St Croix, Tourist Information Guide - StCroixTourism.com

 

St. Croix History and General Information

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St. Croix is one of the U.S. Virgin Islands, which are considered an unincorporated U.S. territory. The beautiful island of St. Croix is the largest of the 3 inhabited US Virgins Islands (St. Thomas and St. John are the other two) and is 84 square miles. In fact, it is about three times the size of St. Thomas, however, it only has a population of about 60,000 residents, about the same as St. Thomas. This gives visitors to the island a lot more breathing room! Saint Croix has flown seven different flags. It has been colonized by Spain, Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, the Knights of Malta, Denmark, and the United States.

The Carib were the last of the Native Indian people to inhabit St. Croix. The Carib people were originally from the Guiana region of South America.  They were not the first Indians on St. Croix.. The Tainos or Arawaks came before them and the Caribs didn't arrive on the island until the early 1400's. It was the Carib that greeted Columbus on his second voyage through the islands.

The Caribs continued to inhabit St. Croix for about a decade after Columbus' visit. During this time they lived with an understanding of mutual coexistence with the Spanish on Puerto Rico. This understanding ended when a Spanish adventurer raided St. Croix for Carib slaves. The Caribs then joined with the Tainos of Puerto Rico, to fight against the Spanish. As a result of their uprising, the Caribs were ordered to be eliminated by the Spanish Crown. With 'legalized' extermination and military action inevitable,  the Caribs permanently abandoned St. Croix.

Sugarcane quickly became the economic force on the island many years. The development of the sugar beet in Europe and abolishment of slavery undermined the economy of the colony. Slavery was abolished after a successful insurrection in 1848, but in 1862, St. Croix received a shipload of East Indians that were indentured on the island for five years. There was a labor revolt by former slaves in 1878 when much of Frederiksted, one of the island's two towns, was burnt down in a labor revolt now known as the Fireburn. It was reportedly led by four women known as the "Queens" of the revolt, and a modern island thoroughfare is named after "Queen Mary" Thomas.

Christopher Columbus is credited as the first European to discover the island in 1493, landing at Salt River on the central north coast, in search of fresh water. He didn't find any as Salt River, as it is now known, was just an inlet from the sea that resembled the mouth of a river. There can be small running streams/rivers in the rainforest, depending on how much rain there has been, but nothing navigable. The far eastern part of the island is more arid and you will even find cactus plants growing up to 15 feet high on the hills.  Even though the island is only 27 miles long, east to west,  the western half is lush with beautiful green hills including a small rainforest, while the East end is much more arid and the hills are much smaller. There are wonderful white sandy beaches all around the island.

Be sure to watch these videos about St. Croix - St. Croix Videos
 

There are two towns on the island, Christiansted and Frederiksted. Christiansted is on the north shore of the island, just a little east of center, and is filled with historic buildings displaying the greatest example of Danish architecture outside of Denmark! If you are lucky, you may be on the island for "Jump Up"  which is held in Christiansted.  This is a "carnival-like" evening, which takes place about four times a year. Its an evening filled with steel bands, dancing, local arts and crafts, local food, and lots of fun!  Frederiksted has charming "gingerbread" Victorian architecture and is experiencing a renaissance of sorts, as cruise ships began calling on the port again in 2008. Just on the edge of town, you will find Fort Frederik which dates back to 1700 and is the site where Governor General Peter Van Scholten read the proclamation abolishing slavery on the island in 1848.   Today the fort houses a museum.  Frederiksted has a beautiful waterfront that draws cruise ships and visitors from around the globe. On the third Friday of each month, there is "Sunset Jazz" in Frederiksted. Admission is free and families are welcome.  Both towns have duty free shopping and great places to eat!

St. Croix lies approximately 40 miles south of St. Thomas and St. John, and is separated from them by a deep oceanic trench...the deepest in the Atlantic basin! St. Croix has beautiful white sand beaches with warm, crystal clear waters and is ringed by a reef system making navigating the waters around the island reserved for only experienced sailors. All beaches on the island are open to the public, however, you still need to respect waterfront property owners as the "public" part of the beach only extends 15 feet up the beach from the waterline, after that its private property.

Historic plantations, from the days when slavery and agriculture drove the economy, are scattered throughout the island. The ruins of dozens of sugar mills are scattered all over the island, a vivid reminder of the island's past. St Croix also has great duty free shopping areas and a variety of land activities and water sports, enough to keep visitors very entertained. Among its natural attributes are natural reserves for plant and animal life including Buck Island Reef National Monument, with an underwater snorkeling trail, Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge, a rainforest, and a botanical gardens. The Cruzan Rum factory is based on St. Croix and Diageo, the world’s leading spirits, wine and beer company, completed construction of a high capacity distillery on the island in 2010. The new facility will produce all the bulk rum used to make Captain Morgan branded products for the United States. The distillery has a capacity to distill up to 20 million proof gallons of Captain Morgan rum per year!


Other Facts about St. Croix

St. Croix's currency is the US Dollar. Credit cards and travelers checks are accepted but you will still find many places that only accept cash. ATM machines are available all over the island. There is no sales tax.

Say It In Crucian! A Complete Guide to Today's Crucian for Speakers of Standard English.The language is English, yet many locals also speak English with a Caribbean twist. For instance, the 'H' is often discarded ("thing" becomes "ting", and "thanks" becomes "tanks"). Click here to Say it in Crucian.

The climate is subtropical with a year round average of about 82*F/28*C with easterly trade winds to help keep the humidity level comfortable. Seasonal temperatures fluctuate less than 10*F/6*C. Average annual rainfall is only 50 inches/1270 millimeters and mostly occurs in late spring and late summer, although there will be occasional showers throughout the year. The island is more susceptible to potential hurricanes September - October. We only know about one major storm that has hit St. Croix outside of the month of September.

Country Code - 1

Area Code - 340

Electricity - the current and wall outlets are 110V / 60Hz, like those in the U.S.
American-style plug with two parallel flat blades above a circular grounding pin Electrical outlet with two parallel flat blades

The water in the main towns and at most hotels is safe to drink. Most private residences utilize cisterns to store rain water. Unless the water is treated, bottled water is preferred for drinking. More info.

St. Croix is on Atlantic Standard Time zone year-round (1 hour ahead of East Coast Time).

St. Croix has many festivals and celebrations throughout the year, but any time is a great time to visit St. Croix.

USVI Public Holidays - click here

 

Duty Free Allowances

The USVI has the highest duty free allowance in the Caribbean! There are no customs duties on most merchandise, and there are no local luxury or sales taxes. U.S. citizens are allowed a duty-free shopping quota of $1,600.00. Additionally, an unlimited number of gift packages, worth $100 or less, may be mailed to family and friends. Citizens may also bring back up to five cartons of duty-free cigarettes and five fifths of US liquor duty-free. An extra fifth can be taken if it is an U.S. Virgin Islands product such as Cruzan Rum. Click here for more detailed duty free allowance information for St. Croix and the US Virgin Islands


Accommodations Tax (Hotel Tax)

The Us Virgin Islands imposes a 10% accommodations tax (Hotel Tax) to all short term lodgings. If your stay is 90 days or less, you will be subject to this tax. (10% as of January 1, 2012)
 

Driving on St. Croix

Driving is on the left side of the street! Rentals cars are all left hand drive models. You must be 25 years old to rent a car.

 

Divi Carina Bay Beach Resort & Casino, St. Croix, USVI

Captain Morgan Rum Visitors Center

2013 St. Croix Reef Jam

Atoeyac Sandals - Live in the Loop!

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St. Croix Sky-Cam - Aerial views of St. Croix
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