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This past summer in June, my boyfriend and I vacationed in STT for almost 2 weeks. STT is such a beautiful island. Suprisingly, we met people our ages (25-27) who lived in the US and relocated to STT after a few visits. My boyfriend and I are contemplating on moving to STT before we settle down and start a family. Given that STT is a tourist hot spot, how is the housing costs compared to living in NYC (Queens)? I did take notice that there is the IRS building ( I have a MBA in Accounting, my boyfriend CDL truck driver with hazmat, AA-Computer Networking & Security). For right now it is a daydream for us to live in STT,but hopefully in a couple of years we can make it a reality.
We have lived on STX for 2 years but made monthly visits for over a year looking at property and getting a feel for the island; glad we did. There is no way we could afford the house we have on STT or STJ. True, STX is known as the "poor virgin" and that is fine with us. We also spent a few years researching Oahu, again, no way we could afford what we have on STX. The views from different parts of STT can't be beat, but again, you pay for that. We did find a terrific house on 5 acres on the water but it took over a year and a lot of internet research. We were lucky to have a patient, hardworking real estate agent. We work from home so we could live anywhere but for economic reasons and the fact it is a US territory made STX a good match for us. Sadly, we still have a house in FL and will have to hold on until the market comes back. Our high blood pressure went to normal after just a week in our new STX house and we've learned that patience is a must if you live here. As we get older, we may need to move for medical reasons but hope that is at least 20 years from now - and who knows, STX may have improved medical facilities by then. Right now, we go to STT for medical care since our health ins. has docs there. For NanNan6236, good luck with a job search - with your background, you might find something but you will be paid far less than what you are used to. In any case, good luck to you!
I live in STX but know many people in STT. STX is very different from STT. More laid back. I have experienced some of the negative that people are talking about in STT but I learned to make adjustments. You have to in order to live here. Over all it's been pretty good for me. I have learned to love it and am glad I came. Just keep in mind all three islands are different.
Well, I lived there for 13 years and was a lawyer. It is a very violent place. Recently, a judge's law clerk was simply "whacked" on St. Thomas. Very nasty. Kelsey Gramer's father was also killed there. You have to be a rather tough customer, or you will encounter trouble. And all aspects of the government are corrupt. On the nice side, the weather is nice when there is no hurricane and the water is 85 degrees.
Certainly not a place for any one under 18 under any circumstances. Deadly.
STT Resident - agree with you. Too bad some people have had a bad experience, but that happens everywhere, right?
Of course! It's human nature, unfortunately, to dwell on the negatives (and by the same token do nothing to effect change or contribute to change) and also to throw about comments such as, "And all aspects of the government are corrupt." Along with that goes the attitude of, "Well, this is the way it's always been and nothing I can do or say can change it," which is so utterly self-defeating. Government corruption is rife all over the world and we've certainly had our share of it here but we are all seeing positive changes under the DeJongh administration and hope to see more as his term continues.
So many who come to live here and plan to make the islands their home show little interest in local news, don't even read the newspapers and hear only the street melee which of course gets totally skewed and cockeyed the more it's spread around. The attrition rate of newbies is, as I've said before, VERY high and I'm not even counting the youngsters who come here for seasonal jobs.
I'm glad you've settled in well on the big island and wish you all the very best. 5 acres on any island is AWESOME and you must be almost in 7th heaven. Please be advised that in about 15 years I might be available to caretake your place! Please be advised also that I own and operate a restaurant on STT, am a damned good cook and would also consider a position where cooking might be involved. Well, maybe. In 15 years time who knows!
It's really too bad that we still don't have better medical facilities available for particularly the older generation (which I'm rapidly becoming a part of!) Many of the older people I came to know and love during my first several years here have left for health reasons as what they need just isn't here. Local bahn-heres leave too for the same reason. There's a huge number of former government commissioners and others of high ranking who write letters to the editor from Florida, SC and NC - and these are people with generations of family ties here but who obviously left because (a) they had a health problem more easily addressed in a stateside community and (b) their pensions and SS go a lot further than they would do here.
St Croix in particular could be such a haven for affluent retirees but it's always the health issues and care thereof which are a deterrent. Fortunately I'm blessed with strong genes on both sides and so far the hospital on STT has only tried to do away with me once when I had a gross case of pneumonia a few years ago. Fortunately my "island son" is an attorney, realized that something was very wrong and successfully prevented the staff from allowing me to deteriorate to the point of six feet under ... No, it's not ALL bad where health care is concerned but it's just a shame that so many oldsters here are forced to move because the whole hospital scenario is just so NOT together in so many ways.
I'm sorry, mauricecusick, that your 13 year stay here resulted in your having such a generally negative opinion of life in general here. Nothing much I can say further except to reiterate that I disagree with such all-encompassing negative generalizations. The horrible murder of law clerk Gabriel Lerner shocked us all, both black and white, locals, transplants and transients alike. He was kind enough to stop and offer a ride to two local youths and his untimely and awful shooting death at their hands was an outrage. The perpetrators were quickly picked up.
I didn't look any further when, on the first page, the name of the most famous beach on St Thomas is mis-spelled and that K-Mart is recommended as the cheapest place to purchase Cruzan rum! Cheers!
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Usvi
