AboutSusie Rano Expertise I've lived in St.Thomas for nearly 20 years. I can answer tourist-related questions regarding this island and may be able to help with questions regarding St.John too.
Experience lived on St.Thomas for almost 20 years
Education/Credentials lived on St.Thomas for nearly 20 years
Expert: Susie Rano Date: 3/2/2008 Subject: living in st. thomas
Question Is a car necessary to live in st.thomas?
is there housing within walking distance to any of the resorts?
Is there public transportation?
Answer Hi Nicole- Please accept my apologies for this very belated response. Somehow your question got overlooked in the system. Anyway-
* I would say a car IS necessary on the island since it is very rural here in most places. There probably is housing fairly close to some of the hotels but I would guess they would fetch higher rents because of that factor. As it is, a very small one bedroom apt. runs about $900-1,000/mo not including water or electricity. We do a a few buses on the island but they are not very dependable. We also have what are called "safaris" which are just open-air van type vehicles. These are also used for public transportation but unfortunately, also hit or miss and not always dependable. Since they are taxis, they can be scarce when there are many cruise ships visiting the island.
I would HIGHLY suggest you go to www.vimovingcenter.com which is a wonderful resource for those considering moving to the islands here. They have a very active message boards where you can pose questions and get answers & info.
I hope this helps. If I can be of further help, please don't hesitate to let me know. Best of luck to you and have a fabulous week!
