What is the best island to live at?

I'm still chuckling about Marty being an "IMPLANT to the island".

Uh oh, Marty has implants? haha

Juanita, I agree about the weather. Had the day off yesterday and smoked a brisket. Just took it out of the smoker after 18 hrs. If you ever get over this way let me know. 🙂

The implants were not as 'noticable' as I had hoped...going for bigger ones now...I'll post a pic when they are all healed up!!

Your right, I meant to say half the people per area. I Bad.

I prefer to think like my neighbor says " it's paradise, not heaven"

a large percentage of the people who leave in the first 1-2 years expected to be here only short term when they arrived. They come on contracts or to work a winter tourist season or for a summer experience. The statistics about people "not making it" in the islands are skewed because of this. Certainly some people come expecting to stay years or the rest of their lives and then don't find the islands to be the fantasy world they had envisioned and soon depart. I don't think there is any real data splitting the people who arrive each year into groups of people who expected to be here short-term and people who expected to be here long-term and I doubt anyone is tracking the quantities of people in each of those types of groups who leaves as it would be tough to even get that kind of information. Some people who come short-term wind up staying for years unexpectedly. It works both ways.

trades back!!!! and where have you been?

ok terry,i like the sound of that quote,thats what i was trying to say i guess,thank your neighbor for saying it right

Hey trw, just curious. Do you think people are bad for wanting that stuff? Not looking to rile you, but that was a very passionate post and I wonder if you look upon those types of people as bad or wrong.

I'm a bit late with this response but I agree the "reasons" 80% of the transplants don't stay is they were most likely "running away" for something or they are "lookin for something" that doesn't exist. Now before you get upset or say "that's not me" think about it what "running away" really means or why you are 'unhappy" where you now are and why you thing moving to the islands will make things better. You are who you are and merely moving may not change YOU. If it it were that easy you could 'start all ove" by moving to the next town or another state.

People perceive the islands as paradise because they have palm trees, sandy beaches and generally good weather but you can find those things in many places yet they don't make daily life that much different. You see unless you are a trust fund baby or retired with a substantial nest egg you still have to get up every day and go to work to earn a living, you have to pay bils like the rent or mortgage, car purchase or lease, utility bills, food bills, credit cards debt (if you have it), medical bills, etc. This is usualy more difficult because wages are probably lower and expenses are probably higher than they are "back home". You see, everyday problems don't go away simply because you move. You still have to go to work. If your think your boss is a jerk there's no guaranty your boss in the islands won't have similar atributes. You have to do daily chores like doing the laundry, clean house, make the beds, take the kids to school, do the shopping, cut the lawn, You see nothing has really changed - the daily grind is the same daily grind only the location changes. I'm always amazed to read how when some perspective transplants are told about the above realities they summarilly dismiss them by simply saying they "don't need" all the trapings of modern life and they would be content to live a "simpler lifestyle". The truth is that rarely works.

To put things in perspective I once went on vacation to Santa Fe, New Mexico and was awed by the natural beauty of the surrounding countryside and rugged mountains. When I commented to one of the locals about the wonderful views I had while driving to a nearby village he asked me what I meant because according to him there's wasn't much bewtween Santa Fe and that village but "desert and rocks". You see, those views had become so commonplace to him they no longer meant anything of importance.

All of this just reiterates that island life is not better or worse than where you are now but rather it is just DIFFERENT. That's why, those of us who have homes in the islands highly recommend a pre-move visit (the longer the better). as it is the only way you can get a true indication of what island life is really like.

I can't answer for trw but my 2 cents is that there's not a thing wrong with wanting Starbuck's on every corner or tons of malls with lots of choices & instant gratification as near as your credit card but if you need that, you won't find it here. I get excited if I only have to go to 1 grocery store when I have people for dinner rather than 3 or 4 because they're out of a real basic. It's a lot less expensive to figure that out before you throw several thousand $$ into a move that leaves you miserable 6 months later or when the first hurricane blows & all the amenities we DO have disappear, sometimes for months.

i agree with Trade, no it's not bad or wrong to want those things, but one does get tired of all the whining from people about not having this or that, and i'm talking about the people i see daily on my travels around stx,and they are generally the people with 2 or less years here, as humans we have learned to adapt to our enviroments in order to survive, some just do it better than others down here, and Afriend has a great attitude about it,especially the part about having to work,unless you're rich or retired with that nest egg, you still have to be a part of the rat race to pay the bills

I can agree with afriend. I live in AZ, and people come here and just love looking at the desert. To me it is pretty, but I never go look at it. The Grand Canyon, some people can spend hours or days looking at it's beauty. To me, it is beautiful, but after looking at it for about three minutes, I want to do something else.
For some reason, looking at the ocean is as mesmerizing as looking at a fireplace. But then it would maybe get old too.

I never tire of looking at the ocean. Of course, I no longer gasp as I did years ago but it sure mellows me out coming over a hill at the end of a tough day & seeing a life-sized postcard laid out in front of me.

My reason for asking is that I am a self proclaimed "stuff-lover" and I am now days away from hitting my two year mark on STT. I don't complain about the lack of stuff, because there really is no point, but I still miss it, and even going back to my small hometown in NC is like going to Disney World when I am 6 all over again. But I find being down here very helpful to my budget because if I were back home I would never be able to save like I do here. You don't have the desire to go out and buy buy buy when you don't have the options you do back in the states. And I have found many transplants have this same mentality, which helps their attitude.

Another thing about changing to island life to get away that I see as helpful. When you go out to the various bars and restaurants here you run into a much friendlier climate of people then "just moving to the next town." Tell them you're new here and they'll bend over backwards trying to tell you stories of what to do, what not to do, who to see, who to avoid etc. And that can be nice for a new arrival, especially if they're alone. Granted I am 29, and am not looking at the same situation as families or dog owners or anything like that. I heard someone say you have the pay the mortgage down here. Not if you rent. I heard someone say you have the mow the lawn, again not if you rent. It just seems to depend on your situation and what you're planning to do here.

The rat race life can be tough, especially since the only double lane roads are downtown(on STT that is)...I have a rather interesting work schedule that keeps me out of heavy traffic almost daily. The only time I have to fight it is when I go to the gym (which isn't good news for the gym : )

Island life can be very humbling too. If you're used to being spoiled you can come down here and get a reality check and it might work out well for you. When(if) you do return to the states you become a lot more appreciative of all the stuff, the little things, the family close by, all of it in a way you never were when you were there before. I've seen a lot of people come down here with no game plan in life, meet up with the right people, form business relationships, find a purpose, then leave to fulfill that purpose. Or they stay here and fulfill that purpose. People network here very well, better than I have seen stateside, because someone here knows someone who can hook you up back there. The possibilities...well they're not endless, but there are a lot of them.

Trade when I first got here I was worried about getting into traffic accidents because I was too busy starring at the scenery while driving. These days I look when I can. Most days I see a pretty view, some days I tend to see borders that make feel a little claustrophobic, when is usually when I grab my phone and call friends and family back home to check in. I get over it in time.

So there you go, another perspective for potential movers. Hope it makes sense.

Cory

Great post, Cory.

Island Life is an investment in your sanity. All the common everyday stuff is harder to accomplish especially when you work one or more jobs but that's the cost of living in a beautiful, multi-cultural island. Through the process of dealing with life in the Islands and working you build your network of people who can help you feel a part of place and engage in the economy. Then in your first year or to you will have found your place or not.
Every where I've lived or worked had an influence of what I perceive to be the place for me. I've decided to call STX home for the second half my life and separate myself from the materialistic, me me me, 4 lane, culture deprived life style of where I live in the States. Like another poster said, "if your running away from something you probably won't last in the islands.