U.S. Virgin Islands Infrastructure

The infrastructure systems within the U.S. Virgin Islands are some of the best in the Caribbean . Roads are paved. Mail Service is provided by the federal postal system. Internet service and utilities are good. Banks are found throughout the islands. Police and fire fighting teams are available.

Government of the Virgin Islands

The U.S. Virgin Islands are an American territory governed by US laws. The constitution used by the territory is the 1954 Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands , amended in 1968-1972. The United States president, George W. Bush is head of state. A locally elected governor and legislature administer the islands. The present Governor is Charles Turnbull.

Communication Systems on the Virginn Islands

The Virgin Islands have a state of the art communication system provided by Innovative Communication. This is a privately owned company that provides communication to all four islands. All calls within the Virgin Islands are toll free. Tolls are charged only when calling outside the U.S. Virgin Islands There is no limit on the amount of free intra-island calls. Long distance providers are several; ATT, Sprint Caribe, Primus, Innovative, TLD of the Virgin Islands . Cellular service is also available and is provided by Sprint, Cingular Wireless, Centennial and Innovative Communication.

Virgin islands’ Internet Service:

There are two basic types of Internet service in the Virgin Islands: dial up and broadband (high-speed).

Dial Up is offered by the following local Internet Service providers: Ackley Communications/surfVI and Choice Communications/VIAccess VIPowernet. Off-island providers include: Pennswoods.net, AOL and MSN. Costs range from $13.96 to $19.96. A modem will connect at 56 kilobits per second, but your speeds may vary, depending on the quality of your phone line and your service provider’s network.

Broadband is provided via one of two delivery methods: wireless and wire-line (copper). Wireless is delivered by a small (usually 1 foot by 1 foot) antenna mounted on your roof, which points to a tower or servicing location. You must have line of sight in order to get wireless broadband. Most broadband ISPs offer a free site survey to determine eligibility for service. Wireless broadband is offered by the following companies: Ackley Communications, Choice and Comtek. Residential rates are between $45 and $99/month. Business rates start at around $199. Speeds can vary from 192 kilobits per second to multi-megabit per second. Ackley Communications offers guaranteed speeds (both upload and download). Choice and Commtek offer “up to” rates- so you may get slower or faster speeds, depending on their network at the time. Choice offers a tie-in discount if you also subscribe to their wireless cable TV (Antilles Wireless) service. One-time installation fees range from $125-$495.

Wireline broadband is run over existing telephone lines. This service is offered by VIPowerNet- the local telephone company. Rates are around $79.99/month with an installation charge of around $200.00. An additional phone line is required. Speeds are not guaranteed, and can range from 20 kilobits per second to 1.5 Megabits per second. Both dial-up and wire-line broadband are dependent on the local telephone company’s phone line infrastructure. Sometimes, after heavy rains, the lines get “soggy”, and dial-up and wireline broadband service degrades or quits working entirely.

Virgin Islands’ Mail Service

The United States Postal System provides mail service in the Virgin Islands. Postal Rates are the same in the U.S. Virgin Islands as they are in the mainland. It cost 37 cents to mail a standard letter to the mainland from the Virgin Islands, 80 cents to mail to foreign addresses. Several post offices are located on St. Thomas and St. Croix, St. John also has a post office. Water Island uses St. Thomas ’ postal set up for its delivery. Additional courier services include; DHL Worldwide Express, Federal Express and UPS.

Virgin Islands’ Banking

Major banks are available on St. Thomas , St. John and St. Croix ; including Citibank, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, The Bank of Nova Scotia, First Bank and Virgin Islands Community Bank. Your ATM card is the best bet to insure you have cash on hand during your move. After you have settled you can look at your options and open an account at one of these bank branches. Credit Cards are widely accepted throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Electricity Service on the Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) produce and distribute electricity for all four islands. Although the power utility is maintained well, sporadic power outages do occur. It is a great idea to have flashlights and candles on hand. It is highly suggested you put all electronics on surge protectors and computer equipment on battery pack/surge protectors.

Gas Service on the Virgin Islands

Many residents use gas powered stoves for cooking. Gas is available from various companies throughout the islands. Electric stoves are also common. Gas is preferred because when the power is out, or after hurricanes gas stoves can still be utilized.

Water Service on the Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority only provides city water in and around the main town. Very few areas have access to city water. Cisterns are used to collect rainwater. A cistern is an artificial reservoir, usually underground used to store water. The water is collected on the roof of the home or in small gutters around the roof, which then runs through pipes into the cistern. A pump is used to transfer the water from the cistern to your pipes. Water conservation is an important topic in the Virgin Islands, as rainfall averages only 38 inches a year. If your cistern should go low, you can buy a truck of water from one of several water companies.

Waste Disposal in The Virgin Islands

Throwing out garbage is a matter of you taking it to the dumpster yourself. There are large dumpsters at set locations around the islands and it is your responsibility to properly bag and dispose of your own garbage. Large items should be taken straight to the landfill and not to the neighborhood dumpsters. Large businesses have private haulers that come by and empty their private dumpsters. Recycling is possible, not on a large scale though – ask about it when you arrive on island.

Residents in the city have sewers for liquid waste. Everyone else depends on septic systems.

Virgin Islands’ Roads

Roads on all islands are paved. Roads are often steep and windy as the islands are a bit hilly in nature. Some dirt roads exist to beaches or private undeveloped properties. St. Thomas and St. Croix have highways. On St. Thomas there is the Waterfront Highway , Harwood Highway and Weymouth Rhymer Highway . On St. Croix there is the Queen Mary Highway and Melvin Evans Highway . Highways in the U.S. Virgin Islands are not necessary large multi lane roads as you find in the mainland. They might just be bigger then the normal 2 lane road. The Virgin Islands have one highway on St. Thomas and one on St. Croix that consist of 4-lanes; all other roads are 2 lanes (one in each direction).

All public roads have signage with road numbers, speed limit, directional signs like Stop, Yield, stoplights among others. Stoplights can be found on St. Thomas and St. Croix . There are no stoplights on St. John or Water Island .

Transportation System in the Virgin Islands

St. Thomas and St. Croix have airports. Major airlines travel to and from these two islands. St. Thomas and St. Croix are also connected by commuter airlines and by water ferry. St. Thomas is connected to Water Island and St. John by water ferry. A public bus system called Vitran, operates on St. Thomas , St. John and St. Croix . Taxi service is also available on these three islands. Water Island has no public bus system. Most residents drive cars of some sort or golf carts. Personal cars are the best bet for personal transportation.

Health Facilities in the Virgin Islands

St. Thomas , St. Croix and St. John have health facilities. St. Thomas has the Roy Lester Schneider Hospital , St. Croix the Gov. Juan Luis Hospital and St. John the Myrah Keating Clinic. Various private doctor offices are open on all three islands with a greater concentration on St. Thomas . Some persons choose to go to Puerto Rico or the mainland for annual exams and for major surgeries.

Pets/Veterinarians in The Virgin Islands

The islands are a great place for your pets to come live with you. However island life does create some new responsibilities or you, the pet owner. The islands are warm and worms and ticks are a problem. Insects like bees and centipedes as well as frogs can make your pets sick. There are veterinarian offices available on St. Thomas , St. Croix and St. John for your pet’s health and safety.

Houses of Worship in the Virgin Islands

There are a varied and diverse number of churches and religious congregations in the U.S.V.I. Ranging from Catholic and Methodist to Baptist, Episcopal and Seventh Day Adventist. There are a greater number of houses of worship on St. Thomas and St. Croix . St. John also is home to a handful and Water Island will from time to time have a non-denomination service on Honeymoon Beach for residents who wish to attend.

Virgin Islands’ Libraries:

St. Thomas , St. John and St. Croix have public libraries. St. Croix and St. Thomas have a university library as well. All schools have school libraries.

Virgin Islands’ Television

There are local television channels; Channel Eight, Channel Twelve and Channel Two. The St. Thomas/St. John Cable TV provides cable television to subscribers on St. Thomas , Water Island and St. John . St. Croix Cable TV provides cable television on St. Croix . Cable TV makes HBO, MTV, CBS and many of the familiar stations available. Some people invest in satellite dishes.

Virgin Island’s Radio:

FM and AM stations are numerous on all four islands. Local radio stations include WAVI, WJKC, WSTA, WVWI and WVGN. Broadcast from the mainland or often provided via one or more of these local radio stations.

Virgin Islands’ Newspapers

There are two local daily-published newspapers; the Virgin Islands’ Daily News on St. Thomas and the St. Croix Avis on St. Croix . For world coverage in US newspapers you can pick up copies of the New York Times, Miami Herald, Wall Street Journal among others. Other local periodicals are printed on monthly or bi-weekly basis covering sports, entertainment, business and St. John news.