Brief History
St. Croix is located about 40 miles south of St. Thomas, and about 95 miles southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is a United States territory, part of the US Virgin Islands. It is a quiet little island.It is about 23 miles long, and 8 miles at its widest point. (The US Virgin Islands include St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John.) St. Croix has been claimed, at one point or another, by seven different countries; England, France, Spain, Holland, the Knights of Malta, and Denmark. It is currently owned by the US as a territory. When visiting St Croix, you will notice a lot of Danish influence in the structure and color of the local architecture.
The local residents of St Croix are called Cruzans and have their own language.That said, the local residents also speak English. Cruzans are a very friendly people but can sometimes be reserved. A smile and “good morning” go a long way to starting the day off right.
Religion is a very important aspect of Cruzan life, so Sundays are usually pretty quiet. Most world religions are represented on the island
The majority of the local population is of African descent. In the past, slavery was a common form of labor on the sugar cane plantations of the island. There are remnants of the stone and brick sugar mills scattered throughout the island. If you look to the East, you can see an old sugar mill on the grounds of the Sugar Beach complex next door.
The people on St. Croix drive on the left-hand side of the road. This can take some getting used to and visitors should be extra careful when driving on the island for the first time. St. Croix drivers are very respectful and often give way when traffic is dense. A quick toot of the horn or flash of the lights indicates that you should proceed.