VI Settler's Handbook

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Mr. Cheyenne Harty. VI Settler's Handbook

Introduction

Chapter 1

An Overview

Population

Weather

A Brief History

The First Settlers

Explorers and Colonizers

The Danish Era

Decline of Prosperity

The U.S. Buys the Islands

The New VI Economy

Recent Economic Development

Chapter 2

Getting Acquainted.. AROUND the UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS

AROUND the ISLANDS - ST. CROIX

Christiansted

Frederiksted

Staying on the Island..

Dining Out

Shopping Around

AROUND the ISLANDS....ST. JOHN

Staying on the Island

Dining Out

Shopping Around

AROUND THE ISLANDS - ST. THOMAS

Staying on the Island

Dining Out ...

Associations

General and Special Interest Groups (all Area Code 340)

Art Groups

Youth Programs

Labor

Business & Professional Associations

Sports & Recreation

Chapter 3

To be a Virgin Islander. Where Shall You Live?

St. Croix

St. John

St. Thomas

Water Island

Your Decision..

Shipping and Moving

Household Movers (all area code 340)

Shipping Companies and Agents

Bringing Your Car

Household Goods and Personal Items:

Bringing in Your Animals

By Car

Automobile Insurance

Driver’s License

If You Get a Ticket

If You Have an Accident

Buying a New or Used Car

Car Titles

Vehicle Registration and Inspection

Vehicle Rentals

Car Maintenance

Dial a Ride

Chapter 4

Settling in.. Local Architecture and Your Home

Rent First

Buying a House or Condominium

Is Your Dream House Historically Significant?

Buying a Homesite

Getting Ready to Build

Construction Cost in the VI

Security

Financing

Property Insurance

Property Taxes

Problems and Solutions to Your Décor

Maintenance

Gardening

Insects

Clothing

Cooking

Drinks

Weather in the Tropics

Hurricanes

Earthquakes

Flood

Weather and Disaster Preparedness

Chapter 5

The Infrastructure..Services..Utilities...Airlines..Medical

BANKING AND CREDIT

Communications

Innovative Telephone

Innovative Cable

Television and Radio Stations

Sending a Telegram

Mail and Parcel Service

By Boat

TRANSPORTATION. Streets and Roads

TRANSPORTATION TO THE ISLANDS

Major Airlines - St. Croix

Regional / Commuter Airlines - St. Croix

Major Airlines - St. Thomas

Regional Commuter Airlines - St. Thomas

Downtown to Downtown

By Sea

Public Bus Transportation

By Private Bus or Van

By Taxi

UTILITIES. VI Water and Power Authority

Water

Waste Management

Keeping the V.I. Clean

Chapter 6

Your Basic Needs .. Health Facilities

Air Ambulance

Staying Healthy

Life and Health Insurance

Finding a Doctor/Dentist

Taking Care of Your Pets

Education

Home Schooling

St. Croix Private Schools

St. Croix Religious Schools

St. Croix Public Schools 773-1095 www.vide.vi

St. John Public and Private Schools

St. Thomas Private Schools

St. Thomas Religious Schools

St. Thomas Public Schools- 774-0100 www.vide.vi

University of the Virgin Islands

Libraries

Religions

Chapter 7. Community Life: Island Style.. Folklore and Culture

Mocko Jumbies

Carnival

Entertainment and the Arts

Holidays

Newspapers & Magazines

Newspapers

News On-Line

Tourist and Island Information Websites

Local Periodicals

Tourist Publications

Books

1Architecture / Living Here

Children’s

Cookbooks

Culture / History

Fiction

Nature/Wildlife

Poems

Chapter 8

THE GREAT OUTDOORS ..

Swimming

Shell Collecting

Snorkeling

Diving

Boating

Charts

Marinas

Yacht Clubs

Chartering

Fishing

Spearfishing

Golf

Hiking

Tennis

Baseball/Softball

Basketball

Olympics

Track and Field

Running

Government Sports Facilities

St. Croix

St. Thomas

St. John

Horse Racing

Firearms and Hunting

Wild Life

Birds

Chapter 9

Business Climate... A Profile of Today

Tourism

Duty Free Status

The Light and Heavy Industrial Scene

The Economic Development Authority

Capital Project Financing:

Offshore Companies

Marine Industry

Film Industry

Agriculture

Finding a Job

The Work Force

Training

Federal Unemployment Tax

Wages

Benefits

Worker’s Compensation

Social Security

Financial Help

Business Insurance

Bonding

Getting a Business License

Business Taxes Corporate Income Taxes

Corporate Franchise Tax

Gross Receipts Tax

Entertainment Tax

Excise Tax

Hotel Room Tax

Business Organizations

Chapter 10

You and the Government..

Income Taxes

Social Security

Other Taxes

Voting

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

Government Officials

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

U.S. Virgin Islands Legislature

JUDICIAL BRANCH

POPULAR FEDERAL and LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICES

SERVICES DIRECTORY

Отрывок из книги

Yes, the Caribbean... visions of azure waters, swaying palm trees, pulsating rhythmns and rum punches. Sweet! Truly a dreamer’s vacation, but can you imagine living here? Some people make those dreams a reality. The Settler’s Handbook is for those who are vacationing here, contemplating moving here, investing here, or for those who have just moved here. It is for those who are lured to the tropics, and specifically to the Virgin Islands which charmed not only Christopher Columbus, but millions of others who have since landed on their shores.

How do you identify those who live here? For one thing, check out those bumper stickers that say, “Not all of us here are on vacation!” What’s it like to live here? What can you expect? Read on.

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Historically, oil and aluminum have been a catalyst for immigration. Labor needs in the last two decades have been satisfied by heavy immigration from Puerto Rico (continuing a century-old trend), from the United States mainland, and other parts of the Caribbean. The territory’s population rebounded to 32,099 in 1960, and nearly tripled that figure by the early 1970s due mainly to new settlers and slower emigration. A 1969 study estimated that nearly a third of the territory’s population was born in the Virgin Islands. Another third was born in the United States mainland, Europe and Puerto Rico. The final third were residents, bonded, and/or illegal aliens, almost exclusively from other islands in the Caribbean. As a result of unofficial immigration, the hard figures on population breakdowns are nearly non-existent. The United States Coast Guard, and the United States Border Patrol continue to battle the illegal immigration problem.

By 1977, when the territory’s population was over 89,000, the portion of non-citizens had declined to less than a quarter of the population, with half of that number as permanent residents and the proportion of bonded workers or aliens dropping steadily. These figures don’t necessarily represent the real number of people moving in or out, as categories change when residents become U.S. citizens and aliens achieve permanent status or return to home islands. Some bonded “temporary” workers have been in the Virgin Islands for two decades.

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