Upside of Island Life

Aside from the cost of moving and other factors like having a good job, being financially secure enough to live without without working, being close to family, etc. people stay for pretty much all the same reasons people choose to live anywhere else. If you like what you are doing, have a comfortable home, have good circle of friends, have access to activities that fit your interests you tend to stay put.

On the other hand, if you don't like your job, you dislike your neighbors, are in debt, don't like your home, feel a lack of opportunity, then you tend to think maybe if I relocate my life will be so much better. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. You have to evaluate YOURSELF - what is the root cause of your dissatisfaction with life where you now live and what will change if you re-locate? You are who you are and simply relocating to a different area whether it be an island in the Caribbean or the tundra in Alaska may not solve your problems or automatically give you an idyllic lifestyle.

Now, most people will cite the good weather, the beaches, the scenery, the lifestyle they've made for themselves as the main reasons they enjoy island life and remain in the Caribbean. But those things are just superficial - it really comes down to your outlook on life in general. If you are a "happy person" that happiness will probably follow you no matter where you live. If you are a grumpy old curmudgeon moving to the Caribbean probably won't change that.

I get to see the ocean every day
STX a small town feel
I sail every weekend (weather permitting)
I go to the beach every weekend
Fresh seafood
Great restaurants
A cheerful "good morning, good afternoon or goodnight can turn into a conversation with a total stranger
A 10 mile drive to home depot is insane to me now. i used to drive 30 each way to work
the sight of a roach doesn't send my wife into a cleaning frenzy
My dogs love walking every day and lounging in the sun and are both much healthier since moving here
Cheap booze (can be a bad thing too)
I haven't used my car heater to 4 years
Don't feel the need to "keep up with the Jonses" mentality
Island friends turn into "island family" you will never have friend like your island friends
In spite of all the negatives, long lines, prices, to much BS when dealing with government agencies, there is still less stress

Becoming a 'grumpy old curmudgeon' after living here for over 4 decades I still find it a warm and comfortable place to live. I can find plenty of humor in the quirks of island life, overall I do have concerns about the health care I may need and the escalating randomness of crime but the pace of daily existence suits me just fine.
Many facets of convenience have improved here during my life on island, but it still feels vastly different than the stateside world and I like that aspect - the people are generally non-judgemental and accepting, quick to smile and laugh about life and the lack of "keep up with the Jones" attitude is refreshing on a daily basis.

I used to say it was the camaraderie of friends and social events such as Jump Up and Christmas events that we enjoyed most on STX. There used to be much more of an arts scene that we enjoyed as well. But unfortunately most of our good friends and many artists have moved off island now which is definitely affecting our quality of life. However I could see how new island residents just now arriving might form friends with other new residents and find what we have lost. People tend to come and go in waves from STX.

We still enjoy the restaurants and evenings on the beach. We enjoy the sound of the frogs chirping like crazy outside each night. We enjoy the abundance of butterflies several times a year and even the antics of iguanas and mongooses. We enjoy that at night we can sit outside and the view of the stars and the milky way is simply excellent. We enjoy that much of the year we don't have to use air conditioning.

We also have enjoyed that social things are for the most part, simple. For better or worse the island is a small social scene and once you meet people it is simple to socialize at the various island events. The choices of which events to attend make themselves. We appreciate the lack of complexity. However

Small town feel, knowing a lot of folks and great socializing. Great food and no chain restaurants. Lush green landscape.

Oh and dis.....

Small town feel, knowing a lot of folks and great socializing. Great food and no chain restaurants. Lush green landscape.

Oh and dis.....

He's all like "sup".

I'ts baby lizard season it seems. I have thousands of little anole running around.
Love that and love the millions of butterflies season.