Commentary from Terry about the US Virgin Islands...
St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands is very different than most suburban or city areas in the United States. There are lots of reasons why; it is very mountainous and this causes development to be restricted and tight.
To give you an idea of the island environment, there are only sidewalks in Charlotte Amalie and they are limited. We do have sidewalks in and around the retail shopping areas as well and near the cruise ship ports. There are stoplights but not a lot of them. All the roads are paved except a few going up to private homes.
American born folks are the minority here- about 5,000 of the 40,000 living here but that number is growing. The bulk of our sales come from American investors and vacationers who love the weather, beaches, sailing, snorkeling, and so much more. Most American investors, usually buy vacation homes or second homes in St. Thomas. The investor will stay for two weeks or even two months a year, and will offset their costs through short term rentals. We sell a lot of condos and vacation villas to this group for those reasons.
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One of the best private schools on the island of St. Thomas is called Antilles. It is a K thru 12 college preparatory school where a high percentage of graduates go onto college.
People in the United States are used to have neighborhoods but here everything is broken down by "Estates"- these are local neighborhoods that all have names like Peterborg Estates, or Solberg, or Smith Bay Estates. There are about 7-8 high-end estates where the homes are on the in the millions. Often these homes have oceanfront views. Many of the non oceanfront homes here still have terrific views of the ocean due to the mountains and good elevations.
The US Virgin Islands are the uniqueness of the West Indian culture, music, and of course the weather. The best weather is November thru May each year. Many Americans also love the fact that we are a U.S. Territory with the same banking, real estate law and judicial system. St Thomas is the island most like the U.S., with commercial centers, lots of stores, shopping areas, ( with no duty tax) and great restaurants. We have a Home Depot and two Kmart stores here.
St John is another incredibly beautiful Island and the smallest of the three. St. John is about eight miles away from St. Thomas with ferry transportation. Half of St. John is a national park and the town area is really cute and targeted perfectly for tourists. The Beaches are beautiful beyond description.
St Croix is 30 miles to the south and is larger, and is more agricultural. The US Virgin Islands have a high population of people from other islands in the Caribbean chain many are Hispanics from the Dominican Republic. Also we appeal to sailors, boaters and anyone loving the ocean. Lots of diving here, lots of opportunity to easily sail or motor over to the British Virgin Islands which are near St John and visible off our east end coast, and from all the mountains. This multiple island scenery makes our views very unique and incredible as you can often spot five to eight islands off in the distance.
Warm regards,
Terry
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