St. John Fact Sheet

We are a U.S. Territory and we enjoy all the benefits that U.S. citizenship has to offer, except that we cannot vote for President. The United States purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917.

The Virgin Islands National Park is a tremendous asset on St. John and allows the island to offer a truly unique living experience. The Park protects the pristine beauty of approximately 2/3 of St. John. In addition to beaches regularly declared to be among the best in the world, the Park offers hiking trails, archaeological sites, educational talks and tours, a Visitors’ Center, and a campground. National Geographic magazine named St. John as one of the “50 Places You Must See In Your Lifetime” for a reason!

Perhaps the most delightful experience in store for new St. John property owners lies in getting to know its people. Our scenery may entice you here, but it is the personalities in our diverse and harmonious community that get people “hooked” on St. John. About 4,500 residents call St. John “home.”

St. John is a hilly island of volcanic origin covering about 19 square miles. At its widest points, St. John is about 13.5 miles long and about 6 miles wide. The highest elevation is 1,277 feet at Bordeaux Mountain.

Although St. John has the reputation of being a bit “off the beaten track,” that may have more to do with attitude than with location. Access to the U.S. mainland and to other destinations around the world is easy via St. Thomas. It takes about 45 minutes to get from St. John to the airport at St. Thomas. We are 3 miles east of St. Thomas, 50 miles east of Puerto Rico, and 1,075 miles east-southeast of Miami. Our latitude is 18.2 degrees north and our longitude is 64.5 degrees west.

Weather on St. John ranges from beautiful to excellent, with near-ideal temperatures and gentle tradewind breezes. Rainfall averages about 43 inches per year. Winter temperatures range from about 77 to 84 degrees and summer temperatures range from about 82 to 90 degrees.

St. John residents enjoy an exceptional quality of life, with a clean environment, a low crime rate, a relaxed lifestyle, and “thermal bliss” weather. Opportunities for outdoor exercise abound for lovers of land and water alike. We have an extensive network of hiking trails, and many types of watersports are enjoyed year-round. We have two gym facilities and our health services include the Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center and several private St. John physicians, as well as a hospital and additional private physicians on St. Thomas.

Virgin Island residents are subject to the Virgin Islands IRS tax code, which is a mirror image of the Federal IRS tax code. There are no city or state taxes. Businesses pay a 5% gross receipts tax on gross income.

Residents of St. John appreciate the relaxed pace and the privacy of island living, yet we enjoy opportunities to connect and have a reputation for pulling together. There are lots of ways to be involved in our community, from volunteering for the Friends of the National Park to signing up for tango lessons at the St. John School of the Arts.

St. John is a great place to raise children. We have an excellent private school for grades pre-K through 12, a religiously affiliated private school for grades pre-K through 3, and public schools for grades K-9. (St. John public school students travel to St. Thomas for grades 9-12). St. Thomas has a variety of private schools as well, including the highly regarded Antilles School.

Special tax benefits are offered by the Economic Development Commission (“EDC”) of the Virgin Islands. Visit www.usvieda.org for more information.

We have a lot more to say about life on St. John than we can possibly fit into this website, so we encourage you to contact us for information (and opinions!) based on experience…