Moving to St. Croix

Posted by: @mark-m2023

Hello all! My wife and I are in the process of selling our place in Missouri and moving to St. Croix. Any advice from people who have lived there or grew up there?

Bring lots of money, don't get sick and have patience.

Welcome to the forum @mark-m2023!

If you haven't already made one, a pre-move visit (sometimes abbreviated as PMV in the forum) is strongly encouraged. Come stay for a few weeks or months, living like a local (not a tourist). 

Searching for PMV on the forum will provide a wealth of advice that's available on the forum.

You didn't share much information about yourselves - approximate ages, careers, experience on the island/island living, do you have children, etc.

Many people keep their mainland house and rent it out (for a few months or a year) while they move down and decide whether island living is right for them - with today's housing market, it could be very expensive to sell your house first and then decide in a few months that it's not a good fit for you.

In brief, schools, healthcare, salaries and insurance options are not as good as what you have on the mainland. Housing, fuel and electricity are also more expensive ( gas is ~$3.75 for unleaded and electricity is about 41 cents per kilowatt hour).

Search the forum for PMV and add a bit of general information about you and what your desired situation is and we can provide more specific advice.

Posted by: @mark-m2023

Hello all! My wife and I are in the process of selling our place in Missouri and moving to St. Croix. Any advice from people who have lived there or grew up there?

A little more data would help.  In particular why St. Croix.

it’s a Caribbean island with roughly 50K residents, a Territorial Government, but it’s also part of the US, while I know this sounds obvious it also speak to the challenges you will need to navigate.  Many people come expecting it to be like the mainland, it’s not and you can’t expect it’s going to change, you need to be prepared to adapt.  If you can get past that you’ll be more that half way to loving the place.  The island is also expensive compared to many places on the mainland but it’s substantially cheaper than St. Thomas or St. John.

That’s the bad news.  The good news is it’s America’s Paradise.  If you like summer weather year round, lots of outdoor activities, friendly people, surprisingly good food and a fun loving island culture, it can be great.

This site was very helpful during our process of buying a retirement home 4 years ago.  Not too much has changed since then, other than house prices have risen.

Many come...few stay!

Are you still exploring a move to STX?  My first floor retired tenant of five years is unexpectedly moving next month, so I am checking around to find my new "neighbor" for my duplex by the sea.

An unfurnished two bedroom, two bath, plus study/den, covered porch and many other nice features.  By coincidence, I can also accommodate a 1-2 month long PMV (pre-move visit) as a sublet of my own furnished place upstairs before Christmas.

Hmmm, I don't see the "private message" option that used to be available.

When you come to St. C, rent don't buy. Don't buy until you have been here a couple of years. Also if you like your house in Missouri I would consider renting it for a year just in case you decide to move back to Missouri

@atvs Please send more details, location, and pics.  Thank you

@pbtadlock12 

Sorry to not see your post earlier. The old format used to notify when  replies to posts came in. 

The short answer is www.AboveTheSeaVilla.com.  The last occupant (my  adjacent neighbor) stayed 5 years before moving, so 1-2 photos are slightly dated.

email me  for more info at mail@AboveTheSeaVilla.com, since I don't see a "private message" option anymore. Best wishes!