moving to st. croix

Private school. Anyone know if the public schools on STX got re-accredited yet? Good Hope and Country Day are, I believe, the only two.

HOVENSA has its own little "company town" on site. Depending on whether your husband is working for HOVENSA directly (and even then, depending on what position) or for a contractor, he may be eligible for employee housing. At the end of the day, it's still a trailer park next to an oil refinery, but they're NICE trailers, and the community is gated and very safe. I've seen lots of kids running around the neighborhoods--not a typical island scene AT ALL, but nice for those of us who grew up in stateside communities where all the kids in the neighborhood knew each other.

I just wrote an article about Good Home getting re-accredited. I was impressed by the people there. Unfortunately, you are talking, I think 6 or 8 thousand tuition each year.
Don

Hello Angie,

You can take a look at the school list at

https://www.vimovingcenter.com/schools/stcroix.php

There are a few private schools and there are also a number of parochial schools as well. Three or four have web sites that you can look at.

--Islander

The company will provide housing and private school. Housing is only minutes a way from job. I asume it's the "company town".NOT a typical island scene. Is this good or bad? A trailer park by a refinery. Is this a place you would live?

Angie,
You will find plenty of moms just like yourself who have moved to the island and are living in camp. Some are trailers, but the newer ones are concrete homes. They are all in a secure gated community, with playground, tennis and basketball court. The complex even has its own restaurant for families. I went to Good Hope School for 13 years and my 7 year old now goes to Country Day School. Both are great schools and the Hovensa school bus picks them up in the morning and returns them home after school. There are also some other nice private schools, but these two rank as the better one. Schooling will probably be paid for as part of his package, so no worries there. We don't live in camp, but my wife works for Hovensa so we know a bit about it.

Lee

I lived at HOVENSA for a little over 2 years in Estate Blessing. The "trailer" housing is basically a 3 bedroom ranch and generally quite quite nice though some are older than others. I have been gone for 3 years now but do keep in touch with many of my good friends still there. Island life can be wonderful, but it isn't for everybody. I loved it and would have retired from there but family brought me back. The only way to know if it works for you is to try it. Give it at least 2 years though. For most of my friends and I it took that long to really get used to the change in culture and decide if it was for them. As far as kids, mine were too young for school when we were there but Good Hope and Country Day have great reputations. I have to say, that both my wife and myself felt more comfortable with our kids safety on the island than back here. Partly because of the gated community but also because the island community is small and we all looked out for each other.

Angie,
Like yourself, I have my sights set on Hovensa for my family. Kim and I have three children (6,4,2) and view the refinery as the most logical way to make the lifestyle change. Did your husband take the job? If so, when do/did you move?

Brian,
Its great to hear from someone who has "been there.. done that". Did you know of many people that moved into Estate Blessing initially but eventually bought their own homes? Or, did most people stay in company housing for the duration of their employement?

Corinthian