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I lived on a tropical island for more than 20 years. Here is some of what I learned: If you want to do full-time living on a tropical island, you better have a home that can withstand strong hurricane winds and is located well above the storm surge zone (stay away from residences located near beaches and yacht basins). You should also be prepared to provide your own electrical power, clean drinking water and food for months after the island is hit by a strong hurricane. It also helps to own a chainsaw because someone is going to have to remove those downed trees blocking your driveway and the public road in front of your home. Expect that until the local airport and its runways are repaired there will be no commercial flights to and from the island for weeks or longer after a strong hurricane. And you should be in good health because it could take a week for rescue workers to get to your home. Expect that cell phone towers will be down for weeks or even months -- it is good to own a satellite phone and an off-grid way to charge it. The alternative all the above is to take a departing flight away from the island EVERY time a hurricane path is predicted to travel over the island and to book those flights early before they are sold out. And be prepared to wait months before you can return to the island to check property damage. Tropical islands are great places to visit on vacation, but living there full-time carries with it a special set of risks.
you are %100 right i live in south east florida most of my life and its not if you will get a hurricane its when . we build to a hurricane code and have forever
While all those things are true, you are basically focused on the one time a major storm will make a direct hit on the island you live on. Fear of storms should not scare you away from island living alone since most islands go decades without getting hit directly by a major storm creating the conditions you described. Most storms are just an inconvenience for a bit, then all good. Being self sufficient is more applicable to day to day life rather than the offhand chance of a major storm. Power is spotty at times, and getting things you take for granted on the mainland is sometimes tough. That's the real challenge of island living...convenience. If you can tolerate that, go for it!
You didn't state which islands you lived on. My mother survived hurricane Irma on St. Thomas. I saw my childhood home's roof blown off. What you're saying isn't inaccurate. Still I don't want to cut my ties to the Virgin Islands.
I tried that until I was a victim of a home invasion. Woke up with a guy with a black ski imask standing over me. He jumped me and I screamed and fought him off. I was lucky. Could have been much worse. Don't recommend it folks. Also unless you have lots of money , things could get really rough. Very expressive. I had been living there off and on for more than 30 yrs.
I lived there for ten years (1965-1976), my family for twenty - unless you have a high-paying job, a ton of savings, or a lucrative pension, the cost of living in the V.I. is very high.
For individuals to retire on any of the Virgin Islands if above the age of 50, medical facilities has to be considered, and there is intermittent cut off of electricity, time lag in getting food, parts, service, doesn't seem like retiring here would be my choice anyhow. Then pray that each tropical storm doesn't turn into a Hurricane and destroy everything, I think I will vacation there and rent instead,, LOL! Besides how many people are retired living on island anyhow, maybe 20 people total on the entire island, it's a low number I guarantee you.. Don't get me wrong the VI is my paradise but unfortunately retiring there would be a stretch..
You are incorrect. Medical care in the Virgin Islands is poor. For extensive care, surgeries etc. people travel to Miami to seek care. Working unless you are a professional is difficult to come by. St. Croix's electric infrastructure is horrendous. After hurricane Maria people were without electric power for one year.
Correct☝🏾He also failed to mention many Virgin Islanders end up here at the Puerto Rico Medical Center (Centro Médico) in San Juan for major issues as w'ell as our Caribbean Cardiovascular Center ☝🏾
@@desertsunset8025 Well it was 30 plus years ago, but there was a shooting in the Refinery with automatic weapons. To my knowledge nobody was ever arrested, on an island.
i heard the rental cost for a 2 bedroom house, and up, but nothing said about a 1 bedroom or an small apt. where is the most least expensive place to live. i am 69 yrs old retired
Wrong about several things. Health care is fair until you have to go to a hospital. Terrible. The bull about the tax rate is not correct. You will pay taxes to the Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue. It is a mirror image of the IRS code as is the tax rate. The numbers he quoted are available only if you have a special designation from the Economic Development Commission. Electrical power is intermittent. Of the 10 years living on St. Croix power went out 7 Christmases either part of the day or all day. The cost is 3.5 times higher than in the US. I could go on and on. Like to see what this guy thinks after living there a few years.
Correct☝🏾He also failed to mention many Virgin Islanders end up here at the Puerto Rico Medical Center (Centro Médico) in San Juan for major issues as w'ell as our Caribbean Cardiovascular Center ☝🏾
You didn't include the fact It's literally Hurricane Alley. Yes, overall the weather's beautiful but watch out/be on high alert between June-Sept. and maybe Oct. Streets turned into lakes as most Guts have been paved over, depending upon your location. As others have stated, food items are sky high as well as other items because they're shipped in (however, most veggies and fruits are grown there, sold in Market Square). Grew up, wasn't born there. My Great Grandfather built a house there in 1911, still standing, and has withheld every hurricane since because it's in the valley between two hills, not on any hill. In other words, location is paramount.
Your nuts. I lived there for a year. This is Last place you want to retire. I can give 20 reasons why not to retire in the islands. Record crime, Record high electric rates, Ridiculously high food prices! Should I keep going??
@@mykaladams1135 yes you right smh I was at my inlaws house in nordsideviej thank god because our apartment roof came off and our windows were broken becaus e the neighbors had a bung of parts and other junk in thier yard from renovation and the other neighbor had scaffolding because he was building his house
You have erroneously used a photo from one of the lesser Antilles islands in your video of the US Virgin Islands. From 2:33 to 2:47 it shows the Carimar Beach Club on the lovely island of Anguilla, NOT a US Virgin island.
Interesting. I assumed it might have been somewhere in St. Croix since I'm the least familiar with resorts there. I once saw a travel magazine call what I knew was Trunk Bay, St. John as a beach in Australia!!!
Been here 40 years. Time to get out. Very expensive, power goes out all the time. Hurricanes are always bad. Dont recommend unless u can leave anytime u want. Beaches are great but that gets old.
@@lovelydae7455 Water and Power Authority, i.e. the provider of power/electricity. Phatness Galore must have been a resident. I think she's suggesting there are a LOT of power outages. All of this marketing of real estate in the Virgin Islands is making the prices skyrocket!! Ask the locals!!
There used to be a 1 story shack where the 3 story building is right at the end of the St. John dock. It had stones out front with a couple picnic tables, and there was no gate or building on the dock. My dad was involved in the St. John Pub that was there throughout the 1980s that sold subs, hotdogs, cold beer and mixed tropical drinks to the tourists. I used to go over to St. John and have lunch at The Backyard on some Saturdays, that was practically all traveling by road on that island I did in the years I was there. When I was 12 dad bought me a 13 foot Boston Whaler with a 55hp and besides the other 4 boats he had I used to use it to go to St. John once in a while. A couple times was to Trunk where we visited our schoolmate that lived in the house on the peninsula that you see. She used to travel to St. Thomas to go to school and back every day. Feed any iguanas you run into with hibiscus flowers, red ones especially, that's why if you're wearing red they might come up to you and try to chew on your shirt. My best friend's dad owned the largest dump truck on St. Thomas during the time they were moving the Eastern mountain to off the Western end of the runway extending it. His driver was dropping a load off the end, lost control and jumped out just in time to see it sink into the end of the runway. Time, resources, etc dictated that they just keep going. So when you land there, you are landing on a dump truck. My family of 6 including 2 of my grandparents were scheduled on the American Airlines flight that crashed on the island in 1976 running into a Shell gas station at the end of the short runway. My mom had a dream, and rescheduled us for a week earlier with all the work and changes made for dad's 3 stores to run for 2 weeks. We were at Magens when it crashed. A call went out for the 2nd most rare blood, AB-, which my father had. My dad said he wasn't taking time out from his vacation to donate blood. Read the karma my dad died to on that island 14 years after that crash, in this book with links below. I've probably been on more cruise ships than anyone reading this, yet never been on a cruise. My dad ran a ship chandlery that had a monopoly on selling liquor to the cruise ships in the early '80s, that I used to spend my afternoons after school doing my homework at, that was located at the last building on the Havensite dock (has Senior Frogs painted on its roof). After growing up on the island and starting when I was 17 in late 1986, we used to roam Charlotte Amalie downtown streets at night bar hopping Coconuts, Rosie O'Grady's, The Ritz, Yesterdays, then to the Greenhouse at 10pm for the current live band, when everyone was partying in the islands. Since the bars closed at 2 AM we would go out to steal cars, usually rentals, and race across the island, afterward sometimes stripping them for parts. I've floored it in a brand new 1987 Accord LXi from the Fort all the way to Frenchtown one night easily doing 100mph, which was not unusual to do with stolen cars but sometimes done even with the ones we sort of cared about. One night I was with a few locals and we got pulled over for racing into Frenchtown. The cop went to arrest one of us and he started skipping around the car in a circle repeatedly singing, "Haha you can't catch me!" to the cop. He made it a couple times around the car and we had to bail him out that night. I hold the record for most boats stolen in one night while alone; three - I took them to a birthday party. Would you like to read about real modern pirates based out of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands taking place in the end of the cocaine fueled '80s? "THE REAL PARADISE: Diary of a Modern-Day Caribbean Pirate" Paperback: www.amazon.com/dp/1653714360 or Kindle: www.amazon.com/dp/B083C3DD19 (free with Ultimate).
Haha, ur about 4 years older than me but i was here too and still am:) For the birds was my go to place, also barbary coast in frenchtown, also there was Club Z
@@keithsudzy4364 Jim Jim (bartender murdered at For the Birds) is in the book, the last story in particular besides other ones. We did criminal things together, he was a real stand up guy.
@@johnphantom De man , who you is dread ? If you were that terrible unfortunately I probably know you . I worked , danced , and beat the shit out of several people on that street . I worked with the Saber brothers , Paul and Jonathan, was there when Fabio opened Jimmy Z's and the Italian brothers burnt down Manhattan's and almost half of back street. We had a crew , it was Steven , Shawn and me Sammy always in the club always on the dance floor .
All that glitters in not gold. Be sure to check out the ugliness and can you live with those. Don't sell everything and move until you've spent at least a year there. Oh, yeah. Retain stateside status...
@@cynicalcindy1434 There is an old saying on St Thomas. "How do you leave ST Thomas with a million dollars? Bring two million." You move here because you are rich and can live the life, or you move here because you love the scene and are willing to scrape it out to make it work. I grew up in St Thomas and dream of moving back, but my situation is not conducive to that happening right now.
@RoninBlue-I’m actually from St. Croix and I can say that you really gave a very accurate and fair analysis of the United States Virgin Islands. Thank you.
Calvin Hodge Lake really? do you have some proof of that or is it just your opinion? Says 76% of the population is black. Any nicer area in the Caribbean is expensive. Look at grand cayman. Food prices are horrible there.
Capital one scammed me. . I opened a secured credit card, with my own money. I used card for first time, to build my credit, my first on time payment, was put in,and they said it successful went through , two days later without me knowing it. They blocked the payment and blamed it on my bank. I had sufficient funds. Now when I tried pay 2nd payment, I found our about the unto famative rejected 2nd payment. They sent me a lying later charge, I send a money order they denied receiving it
Fantastic place to vacation especially St.Croix usvi... 2 of my friends just stayed at the inn on strand street fredericksted hotel for 2 days and loved it...they will be back to visit every year for vacation
They're losing it now. Real estate has gotten expensive and is getting even MORE expensive. We don't have Belonger restrictions like the BVI. It's an issue!!!
@@kasnarfburns210 belonger restrictions ... i'm sorry but i never heard that phrase before ... i guess it means people who were born there ... ? Can you talk about the Belonger Restrictions in the British Virgin Islands please ?
Cost of living will lower very much if you own your own house on a nice size plltltltltltltltltltof land, tether you can grow most of what you eat. In with in 3 to 5 year you’ll be eating all tropical fruits and vegetables from your own years
Sounds too expensive to make it worthwhile. As to jobs I think back when I saw an ad in our trade mag every month for managers down there. At the same time I wish I tried it and am glad I did not.
Fantastic place to snowbird and vacation..highly recommended.. Especially St Croix usvi..flat and very pretty... snowbirds come every year for 20 years every winter... lol...even better in the summer..a 2 night vacation stay at the inn in strand street frederiksted..downtown next to everything, a really nice rental car from the airport and you are good to go! Its super easy to drive on flat gorgeous stcroix. We drive on the left...come on a Friday leave on Sunday...leave smiling waving thru the plane window
RoninBlue, you have a bad view of Vietnam. Hearing that you died from heart disease, not from accidents and the environment. We Vietnamese have a saying: "Evil, evil retribution", which means that whoever does something bad, will receive the consequences. May you rest in peace with God!
Whats the safety situation in the USVI? I can never seem to get a straight answer. Some people say its Lord of the Flies and others say its paradise what gives?
One of my friends, who is an old white dude spends about 6 months of the year in St.Thomas. He told me the crime is low when compared to NYC. He said to just becareful when you first get off the boat because that's where all the scammers are. But when you get into the country the people are nice. He convinced me to check it out because it's so cheap.
@@phantomthiefirwin9631 I can only speak on St. Croix because that's where I'm from. I've lived in St. Croix and the states so I have the perspective of both. St. Croix is safe for the most part but there is a lot of crime per capita. The crime is generally gang or community affiliated, happens in spurts, and is not random. As a person not involved you probably won't be a target, it's not really a place with a lot of random crimes such as pick pocketing or stick ups. I don't feel like writing a whole dissertation on St. Croix but if you're interested in visiting that island in particular feel free to ask me specific questions. Aside from safety I will add that the cost of electricity, gas, and food is through the roof down there and is something to consider if you plan to move down there on a fixed income.
I vacationed in St. Croix about 10 years ago and enjoyed it very much. I never felt in danger. Things like food service or standing in line takes patience as the people exercise "island time."
@@georgesawtooth While St. Croix is still relatively safe, it is more dangerous than it was 10yrs ago. More violence and gang activity, especially since the last two hurricanes. I have two friends who were kidnapped down there in the past few years, two childhood acquaintances who were murdered in broad daylight and a group of young men attempted (we had no valuables on us) to rob me and my friend. It's still a great place but the change is palpable and it's sad. Island time is definitely still a thing.
2 days at the inn on strand street and you will be happy..nice ac... great location... 2 of my friends just spent the weekend there ... came Friday left Sunday..they loved driving here..it was there first visit. They jet skied at rainbow beach nearby and ate dinner at the fantabulous fred hotel 1 minute away, they will be back for sure
No, not suited to the concrete construction (running ducts). Most folks don't have AC, just fans & open windows & doors. Next step up is window units & portable units. Top end would be mini-splits (that's what I have). You'll go broke trying to keep up with the electric bill unless you go solar (I did...planned for it when I was buying & moving). Still only run it in the bedroom at night if the breeze isn't sufficient.
Can you talk about that a little bit more please ... can you give some stats ... talk about those murders more please I'm trying to figure out exactly what you're saying
Same crime rate as new york... you just act like you are in New York...font trust people ..always have your guard up .but otherwise the beauty surpasses the usa...its an excellent place to visit
Great. But, what's the point? Everything is at least 30% more expensive than on the mainland. So, you're not really escaping the madness of the US mainland. To do that you have to move to ... Cambodia.
Yes ..you can come in with u.s. drivers license... negative covid test mandatory( nasal I believe) name must be on the test..there's no racism here , no police brutality ..no racism against no type of human black, white striped or polka dot.. and st croix is the easiest place to drive its flat...we drive on the left
@baron Joahim von Munchausen. Hello. I was single plenty of times and I figured out that, yeah having someone in your life is important but it really wasn't everything. As long as I had my own interests and a belonging, like with my family and friends, I was doing alright. I have a friend who actually found a girlfriend at age 60 and he couldn't be happier, by the way.
You will not be lonely cuase it's a great place for peace and quiet you will love st croix...good for a little visit..keep from people drugs every where..2 days as a loner on StCroix...boy you would love it.. I'm a loner...that why I like it here..its quiet not crazy like ny..lol
@@sfbluestar Depends on where you're going and how you get there. Via I-80W, the Geo Washington bridge, the Tappan Zee, Holland and/or Lincoln Tunnels?
The whole world is being gentrified to accommodate the filthy rich and parasitic rentier class. Pretty soon your servants won't be able to afford to live in the areas they work like the US west coast. Also,as an American citizen,I'd LOVE to hear what you think the "benefits of living under the US flag" are,other than not being invaded by the US and having your government overthrown..
Why do most non African people flock to mostly African or Black countries for retirement and also try to control the economies of those countries and expect special privileges
Ah? I’ve been to all the USVI islands. I’ve never once felt threatened or even nervous. It has its slums as do all islands. They don’t take kindly to outsiders in certain areas. But they don’t get violent or even rude. But maybe it’s me? I was a paramedic in Chicago for years. I’ve been in the worst of the worst. Humanity is a mess. But the USVI is no war zone. Best way to stay out of trouble is to learn peoples names and use them. I find that once you know someone’s name and use it; there’s no hostility.
there is potential danger everywhere and i can say its way less than in most cities in the US.don't let fear guide you!the people in the islands are more friendly than in the states and ive lived all over the east coast
Grew up on a boat in St Thomas... and there are bad places, and there are bad people (like everywhere) and some people fall in love with "paradise" and think they are in some other world and fall victim to those bad people. But if you take any normal amount of caution that you would and should anywhere in the world, you will most likely not have an issue. There are some places to maybe not cruise around at 3 in the morning, but the worst thing that is most likely to happen in mid-day anywhere is a petty theft like stuff stolen from your car. Hardly "very dangerous". Sounds like maybe you fell in love with paradise, turned your guard off, and fell victim to someone who is down on their luck or just outright a bad person.
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I lived on a tropical island for more than 20 years. Here is some of what I learned: If you want to do full-time living on a tropical island, you better have a home that can withstand strong hurricane winds and is located well above the storm surge zone (stay away from residences located near beaches and yacht basins). You should also be prepared to provide your own electrical power, clean drinking water and food for months after the island is hit by a strong hurricane. It also helps to own a chainsaw because someone is going to have to remove those downed trees blocking your driveway and the public road in front of your home. Expect that until the local airport and its runways are repaired there will be no commercial flights to and from the island for weeks or longer after a strong hurricane. And you should be in good health because it could take a week for rescue workers to get to your home. Expect that cell phone towers will be down for weeks or even months -- it is good to own a satellite phone and an off-grid way to charge it.
The alternative all the above is to take a departing flight away from the island EVERY time a hurricane path is predicted to travel over the island and to book those flights early before they are sold out. And be prepared to wait months before you can return to the island to check property damage. Tropical islands are great places to visit on vacation, but living there full-time carries with it a special set of risks.
you are %100 right i live in south east florida most of my life and its not if you will get a hurricane its when . we build to a hurricane code and have forever
Thank you, Linda.......I think I'll just look at the videos and dream ! lol
While all those things are true, you are basically focused on the one time a major storm will make a direct hit on the island you live on. Fear of storms should not scare you away from island living alone since most islands go decades without getting hit directly by a major storm creating the conditions you described. Most storms are just an inconvenience for a bit, then all good. Being self sufficient is more applicable to day to day life rather than the offhand chance of a major storm. Power is spotty at times, and getting things you take for granted on the mainland is sometimes tough. That's the real challenge of island living...convenience. If you can tolerate that, go for it!
You didn't state which islands you lived on. My mother survived hurricane Irma on St. Thomas. I saw my childhood home's roof blown off. What you're saying isn't inaccurate. Still I don't want to cut my ties to the Virgin Islands.
Maybe where you live but there are exceptions
I tried that until I was a victim of a home invasion. Woke up with a guy with a black ski imask standing over me. He jumped me and I screamed and fought him off. I was lucky. Could have been much worse. Don't recommend it folks. Also unless you have lots of money , things could get really rough. Very expressive. I had been living there off and on for more than 30 yrs.
Some things are better to just visit. Stay for a few months and see what you think.
I lived there for ten years (1965-1976), my family for twenty - unless you have a high-paying job, a ton of savings, or a lucrative pension, the cost of living in the V.I. is very high.
Exactly!
For individuals to retire on any of the Virgin Islands if above the age of 50, medical facilities has to be considered, and there is intermittent cut off of electricity, time lag in getting food, parts, service, doesn't seem like retiring here would be my choice anyhow. Then pray that each tropical storm doesn't turn into a Hurricane and destroy everything, I think I will vacation there and rent instead,, LOL! Besides how many people are retired living on island anyhow, maybe 20 people total on the entire island, it's a low number I guarantee you.. Don't get me wrong the VI is my paradise but unfortunately retiring there would be a stretch..
You are incorrect. Medical care in the Virgin Islands is poor. For extensive care, surgeries etc. people travel to Miami to seek care. Working unless you are a professional is difficult to come by. St. Croix's electric infrastructure is horrendous. After hurricane Maria people were without electric power for one year.
Correct☝🏾He also failed to mention many Virgin Islanders end up here at the Puerto Rico Medical Center (Centro Médico) in San Juan for major issues as w'ell as our Caribbean Cardiovascular Center ☝🏾
Very professional, educational and thoughtful.
I lived on St. Croix while working at Hess Refinery and it was anything but safe!
Please explain what you mean by “not safe”?
What happened ??
@@desertsunset8025 Well it was 30 plus years ago, but there was a shooting in the Refinery with automatic weapons. To my knowledge nobody was ever arrested, on an island.
@@jcflowers5807 he means you can get mugged, shot, robbed,raped or killed after dark...........i'm from there...
If your not well disciplined you will be served a bad experience. People disappear down there and most crimes don't get solved.
Excellent review! It seems like you left nothing out! Very much appreciated! Thanks!
i heard the rental cost for a 2 bedroom house, and up, but nothing said about a 1 bedroom or an small apt. where is the most least expensive place to live. i am 69 yrs old retired
Wrong about several things. Health care is fair until you have to go to a hospital. Terrible. The bull about the tax rate is not correct. You will pay taxes to the Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue. It is a mirror image of the IRS code as is the tax rate. The numbers he quoted are available only if you have a special designation from the Economic Development Commission. Electrical power is intermittent. Of the 10 years living on St. Croix power went out 7 Christmases either part of the day or all day. The cost is 3.5 times higher than in the US. I could go on and on. Like to see what this guy thinks after living there a few years.
Correct☝🏾He also failed to mention many Virgin Islanders end up here at the Puerto Rico Medical Center (Centro Médico) in San Juan for major issues as w'ell as our Caribbean Cardiovascular Center ☝🏾
Thanks for that update.
Thank you, very nice and informative video..........
You are welcome
Thanks, very informative
You didn't include the fact It's literally Hurricane Alley. Yes, overall the weather's beautiful but watch out/be on high alert between June-Sept. and maybe Oct. Streets turned into lakes as most Guts have been paved over, depending upon your location. As others have stated, food items are sky high as well as other items because they're shipped in (however, most veggies and fruits are grown there, sold in Market Square). Grew up, wasn't born there. My Great Grandfather built a house there in 1911, still standing, and has withheld every hurricane since because it's in the valley between two hills, not on any hill. In other words, location is paramount.
Your nuts. I lived there for a year. This is Last place you want to retire. I can give 20 reasons why not to retire in the islands. Record crime, Record high electric rates, Ridiculously high food prices! Should I keep going??
There is a vlog on the 15 reason's not to retire to USVI below, I guess you had 5 more than I.
th-cam.com/video/4hdVDFCgFFM/w-d-xo.html
Lmfao
I told a friend who grew up there that we were thinking of retiring down there, and she had one word of advice: DON'T.
Why not??
@@nusuralove4407 she was right and i'm from there.........
Another Great Analysis !
@Warren Wantoobe. Thank you Warren. A subscriber request and was curious.
So, so burger and fries, no drink $15.00.
Thats funny. I have a person who works for me from the US Virgin Islands. He told me never to go there as the crime is out of control.
Can you get more information from him about that .. more details and specifics ?
It depends. St Thomas is pretty bad, but others, lesser so.
This was great 👍🏻!! I just subscribed to your channel!❤️❤️❤️✌️✌️😍😁🙏
@Def Con. Thank you for subscribing!
Same here , i was impressed by how very thorough he was .
Uhm correction we went through Irma and Maria at cat5 back to back
And don’t forget the tropical storm after Maria when it rained for 4 days straight. I was at Bolongo Bay for all three, where did you hunker down?
@@mykaladams1135 yes you right smh I was at my inlaws house in nordsideviej thank god because our apartment roof came off and our windows were broken becaus e the neighbors had a bung of parts and other junk in thier yard from renovation and the other neighbor had scaffolding because he was building his house
Good summary of USVI.
You have erroneously used a photo from one of the lesser Antilles islands in your video of the US Virgin Islands. From 2:33 to 2:47 it shows the Carimar Beach Club on the lovely island of Anguilla, NOT a US Virgin island.
Interesting. I assumed it might have been somewhere in St. Croix since I'm the least familiar with resorts there. I once saw a travel magazine call what I knew was Trunk Bay, St. John as a beach in Australia!!!
So lol I don't think the photos were even supposed to represent what he was talking about. It was purely informational not visually focused. Go off
I Love The US VIRGIN ISLANDS I grew up there went to school there , and upon Ret. I will be moving back to St Croix v,i .
Been here 40 years. Time to get out. Very expensive, power goes out all the time. Hurricanes are always bad.
Dont recommend unless u can leave anytime u want. Beaches are great but that gets old.
Andre Kellogg glad to hear someone say it cause it needs to be said. Visit yes, to move and live no.
Yeah, some paint the VI as "America's Paradise", "the living is easy!"
@@lifeskater9899 It's not a "paradise", it's a "paradox".............I'm from there........
Thank you for the video,,I am READY
Have you ever stayed for a period in the USVI? This video reads like a Lonely Planet.
Oh trust me renting here is ridiculous high and don't talk about WAPA🤦🏽♀️
What is WAPA?
@@lovelydae7455 Water and Power Authority, i.e. the provider of power/electricity. Phatness Galore must have been a resident. I think she's suggesting there are a LOT of power outages. All of this marketing of real estate in the Virgin Islands is making the prices skyrocket!! Ask the locals!!
Wapa need a slappa lmao
St croix...sweet
There used to be a 1 story shack where the 3 story building is right at the end of the St. John dock. It had stones out front with a couple picnic tables, and there was no gate or building on the dock. My dad was involved in the St. John Pub that was there throughout the 1980s that sold subs, hotdogs, cold beer and mixed tropical drinks to the tourists. I used to go over to St. John and have lunch at The Backyard on some Saturdays, that was practically all traveling by road on that island I did in the years I was there. When I was 12 dad bought me a 13 foot Boston Whaler with a 55hp and besides the other 4 boats he had I used to use it to go to St. John once in a while. A couple times was to Trunk where we visited our schoolmate that lived in the house on the peninsula that you see. She used to travel to St. Thomas to go to school and back every day.
Feed any iguanas you run into with hibiscus flowers, red ones especially, that's why if you're wearing red they might come up to you and try to chew on your shirt.
My best friend's dad owned the largest dump truck on St. Thomas during the time they were moving the Eastern mountain to off the Western end of the runway extending it. His driver was dropping a load off the end, lost control and jumped out just in time to see it sink into the end of the runway. Time, resources, etc dictated that they just keep going. So when you land there, you are landing on a dump truck. My family of 6 including 2 of my grandparents were scheduled on the American Airlines flight that crashed on the island in 1976 running into a Shell gas station at the end of the short runway. My mom had a dream, and rescheduled us for a week earlier with all the work and changes made for dad's 3 stores to run for 2 weeks. We were at Magens when it crashed. A call went out for the 2nd most rare blood, AB-, which my father had. My dad said he wasn't taking time out from his vacation to donate blood. Read the karma my dad died to on that island 14 years after that crash, in this book with links below.
I've probably been on more cruise ships than anyone reading this, yet never been on a cruise. My dad ran a ship chandlery that had a monopoly on selling liquor to the cruise ships in the early '80s, that I used to spend my afternoons after school doing my homework at, that was located at the last building on the Havensite dock (has Senior Frogs painted on its roof). After growing up on the island and starting when I was 17 in late 1986, we used to roam Charlotte Amalie downtown streets at night bar hopping Coconuts, Rosie O'Grady's, The Ritz, Yesterdays, then to the Greenhouse at 10pm for the current live band, when everyone was partying in the islands. Since the bars closed at 2 AM we would go out to steal cars, usually rentals, and race across the island, afterward sometimes stripping them for parts. I've floored it in a brand new 1987 Accord LXi from the Fort all the way to Frenchtown one night easily doing 100mph, which was not unusual to do with stolen cars but sometimes done even with the ones we sort of cared about. One night I was with a few locals and we got pulled over for racing into Frenchtown. The cop went to arrest one of us and he started skipping around the car in a circle repeatedly singing, "Haha you can't catch me!" to the cop. He made it a couple times around the car and we had to bail him out that night. I hold the record for most boats stolen in one night while alone; three - I took them to a birthday party. Would you like to read about real modern pirates based out of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands taking place in the end of the cocaine fueled '80s? "THE REAL PARADISE: Diary of a Modern-Day Caribbean Pirate" Paperback: www.amazon.com/dp/1653714360 or Kindle: www.amazon.com/dp/B083C3DD19 (free with Ultimate).
Haha, ur about 4 years older than me but i was here too and still am:) For the birds was my go to place, also barbary coast in frenchtown, also there was Club Z
@@keithsudzy4364 Jim Jim (bartender murdered at For the Birds) is in the book, the last story in particular besides other ones. We did criminal things together, he was a real stand up guy.
@@johnphantom De man , who you is dread ? If you were that terrible unfortunately I probably know you . I worked , danced , and beat the shit out of several people on that street . I worked with the Saber brothers , Paul and Jonathan, was there when Fabio opened Jimmy Z's and the Italian brothers burnt down Manhattan's and almost half of back street. We had a crew , it was Steven , Shawn and me Sammy always in the club always on the dance floor .
Love City is where it's at!
Live no visit yes
All that glitters in not gold. Be sure to check out the ugliness and can you live with those. Don't sell everything and move until you've spent at least a year there. Oh, yeah. Retain stateside status...
kinda sucks unless you are rich? Other places are much cheaper.
Not for retirement but thanks for exploring.
@Kiran. You're welcome. I think it's interesting to talk about the less talked about retirement locations. Never know.
Agreed, the title says retirement but most of the focus is on working or owning a business... aka working.
@@cynicalcindy1434 There is an old saying on St Thomas. "How do you leave ST Thomas with a million dollars? Bring two million." You move here because you are rich and can live the life, or you move here because you love the scene and are willing to scrape it out to make it work. I grew up in St Thomas and dream of moving back, but my situation is not conducive to that happening right now.
Nice video.
And what were the best 8 reasons? No beach homes, high groceries...I only heard negatives................
It's to expensive to retire on for middle class Americans. There are much better places to retire.
When you all do these things I wish you would include mooring and docking fees
by the foot and it's expensive.....google it......
@RoninBlue-I’m actually from St. Croix and I can say that you really gave a very accurate and fair analysis of the United States Virgin Islands. Thank you.
Calvin Hodge Lake really? do you have some proof of that or is it just your opinion? Says 76% of the population is black. Any nicer area in the Caribbean is expensive. Look at grand cayman. Food prices are horrible there.
THANKS.
Capital one scammed me. . I opened a secured credit card, with my own money. I used card for first time, to build my credit, my first on time payment, was put in,and they said it successful went through , two days later without me knowing it. They blocked the payment and blamed it on my bank. I had sufficient funds. Now when I tried pay 2nd payment, I found our about the unto famative rejected 2nd payment. They sent me a lying later charge, I send a money order they denied receiving it
WHO.FUCKING.CARES.
Surprised there's no passport involved. Thanks for the thorough coverage.
It's The United States Virgin Islands haha .
Why would there be? It’s a part of the United States lmao
@@carryeveryday910 Please inform Trump!!!
Fantastic place to vacation especially St.Croix usvi... 2 of my friends just stayed at the inn on strand street fredericksted hotel for 2 days and loved it...they will be back to visit every year for vacation
Yes you always have to show your passport
There are no sea lions on St Thomas what is he talking about
He must be talking bout the one in coral world
More USVI born locals should move back and retire to the USVI, you will lose your paradise to outsiders.
Exactly I'm not moving
They're losing it now. Real estate has gotten expensive and is getting even MORE expensive. We don't have Belonger restrictions like the BVI. It's an issue!!!
@@kasnarfburns210 belonger restrictions ... i'm sorry but i never heard that phrase before ... i guess it means people who were born there ... ?
Can you talk about the Belonger Restrictions in the British Virgin Islands please ?
Almost too late. Very sad but expected.
I'm hearing that some locals sell their land handed down to them for generations, and move out. Also, developers allowed to swoop in and build. True?
Thank you such good info for people like myself looking to retire and move
Cost of living will lower very much if you own your own house on a nice size plltltltltltltltltltof land, tether you can grow most of what you eat. In with in 3 to 5 year you’ll be eating all tropical fruits and vegetables from your own years
Too expensive.
Sounds too expensive to make it worthwhile. As to jobs I think back when I saw an ad in our trade mag every month for managers down there. At the same time I wish I tried it and am glad I did not.
Fantastic place to snowbird and vacation..highly recommended..
Especially St Croix usvi..flat and very pretty... snowbirds come every year for 20 years every winter... lol...even better in the summer..a 2 night vacation stay at the inn in strand street frederiksted..downtown next to everything, a really nice rental car from the airport and you are good to go! Its super easy to drive on flat gorgeous stcroix. We drive on the left...come on a Friday leave on Sunday...leave smiling waving thru the plane window
RoninBlue, you have a bad view of Vietnam. Hearing that you died from heart disease, not from accidents and the environment. We Vietnamese have a saying: "Evil, evil retribution", which means that whoever does something bad, will receive the consequences. May you rest in peace with God!
....cargo container home building...it is possible?
@Dirk ....thank you very much for the info...
Yes! USVI container homes on facebook check them out.
Anything you wanna put ..ain't no bunch of rules like the u s of a...lol
Whats the safety situation in the USVI?
I can never seem to get a straight answer.
Some people say its Lord of the Flies
and others say its paradise what gives?
One of my friends, who is an old white dude spends about 6 months of the year in St.Thomas. He told me the crime is low when compared to NYC. He said to just becareful when you first get off the boat because that's where all the scammers are. But when you get into the country the people are nice.
He convinced me to check it out because it's so cheap.
@@chefkwaz7685 Thank you very much!
Im glad to get some 1st/2nd hand experience!
@@phantomthiefirwin9631 I can only speak on St. Croix because that's where I'm from. I've lived in St. Croix and the states so I have the perspective of both. St. Croix is safe for the most part but there is a lot of crime per capita. The crime is generally gang or community affiliated, happens in spurts, and is not random. As a person not involved you probably won't be a target, it's not really a place with a lot of random crimes such as pick pocketing or stick ups. I don't feel like writing a whole dissertation on St. Croix but if you're interested in visiting that island in particular feel free to ask me specific questions. Aside from safety I will add that the cost of electricity, gas, and food is through the roof down there and is something to consider if you plan to move down there on a fixed income.
I vacationed in St. Croix about 10 years ago and enjoyed it very much. I never felt in danger. Things like food service or standing in line takes patience as the people exercise "island time."
@@georgesawtooth While St. Croix is still relatively safe, it is more dangerous than it was 10yrs ago. More violence and gang activity, especially since the last two hurricanes. I have two friends who were kidnapped down there in the past few years, two childhood acquaintances who were murdered in broad daylight and a group of young men attempted (we had no valuables on us) to rob me and my friend. It's still a great place but the change is palpable and it's sad. Island time is definitely still a thing.
Is central ac found in many of the homes in the usvi?
Vanessa Lea No not even close.
Nope you go to home depot and buy a little window ac like everyone else lol...lmao
And to even run an AC unit, the electric company WAPA will eat you alive with a bill more than your paycheck which you won’t be able to afford.
2 days at the inn on strand street and you will be happy..nice ac... great location... 2 of my friends just spent the weekend there ... came Friday left Sunday..they loved driving here..it was there first visit. They jet skied at rainbow beach nearby and ate dinner at the fantabulous fred hotel 1 minute away, they will be back for sure
No, not suited to the concrete construction (running ducts). Most folks don't have AC, just fans & open windows & doors. Next step up is window units & portable units. Top end would be mini-splits (that's what I have). You'll go broke trying to keep up with the electric bill unless you go solar (I did...planned for it when I was buying & moving). Still only run it in the bedroom at night if the breeze isn't sufficient.
Hall Ruth Clark Daniel Wilson Joseph
I can jus move back home
No comments on the crime ....high murder rate
or WAPA, Pueblo, K-Mart, and RLS hospital suck...
Every where has crime though
Can you talk about that a little bit more please ... can you give some stats ... talk about those murders more please I'm trying to figure out exactly what you're saying
Same crime rate as new york... you just act like you are in New York...font trust people ..always have your guard up .but otherwise the beauty surpasses the usa...its an excellent place to visit
Less crime than Dallas, where I just moved here from
Great. But, what's the point? Everything is at least 30% more expensive than on the mainland. So, you're not really escaping the madness of the US mainland. To do that you have to move to ... Cambodia.
the virgin islands are not that safe...i know from living there !
Very informative thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
😊
Did he say sea lions? Ha ha
As a local I can give you 20 more reasons why not to retire here and point out at least 8 “facts” you got wrong in your presentation.
You are 30 miles off it’s only 40 East
Lol exactly
Native Virgin Islanders don't want outsiders to retire here!
Why?
Why would you want to retire in someone else home?
then we should not visit for tourism either.
Big facts, biggest pet peeve. Tourist are always welcome but coming to live definitely not welcomed.
@@palmmailer8884 that's the precise attitude that turns them off to you.
Its prettier than the united states 1000 to one.....its a must see...a week vacation is sweet
It is part of the us being a territory.
Yes ..you can come in with u.s. drivers license... negative covid test mandatory( nasal I believe) name must be on the test..there's no racism here , no police brutality
..no racism against no type of human black, white striped or polka dot.. and st croix is the easiest place to drive its flat...we drive on the left
@@jou2166 Actually, just below the surface there is a resentment toward whites........I'm from there going all the way back to the 1950's.........
Hernandez Brenda Thomas Donna Martin Dorothy
🙌🏼👍🏼
As usual :girl friend and I.
What if Im 60 and have no girl friend .
Means i going to be a lonely in that
Paradise...
Thanks .Im lonely in NYC..
@baron Joahim von Munchausen. Hello. I was single plenty of times and I figured out that, yeah having someone in your life is important but it really wasn't everything. As long as I had my own interests and a belonging, like with my family and friends, I was doing alright. I have a friend who actually found a girlfriend at age 60 and he couldn't be happier, by the way.
baron Joahim von Munchausen it will be easier to find a girlfriend in paradise than in snobby NYC :)
I've lived in both. It's a lot easier to meet people and start relationships in paradise than NYC. Totally different world. Give it a shot.
you could always go down there and get you an island mama
You will not be lonely cuase it's a great place for peace and quiet you will love st croix...good for a little visit..keep from people drugs every where..2 days as a loner on StCroix...boy you would love it.. I'm a loner...that why I like it here..its quiet not crazy like ny..lol
Rodriguez Charles Robinson George Martin Ronald
Wilson Dorothy Jackson Patricia Williams John
The US is a US territory not a country. Please this is basic knowledge
This paradise of Virgin Islands must be independent country.
Um
Boring but beautiful even though is expensive.
AND DRUG INFESTED!!
8 Best reasons NOT to retire to the USVI... I'd rather stay in New Jersey.
My biggest grief with NJ is the confusing roads. Every time I crossed the Hudson I got lost.
@@sfbluestar Depends on where you're going and how you get there. Via I-80W, the Geo Washington bridge, the Tappan Zee, Holland and/or Lincoln Tunnels?
The whole world is being gentrified to accommodate the filthy rich and parasitic rentier class. Pretty soon your servants won't be able to afford to live in the areas they work like the US west coast. Also,as an American citizen,I'd LOVE to hear what you think the "benefits of living under the US flag" are,other than not being invaded by the US and having your government overthrown..
Why do most non African people flock to mostly African or Black countries for retirement and also try to control the economies of those countries and expect special privileges
That's quite an absurd exaggeration from clueless numb-nutts4329....!
Haha Virgin Islands get it virgin hah
Shop around, almost any other Caribbean island is better than that awful place.
Not Jamaica! It’s ridiculously expensive and is riddled with crime now…even in small communities that used to be almost immune to it
You have no idea what you're talking about. USVI is a very dangerous place to even visit, never mind retire there. UNSUBSCRIBE
Ah? I’ve been to all the USVI islands. I’ve never once felt threatened or even nervous. It has its slums as do all islands. They don’t take kindly to outsiders in certain areas. But they don’t get violent or even rude.
But maybe it’s me? I was a paramedic in Chicago for years. I’ve been in the worst of the worst. Humanity is a mess. But the USVI is no war zone.
Best way to stay out of trouble is to learn peoples names and use them. I find that once you know someone’s name and use it; there’s no hostility.
there is potential danger everywhere and i can say its way less than in most cities in the US.don't let fear guide you!the people in the islands are more friendly than in the states and ive lived all over the east coast
@@fixedguitar47 I live in Chicago. This perspective and strategy are both great.
Bonz Wellness - I work in Chicago. Thanks you.
Grew up on a boat in St Thomas... and there are bad places, and there are bad people (like everywhere) and some people fall in love with "paradise" and think they are in some other world and fall victim to those bad people. But if you take any normal amount of caution that you would and should anywhere in the world, you will most likely not have an issue. There are some places to maybe not cruise around at 3 in the morning, but the worst thing that is most likely to happen in mid-day anywhere is a petty theft like stuff stolen from your car. Hardly "very dangerous". Sounds like maybe you fell in love with paradise, turned your guard off, and fell victim to someone who is down on their luck or just outright a bad person.
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