The
idea of living in this fruitful paradise surrounded by turquoise waters
and shaded by exotic palm trees has seduced many people into calling the
US Virgin Islands home. People have migrated to these islands because
of its aesthetic features and end up falling in love with its people and
culture. Business owners share these sentiments, enjoying the
profits from investing in the territory and the protection of the Stars
and Stripes. The Territory of the Virgin Islands boomed during the 1960’s when the population almost doubled. It has remained steady ever since with the most recent census figures estimating the VI’s population at 108,612. However, the tourist population has steadily increased with the number of visitors nearing 2 million annually.
It’s
a big decision but, if made properly and with a great deal of planning,
can be the decision that will change your life forever and for the better.
Once you’ve been
through all of those nagging questions (Can you practically move a pet?
What do you do about furniture? What is the cost of living compared to
what you are used to?) and
have decided to move, you’ll find the islands offer even more to
full-time residents than vacationers. A solid work force, ample
opportunity for employment in the tourism and other industries, and of
course, wonderful weather all make this an ideal place to live.
There
are some factors that make life different on the islands. Although the
U.S. Virgin Islands is a United States Territory and all the citizens are
also United States citizens, they cannot vote in Presidential elections.
Also there is no voting representative in the U.S. Congress to
represent the Territory.
Water
is collected in cisterns for home use. Some housing located in the 
town areas are serviced by WAPA who provides desalinated water from their
distribution plant. If you run out of water, you will have to call a water truck to deliver
water to your home. This can cost from $190 to $365 dependent upon
how much water you order. All homes using cisterns must also have a
pump to pump the water into the house. Learning how to prime a pump
is something that may come in handy.
Traffic flows on the
left in the Virgin Islands, and there are a
few peculiar habits you’ll
want to know about before taking to the roads. Mostly on St. Croix, honking is the
island way of indicating a hello, or an acknowledgment of some sort.
All the islands have drivers who stop in the middle of the road to load or
unload passengers or talk to friends. You have to be aware of this
habit and drive cautiously.
The
U.S. islands have a fairly good road network. Taxis and rental vehicles
are available on all three islands, and regular passenger-bus services
operate on St. Croix and St. Thomas. Inter-island transport by small boat
is available. Seagoing passenger and cargo vessels connect the ports of
Charlotte Amalie, on St. Thomas, Frederiksted and Limetree Bay, on St.
Croix, to ports abroad. International jet air services operate on St.
Thomas and St. Croix.
There
is no lack of good quality foods, but they have higher prices because
almost everything is shipped by air or sea. Taking advantage of the
year-round growing season can save you money. You can also order
stateside items, deliver them to Miami and ship them to the islands via an
air cargo carrier.
There
are, of course, always tourist related jobs available in season from
November to May. Wages generally lag behind U.S. levels, so
you’ll want to visit one of the numerous conversion calculators on the
Internet to see how much you’ll need to make to maintain your standard
of living. But there are numerous opportunities for you to make a decent
living here.
Despite
the differences from living in Anytown USA, more
people move to the Virgin
Islands than move away from them. There is a quality of life and a quality
of the environment that makes it second to none in terms of being a place
to settle. Look through the rest of these pages and see all of the great
things the islands have to offer, and you’ll know why this is a move you
should seriously consider making.
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