ST. CROIX | MAP |Frederiksted | Christiansted, USVI

St. Croix has two entirely different downtown areas to explore: Christiansted and Frederiksted, and each has its own unique style. The architectural quality and historic interest of the one-time Danish West Indies capital has made part of Christiansted (founded in 1734) a National Historic Site. It is about 11 miles from Frederiksted.

Frederiksted is smaller than Christiansted. It is closer to the airport and its harbour berths weekly cruise ships. Frederiksted fell victim to a huge fire in 1879, which means many of its clapboard buildings date from the turn of the century but sit on original stone foundations that date back to the mid-1700s. The main strip of Strand Street, which skirts the waterfront, offers shopping and restaurants, but overall Frederiksted is a fairly sleepy place until the cruise ships pull into port. However, it boasts a tropical Rain Forest and Whim Greathouse, a plantation restored to the way it was in the 1700s.

GEOGRAPHY

St. Croix is the largest of the United States Virgin Islands. The island is 22.7 miles long and only 8 miles wide; 82 square miles in area. The island is 1100 miles south east of Miami, near the eastern tip of the Caribbean island chain. The territory's capital, Charlotte Amalie, is located on Saint Thomas.

Because it is on the same latitude as Acapulco and Hawaii, it is eternal summer there, caressed by cooling trade winds. The average temperature is in the mid-80s, and there's just enough rain to keep the ixora, hibiscus and bougainvillea beautiful and in bloom.

In this stretch of land there are great varying landscapes. At the east end -- which actually is the easternmost point of the United States -- the terrain is rocky and arid. The west end is more lush and even includes a small "rain forest" of mango, mahogany, tree ferns, and dangling lianas. Between the two extremes are beautiful beaches, rolling hills, pastures, and, increasingly, miles of condos.

HISTORY

St. Croix's history spans the rule of seven nations, each influencing the customs, character, language and architecture of the island. Igneri, Taino, and Carib Indians originally inhabited the island until Christopher Columbus appeared on the scene during his second trip to the new world.

Columbus named the island Santa Cruz (Holy Cross) when he arrived on November 14, 1493. He anchored his ship off the north shore at Salt River but was quickly driven away by the spears, arrows, and axes of the Carib Indians. The French laid claim to the island in 1650 - and renamed it St. Croix; the Danes purchased it from them in 1733. English planters flock to St. Croix attracted by the inexpensive land. The Danes divided the island land into plantations and rebuilt a profitable agricultural economy from sugar and tobacco. The Carib's resistance to the ousiders caused their population to dwindle. By the early 1600's they had all but disappeared.

St. Croix became one of the leading ports for trade. Under the Danish rule, the slave trade and sugarcane fields flourished until the latter half of the 19th century. You can still see the prominent Danish architecture and influence on the island today. Economic prosperity based on sugar cane, rum production, and the slave trade lasted until slavery was abolished by the Danish government in 1848 when they were emancipated.

Eventually, Dutch, English and French settlers, causing political unrest, affected the Dutch to leave for St. Maarten and the French to relocate in Guadeloupe, leaving the English in charge. The island, literally abandoned, became a pirates' haven.

GOVERNMENT

In 1917, the United States purchased the three islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John, forming the US Virgin Islands and 1950 began the start of tourism to the islands. Although decisions made at the federal level have a huge impact here, territorial residents cannot vote for the United States president. Residents elect a delegate to the United States House of Representatives, but are not able to vote. Residents pay taxes at the same rate and use the same paperwork forms as state residents, but the money stays in the territory to fund local government operations.

LANGUAGE

English is the official language of the islands, although it may be spoken with a heavy local accent. Patois, a mixture of English, African and Spanish, and Spanish itself are also spoken.

POPULATION

The population of St. Croix was last estimated at 65,000 people. Of these, 32,000 live in Frederiksted.

ECONOMY

St. Croix, today, like many other Caribbean islands, has tourism as one of its main sources of revenue. However, there are a number of other industries on the island to help support the economy.

St. Croix is home to HOVENSA, one of the world's largest oil refineries. HOVENSA is a limited liability company owned and operated by Hess Oil Virgin Islands Corporation (HOVIC), a division of U.S.-based Hess Corporation, and Petroleos de Venezuela, SA, the national oil company of Venezuela. Because of the presence of the oil refinery, gas prices have customarily been 50 cents cheaper than gas prices in the continental United States and the other Virgin Islands.

St. Croix is also home to the Cruzan Rum Distillery, makers of Cruzan Rum (pronounced croo' –zhuhn) and other liquors such as Southern Comfort. The Cruzan Rum Distillery was founded in 1760, and for many years used locally grown sugar cane to produce a single "dark" style rum. The distillery now imports sugar cane molasses from other Caribbean islands, primarily from the Dominican Republic. The expansion of Cruzan rum refining on the island makes it the largest source of production in the world.

St. Croix’s economy suffered several devastating blows in the last half of the 20th century. Crime and two devastating hurricanes took their toll. Up until 2001, St. Croix was a popular port of call until a wave of thefts, muggings and other petty crime began targeting both passengers and crew. This prompted the cruise lines to change course and bypass the island. Since then, St. Croix has been treated as a veritable pariah by the industry causing a total economic loss to the island estimated around $45 million a year. V.I. Last year, Public Finance Authority completed an $18 million renovation project on the Frederiksted waterfront, the entry of the Abramson Pier and the nearby Vincent Mason Pool. Yet, even with the $18 million investment of the revitalization of the Frederiksted’s waterfront, St. Croix has struggled mightily to entice cruise lines to add it as a port of call. Their success might be just around the bend.
Around 51 cruise ship companies are sending their ships to St. Croix in 2010 including Royal Caribbean, whose ship the Explorer landed at the St. Croix port on Jan. 5. Other cruise companies include Celebrity Cruises and Disney Cruise Line, which will be offering nine seven-night cruises through the Eastern Caribbean aboard the Disney Magic. An estimated 37 cruise lines, including Azamara Cruises and Royal Caribbean International have announced plans to add St. Croix to their 2010-11 travel itinerary. This will give St. Croix a big boost in tourism, for sure it will also increase land tourists who after a day ashore will will be enticed to take longer vacations here impressed by the allure of this island.

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St. Croix, USVI