History
US Government purchased the Danish Virgin Islands
including St. John from Denmark in 1917.
Naval governor ruled until 1931 when the U.S. Dept.
of Interior assumed control. We are an unincorporated territory.
Residents of the Virgin Islands vote for a local Governor.
We cannot vote for the President of the United States. However,
we do receive all other benefits awarded citizens of the (mainland)
United States.
National Park
In 1950, Mr. Laurence Rockefeller purchased extensive
holdings on St. John including holdings of the Danish West Indies
Company, developed Caneel Bay Resort and donated much of the remaining
acreage to the U.S. Government as public parkland and Congress formed
the VI National Park.
The VINP holdings include 7890 acres of land, 5650
submerged acres off shore, plus approx. 13,000 acres submerged off
shore as "Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument."
Size: St. John
is approximately 19 Sq. Miles - 9 mi. long x 2 mi. wide
Location: Coordinates:
18.2N 64.5 W, 1075 mi. East/Southeast of Miami, 50 mi. East of Puerto
Rico, 3 mi. East of St. Thomas; north is Atlantic Ocean and south
is Caribbean Sea.
Highest elevation:
Bordeaux Mountain 1277'
Population 2000 census:
St. John - 4,200+/- / St. Thomas - 48,166+/-
Airport: There
are no airports on St. John, but St. Thomas ' Cyrill E. King Airport
has direct flights from numerous major hubs in the U.S. Visitors
to St. John fly into St. Thomas, then take a taxi to one of the
two ferry docks, and then transfer to St. John via large ferryboats:
Red Hook ferry is 20 minutes and the Charlotte Amalie (downtown)
ferry takes about 45 minutes. There are also private "water taxis"
and charter helicopter service available by advanced reservations.
Banking: There
are two banks on St. John, Scotia Bank and First Bank. Both have
ATM machines, and Starfish Market also has an ATM machine.
Climate:
Average rain fall - 43" Sept-Nov& May-June
Winter temperatures - 77° - 84° F
Summer temperatures - 82° -90° F
Food for thought: There
are four plus "grocery stores" in or near Cruz Bay and one small
store in Coral Bay . Grocery prices are approximately 25% higher
than in the Washington DC area . Some locals make the trek to St.
Thomas to do large grocery orders and other shopping, as prices
on St. Thomas are closer to the mainland.
Hospitals and Health
Clinic: Myrah Keating Smith Clinic on St. John, Roy L.
Schneider Hospital on St. Thomas, and several private health care
providers
Mail Service
provided through the U.S. Postal Service as well as UPS, Federal
Express, and DHL. U.S. Postal rates are the same as in the States.
Newspapers:
St. John Tradewinds, St. John Sun Times, The Virgin Islands Daily
News (on St. Thomas), and the St. Croix Avis are the local papers.
USA Today, The Wall Street Journal & several U.S. metropolitan
and Puerto Rico newspapers are flown in daily.
Pets: You will
need to acquire a complete, up-to-date vaccination history from
your veterinarian as well as a required Health Certificate stating
that your pet is healthy enough to travel and withstand specific
altitudes and endure temperatures typically ranging from 46 to 86
degrees. (This is not usually required by the airline, but is required
for your pet to pass through the USVI Customs Department).
Pharmacies: There
are two pharmacies in Cruz Bay.
Public Transportation:
VITRAN offers bus transportation from Cruz Bay to Coral
Bay on a regular schedule many times a day for $1 one way.
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