Unbelievable!

which island will you be moving to? Some of the recommendations, such as schools to consider and available doctors, are specific to each island.

Oh yeah! I guess that may help. Well I will be working on all the islands and since I don't know about how the ferry works I guess I will stay on St John. I prefer St Croix though. (I think).
-Darrel

Staying on St. John will be the most expensive option. There is also far less available for housing. Best of luck in your adventure!

Also, with a 5 year-old who may, occasionally, need emergency room care, St. John may not be your best choice.

Yeah I know but I guess until I get down there to check it out I will just have to wonder. Thanks alot for your info.
-Darrel

Hi Linda! Thanks alot for your response. Just curious though which would be the better island? I prefer st croix, from my understanding it is the larger island and cheaper to live on. Is the healthcare more abundant there?
-Darrel

Healthcare on STT and STX is comperable. Both have full service hospitals and a variety of specialists. But not every speciality is available on both islands. When you come for your PMV you should make sure what you need is available.

Darrel: When you come for your visit this next week, check out the hospital and pediatricians. For the most part, health care is basic- not specialized. There are some specialists, of course- orthopedics, ENT, urology, neurology, pediatrics,opthamology, cardiology. I am sure I left some out. However, there is no full-time neurosurgeon, no endocrinologist, no pulmonologist (although there are rumors one is coming) and no heart surgeon. If your child has special medical needs, I strongly recommend that you search carefully.

Are you moving here without work? Maybe you don't need to work, but if you do and if you have these extra needs (child and dog especially) you should be very careful.

Also when you ask about school- have you chosen one? Many of the schools have interviews and testing. Antilles, for example, requires entrance tests and is $10,000/year for pre-K. June will be a difficult time to visit schools if you haven't already been admitted.

I am not trying to be negative, but you have extra needs beyond the typical newcomer.

Thank You so much for your reply. I do have a job that I am coming for on June 4. That is not a problem. (Whew one out of the way) 🙂
With needing an endo and the islands not having one... is that saying that I should not relocate? What I mean by that is can I not go into the mainland for that? I mean its only every 3- 6 months.
As far as a school goes no we have not chosen one. When does school start there? Are there any public schools (1st grade) until we can get accepted into a private one?
Again, thank you for your help.
-Darrel

Darrel: What I mean is, that there are many, many children here with diabetes, but they do not have an endocrinologist. They are cared for by regular pediatricians. If your son needs an endocrinologist, you will have to go to the states or Puerto Rico. If you only need the specialist for regular, scheduled check-ups, you should be okay,

I am assuming your job is on St Thomas? Schools start usually in late August. After you find housing, you will have a better idea of convenient schools. For example, if you are on the Northside, lots of folks like Sibilly as a public elementary school. I will let those with school age children chime in on other recommendations. Here on the east end, Montessori (private) is popular.

Darrel,

I am fairly new here (STT) myself, but to add my two cents, do a search on this board for schools. You will find lots of interesting threads and commentary about the VI public school system.

I would encourage you to read as much as possible and to seek out the advice of others before deciding whether or not to enroll your child in the public schools here.

Best of luck to you and your family :)!

Darryl,

You say you will be working on all three islands but remember that "commuting" per se between STX and STT isn't a viable option unless you're a local politician whose fares are paid by the every-weary taxpayers here. If your main office basis is going to be STX then you should live there. If your main office base is STT then you should live there. As has been pointed out, STJ housing is more expensive than that on STT or STX and many people who work on STJ or do business on STJ live on STT and take the (short trip) ferry over.

Have I confused you enough? You'll certainly get a first-hand look on your PMV. All the best to you!

IMHO - you should ask the health care providers who take care of your son now to research the feasability and wisdom of bringing your son to the Islands. They know his needs.
You should also speak to the doctors etc on the Island and see if they feel able to manage his condition.

I personally would not bring a child with special health needs to the islands - test results are delayed as they have to go to the mainland - the hospital is not a particularly large or well equipped one, the ambulance service is a joke and some of our health care providers on StX would not have their licences back in the real world.

The health care in Puerto Rico is very good though and if you have the money to make the trips off island then u should be ok.
If your son's diabetic condition should destabilize, you would be making a lot of off island trps.
If u plan on stx, then public school would definitely not be an option again in my humble opinion.

I want to thank all of you who have put in your advice, information, your 2 cents, & opinions. I will take it into consideration as I decide what I will do and where I will stay, etc. I will also continue to read the boards.
-Darrel

Hello Darrel,
My family and I arrived on STX March 6th of this year. It wasn't too long ago I was in your shoes. My son is 5 turning 6 in September. Save yourself $9,000.00 a year and send your child to a parochial school. I've been told by many liflong residents that St. Mary's in Christiansted is not much different than any private school that costs over $10,000.00 a year. Give me a freakin break. 10 Grand? You don't have to be Catholic to attend either. But it's your $ spend it as you wish. Good luck on your new endeavor. Oh, I go to STT periodically for work and because of major traffic congestion and increased stress levels because of it, I am always elated when I get off the Seaplane and touch ground again in STX. It is my opinion only but after experiencing both places if my work required me to live on STT I never would have moved down here. If it wasn't so over populated STT would be a fine island to live on. I know a lot of people do love STT but I know it isn't because of constant gridlock traffic. Take care and God Bless. STX ROCKS!

Erieite

Erieite-
Thank You for your inout as well. It is nice to hear some positivity in someones words. I have gotten that alot although I amjust as glad to hear negativity to be able to experience it all. Once I get down there, I will learn more about it from my boss as well...he has been in the islands for 15+ years as a single parent of 4 children. But I do appreciate all you had to offer to this post as well.
-Darrel

Hi Darrel,

I was born and raised on St. Croix and have been living in the states the past 4 years. My husband (from cT) and I are moving back to the island this summer. I see a lot of truth posted here, and just want to put in 'my 2 cents.' As far as your child's medical needs, if you only need to make visits every 3-6 months, then the island healthcare should be just fine. There are some very good doctors in the Virgin Islands. My uncle is a doctor on STX and several of of my family's friends are doctors there. We have received great basic healthcare all our lives. People who have relocated here tend to think everything is 'second world' and it isn't always the case. My father is diabetic and his basic needs are always met on the island, and there are plenty of diabetic children in the VI. As a matter of fact, diabetes is very prevalent in general. My father does travel to the states periodically each year to see a specialist. If this is all your son needs I think he'll be fine.

As far as education, I would say definitely go private or parochial. The public schools are unfortunately, a mess. If you are on island long enough for kids to go to highschool here, then I would consider strictly private.

Which island to live on? Well, if you are looking for a quiet, relaxed pace of life, then STX is the place for you. If you are more of a hustle & bustle person, then I would say STT. I love all the islands. They are all beautiful, but each one has a different personality. My husband and I will be living on STX and using STT as our weekend getaway. By the same token, there are people who live on STT and use STX as a getaway. Hopefully you'll have a chance to visit the islands before making a final decision. Either way, WELCOME TO THE VIRGIN ISLANDS!!!

For high school, do you know if the parochial school(s) is ok? In my mind, I consider parochial private as well...I was thinking of sending my 15 year old to the catholic high school. What is your take on that?

Melissa

Although I have no children, and no particular medical needs, I have lived on STX for 3 years and have been very happy with both the medical care and the emergency room at the hospital. I believe there are several fine pediatricians on STX who will be able to manage your son's diabetes. But other are correct, make sure we have what you need before you relocate.

Hello there Darryl. As I have required 'specialized care', it really took the help of a number of good people on St. Croix to help get me 'hooked up'. There are a number of M.D.'s who now do family practice, but whose training has been in a specialized area. Several of them came for semi-retirement, found the needs were huge, and are working a significant amount.

A suggestion would be to call the Hospital on St. Croix, and to speak with Gail in the ER. She is a nurse, but seems to be a data bank about M.D.'s. She is really the one who made 'suggestions' that pulled a team together for me.

If you would like, I can also look for some doctor's who may have a specialization that is not advertised as such. Just drop me an email at Affiliationllc@aol.com and I will start doing the network thing.

Best wishes, and please do ask if I can help with this. I have gone from a 'leg-dragging mess' to being able to walk fairly well.

Dan