St. John USVI has the reputation of being the most beautiful, friendly, and tranquil island in the Caribbean. Here are some facts and statistics about this lovely island.
Population
The population of St. John reaches approximately 5,000 residents. It has the least amount of inhabitants compared to the other two islands.
St. John – 5,000 residents
St. Thomas – 52,000 residents
St. Croix – 54,000 residents
How Big Is St John?
St John measures 20 square miles and is the smallest of the U.S Virgin Islands. For comparison, here is how big each of them is:
St. John – 20 square miles
St. Thomas – 32 square miles
St. Croix – 84 square miles
Where Is St John?
St. John’s coordinates: 18.2N 64.5 W.
St. John lies 1075 miles ESE of Miami, 50 miles east of Puerto Rico, and three miles east of St. Thomas.
The Atlantic Ocean is north of St. John, the Caribbean sea is south of St. John, and the Anegada Passage is east of St. John.
At its widest points, St. John is approximately 13.5 miles long and about six miles wide.
The highest elevation is 1,277 feet at Bordeaux Mountain.
Is St John A U.S Territory?
St John, USVI, is a U.S terrirotiy in the Carribean. The whole of the U.S Virgin Islands became a U.S territory in 1917 after the U.S bought them from Denmark. All the existing residents in the islands were granted citizenship as part of the process.
Languages
The official language of the U.S. Virgin Islands is English. In addition to Standard English, you will encounter various West Indian Dialects spoken by Virgin Islands natives and residents from other English-speaking Caribbean countries. In general, these dialects are easy to understand.
Other languages spoken on the island are Spanish, spoken by natives of Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo, Patois, spoken by people from St. Lucia and Dominica, and Creole, spoken by people from Haiti.
Spend some time with local West Indians, and you can learn a lot about the island. A wonderful custom here is greeting everyone with a “good morning” or “good evening.” This simple courtesy can be your ticket to learning and navigating St. John with ease and enjoyment.
Virgin Islands National Park
About half of the island is part of the St. John Virgin Islands 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 offshore, plus approximately 13,000 acres submerged offshore as the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument.
In addition to beautiful beaches regularly declared to be among the best in the world, the Virgin Islands National Park offers hiking trails, archaeological sites, educational talks and tours, a Visitors’ Center, and a campground. You can also find a list of tours in this guide.
While you won’t find any resorts or hotels in the Virgin Islands National Park, you can find plenty of hotels near Cruz Bay and Coral Bay. Read our guide on where to stay in St. John for more options.
St John Weather
Weather on St. John ranges from perfect to excellent, with near-ideal temperatures and gentle tradewind breezes. Rainfall averages around 43 inches per year. Winter temperatures range from about 77 to 84 degrees, and summer temperatures range from about 82 to 90 degrees. Cooling trade winds blow east to northeast in the winter switching south to southeasterly in the summer.
Grocery Stores
There are four plus “grocery stores” in or near Cruz Bay and three stores in Coral Bay. Grocery prices are approximately 25% higher than in the Washington, DC, area for comparison. 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.
Local Time
The Caribbean is Atlantic Standard Time, one hour later than Eastern Time (Eastern US Coastline). When Daylight Savings Time goes into effect in the States (April – October), we are at the same time as the East Coast’s Eastern Daylight Time.
Newspapers
You can find news daily on St. John and the surrounding area. The St. John Tradewinds, St. John Sun-Times, The Virgin Islands Daily News (on St. Thomas), and the St. Croix Avis are the local papers that cover the island.
Pet Regulations
If you decide you want to bring a pet to the island, you will need to acquire a complete, up-to-date vaccination history from your veterinarian. You will also need 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.
Taxes and Customs
There are no sales taxes in the US Virgin Islands.
Each Visitor to the Virgin Islands enjoys a $1600 Duty-Free Allowance upon returning to the United States. In addition, you can bring back five bottles of liquor duty-free or six if one is locally produced, like Cruzan Rum. The Duty Tree cigarette allowance is 10 cartons of cigarettes or 100 cigars. For more information, contact the Bureau of Customs at 340-774-2540