PADI dive certified at Cane bay, and dive "The Wall" if you have the guts.
Go kite-boarding really early in the morning.
Listen to Frank Sinatra on the radio on Sunday mornings.
Drive down Centerline Road and admire your canopy of stately mahogany trees.
Help out at Sandy Point during leatherback turtle nesting season.
Drive along North Shore Road and catch a view of St. Thomas in the distance.

...these are SOME of the things I enjoy. No, I do not miss Walmart and IMax theaters.

you mentioned jazz alot in your last post Native Son. Is Jazz big on the island or is that just a personal interest of yours. My girlfriend and I love jazz. Yeah we are a bit odd for twenty something year olds. You also mentioned kiteboarding. I ve been kite snowboarding a couple times. I wouldnt say I am good, but I have always wanted to take it up seriously and try it on the water of course. You know St. Croix sounds more and more like my kind of place. I understand its not paradise, but it sounds like a good fit for me. I cant wait to make our PMV although we don't know when we will be able to.

Hello there!! MY husband has just gotten a new job and we are moving to STT In May, I have never been there, and the company is putting us up in an apartment there. I have no idea of the location but I hope it is good. I am really scared because we have a nine month old baby and I really don't want to be around any crack deals. I am looking forward to meeting new people, and hopefully all of the locals will like me.

I must say, I have been to STT on vacation and thought everyone was pleasant (as far as the tourist comment). I enjoyed my stay and had a lot of fun.

I have heard of "localism," but like anything/anywhere else, if you are polite and friendly, and do the most important cultural thing (a nice greeting) then you should be fine.

I had a great time on tours, etc. and I found the island to be an amazing place, which is why I plan to move there. My aunt has lived there for 25+ years and loves it. She's a white female with a high position, so I value her opinion and believe it to be true.

I hope you find a way to be more culturally open, as that is important. Although a part of the US, the USVI has a totally different culture. Every one is laid back with a nice good morning/afternoon/night from my experience.

I also hope that you take the advice from all others on this board, especially the locals and those who have relocated to the USVI. Better luck in the future JET.

Kelsey

sand86,

Jazz is big on St. Croix. We have a lot of very talented musicians here, and every third Friday of the month the Frederiksted Economic Development Association hosts a free sunset jazz concert on the beach in Frederiksted. It usually features wonderful local talent, but sometimes they bring in a group from elsewhere. We have excellent jazz gutarists, saxophonists, vibraphonists, drummers, trumpeters, you name it.

There are also several clubs that feature jazz artists, Blue Moon in Frederiksted being the prominent one. People here like to listen to live music, and an intimate jazz club setting is perfect for that.

There are several outfits here that specialize in kite-boarding.

St. Croix is a fun place with great ambience. We like to take visitors to Off-The-Wall at Cane Bay beach, where you can have a to-die-for blue-cheese burger, listen to the waves crashing, watch the divers and snorkelers, maybe catch an occasional glimpse of a whale, and just soak it all in. You can also have excellent burgers and other good food at Cheeseburgers in Paradise up East End way, and listen to phenomenal guitar player Steve Katz..for free.

Jonathan Edwards lives on St. Croix...remember him? "Sunshine go away today..."

He's still making great music.

Native Son - Thank you for your encouraging words. I have received several emails that have all spoke lovingly about living in St Croix. Being sailors we are aware that all is not 'paradise' however we also know that a kind word and a smile go along way in making friends. We will be in St Croix in two weeks to check out the living situation and to make the decision as the whether island life is truly for us. I thank everyone who has contacted me and one day soon look forward to meeting you all.

Is comfortable among minorities.
Who are the minorities?
Are the people who make up the majority of the population, still considered minorities? How does that work?

Minorities in the USVI are anyone who isn't Black, like Whites, who are about 10% or so, or Asians, East Indians or Arabs, who form a smaller percentage of the population. I'm not sure if Hispanics would be a "minority" since it's imposible to fully distinguish Blacks from Hispanics. Most Hispanics here are Black or partially Black, and it's impossible to tell how many Hispanics we have, because so many Crucians have a Puerto Rican grandparent or something like that.

I think that the people who make up the majority of the population would only be considered minorities when filing for federal programs that are relevant to minorities, or when applying to colleges in the states.

Iola asked:

"Is comfortable among minorities.
Who are the minorities?
Are the people who make up the majority of the population, still considered minorities? How does that work?"

I should rephrase that to read "comfortable among people who look different."

We don't want this to degenerate into a conversation about race, but many Caucasians have come here with pre-conceived notions about certain minority groups.

To be blunt, if you are a Caucasian you need to feel comfortable living and working in close proximity to Virgin Islanders, who are predominantly Black.

This may not be a problem for most people, but there have been exceptions.

Hello All,

I just wanted to say, "Wow!" to this thread. You all have covered a lot about living here, mainly in STT. I just wanted to give my two cents after living here a whole year and nine months. Some days I feel like I have lived here longer and some days I feel like I just got off the plane. 🙂

I moved here with a husband and three young kids. You face the same challenges of moving anywhere: finding job, home, schools, groceries, friends, etc. STT can be a hard place to live and more challenging than others, but I feel the challenges equal the benefits. Getting thru the challenges is easier if you are more prepared. Do as much homework as you can before moving here. Try to cover as many bases as you can. My husband moved here before my kids and I in order to find a home and prepare for us. That helped quite a bit. Don't worry about crime stats. Instead arm yourself with knowledge and wisdom. Don't walk anywhere on island at night. Don't buy drugs, etc. Learn about local culture and customs. Or just be friendly and ask around. Give it time and you find yourself getting around just fine.

We still try to practice what we preach and do something 'touristy' once in a while in order to remember why we live here and like living here. We go to St. John and just hang on a beach for a day. We watch the travel channel and realize that everyone we know would love to be in our shoes. I really like St. Thomas. It isn't 'home' yet, but it is close. I haven't even been here two years so I am not too worried about it.

Anyway, it is just my two cents, but life here is fine and even wonderful - not to be confused with paradise - but good all the same. I hope many others see it that way. Good luck to all you newbies!

Teresa

Yeah.. the tax thing was preety odd...

Hey, I got here five months ago and I stayed at Melrose place... wait... excuse me.. Villa Fairview (which is above Garden st) saw more than crack deals. And so what... saw plenty in the states too. Saw plenty of continentals coming up G st for their bag of dope too. STT has it issues but for christ sake, this IS the caribbean and it's not the states. shit. Glad that it isnt.

just reading through this and felt like adding some stuff to it.

To answer the original post, dont live in the ghetto, dont try to use innovative for ANYTHING, and file your taxes online. I got my tax return deposited in my account in 10 days.

As far as crime goes, i leave my front door unlocked and my keys in my car. I've never felt threatened or scared. Then again, I dont walk through the ghetto at night. My main problem with the crime here is the fact that there are so many crimes that the cops "cant do anything about". A friend came home to find a car leaving their driveway robbing them, smashed into their car, later found the car downtown and identified the robbers but "sorry, cant do anything about it". Its BS. read through the daily news about our wonderful police force. good stuff.

I love living here. I get to go sailing every day and make good money doing it, and I haven't seen snow in 2 years. But I can agree with a lot of what JETPILOT is saying. I walked into food center in front of a man talking very loudly about how St Thomas is a "black man's island" and that the white man had better learn to recognize that fact. made me feel so special. And 9 times out of 10 a friendly "good morning" and a smile will be returned, but the one time that I get teeth sucked at me makes me hope they have to spend eternity in the innovative business office.

and i hate the #@*#ing traffic.

end rant.

Well according to the last U.S. Census, St. Thomas is, in fact, around 80% black. So it is sort of a "black man's island". Blacks are the majority, so a statement like that is based on fact. Also, a lot of locals are sick and tired of seeing certain individuals from the States (who are mostly white) come here totally ignorant of the fact that the USVI is mainly black, and on top of that, still hold on to their racially prejudiced ideals.

Bottom line: it's not such a big deal, get over it.

And as far as leaving your door unlocked and your keys in the car, you're quite likely to become the next crime victim and you might consider re-thinking. I can't even begin to tell you how many times over the last 20 plus years I've heard friends and acquaintances say the same thing and who've then had their homes robbed and their cars stolen simply because they've indulged in a false sense of security.

To cite just one recent example, residents of Caret Bay on STT (which has always been considered a "safe" area) have been subjected to a spate of break-ins and have had to reassess their security. You're not immune wherever you live and to think so is courting disaster.

Those who would steal your property and break into your home don't usually do it on a whim. They watch, wait, take their time absorbing your habits and your security loopholes and then strike.

You don't have to live feeling "threatened or scared" but you do have to be and think smart whether you live here or anywhere else on planet Earth.

Amen STT,

I was just talking to a lady recently that had her car stolen in Hull Bay. She told me that she was "shocked" that her car had been stolen in such a "safe" area. She then went on to tell me that her car was always left parked in the driveway with the keys in it.

This lady is very, very nice and I truly felt for her. BUT, I was also quite surprised to hear that someone would park a car and leave it unlocked with the keys in it. Honestly, I have never heard of people doing this until I arrived on STT.

I read your email and it breaks my heart. i am originally fromt he usvi, st. croix. st. thomas and st. croix are literally night and day. i left when i was 20, i'm 28 now, and all i remeber is how st. thomas was always promoted much more than st. croix. because it it more cosmopolitan and urban than st. croix or st. john, you would probably see more crime. i'm sorry you're not enjoying it and i do hope and pray that things turn out better for you! maybe you can try turbotax.com or h&r block online....

diane in new york

wow, thanks for being so honest with your post.I'm island bound & I'm moving to st thomas in may . i was going to stay at some place called villafairview. i heard it is a cool place to live( elect, cable, water all inlcuded) for a newbe gets started . i hope that the nieghborhood around the villa isn't as seedy as your garden st.but now from reading your post i'm having doubts. I'm thinking St. john might be a better fit . if anybody reading this has any insights on where you can walk safely at night ( like to hm from wrk) please post a message.

hi everyone , im a bartender from florida moving to st thomas in May. all these posts has got me wondering what neighborhoods are safe?

There are no designated "safe neighborhoods" or "poor/rich neighborhoods" in the Virgin Islands. It's all a big mix. Like any typical Caribbean island, you could have a shack across the street from a nice house. Also, the island is small, so in theory someone could just drive to another neighborhood and break in your house. I'm not saying the whole island isn't safe, I'm just saying that random stuff could happen anywhere. There are housing projects that have a higher rate of crime, but seeing that you're moving from the mainland, it's unlikely that you'll be residing in a housing project.