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🇻🇮 Virgin Islands · U.S. Territory

St. Croix

The largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, with a Danish colonial history you can still walk through in Christiansted and Frederiksted — quieter and slower-paced than its sister islands St. Thomas and St. John.

82.88 sq mi island Christiansted historic hub +1 (340) calling code
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🏛️ Capital: Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas) 👥 Population: ~41,004 💵 Currency: US Dollar 🕐 Time zone: AST (UTC-4) 🚗 Drives on: the Left ☎️ Calling code: +1 (340)
Get to know it

The Quiet U.S. Virgin Island

St. Croix is the largest of the three U.S. Virgin Islands, roughly 40 miles south of St. Thomas and St. John — closer to Puerto Rico than to its sister islands. Under Danish rule until 1917, its two main towns, Christiansted and Frederiksted, still show that colonial history in their architecture, unlike anywhere else in the USVI. View map →

The island has a noticeably slower, more local pace than St. Thomas — fewer cruise crowds, more rum distilleries, rainforest and reef. Read the full fact sheet →

See St. Croix Featured Businesses → See St. Croix Tours → See Flights to St. Croix → See CoolestCarib St. Croix Community →
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St. Croix at a Glance

Nationality: U.S. citizens (no vote in presidential elections) · Size: 214.66 km² (82.88 sq mi) · home to Buck Island Reef National Monument

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US Virgin Islands
🧭 Tourism

US Virgin Islands

US Virgin Islands Each of our three major islands has a unique character all its own. St. Croix's Danish influence is perfect for visitors who prefer a laid-back experience. Two-thirds of St. John is a national park. Its comfortable pace is perfect for enjoying the island's world-renowned beaches. St. Thomas boasts one of the most beautiful harbors in the world. As the most visited port in the Caribbean, downtown Charlotte Amalie offers elegant dining, exciting nightlife, duty-free shopping and even submarine rides.

★ Cool factor: No passports required for US citizens Visit site
Olympic Rent A Car
🚗 Car Rentals

Olympic Rent A Car

Olympic Rent A Car is located at 1103 Richmond in Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Olympic Rent A Car is the oldest and largest independent car rental agency on St. Croix. At Olympic Rent A Car you'll get old school personal service, free pick-up & deliveries and better quality vehicles. Since 1973.

★ Cool factor: Free pick-up & deliveries Visit site
Car Rental STX
🚗 Car Rentals

Car Rental STX

Car Rental STX specializes in providing you the best car rental rates in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. Secure your car rental on Saint Croix USVI before you arrive.

★ Cool factor: Best rates on island! Visit site
St. Croix Environmental
🌱 Sustainability

St. Croix Environmental

St. Croix Environmental Their mission is to promote the conservation of environmental resources, provide education and advocate for environmentally responsible actions that benefit St. Croix. Their members are their strength. Benefits of membership include free or reduced admission to regular events, leatherback sea turtle watches, discounts in their SEA shop, and - most important - the knowledge that you are supporting and helping with a vital effort to protect our island environment.

★ Cool factor: Education Conservation Advocacy Visit site
Latitude 17 Scuba
🤿 Scuba Diving

Latitude 17 Scuba

Latitude 17 Scuba St. Croix. They specialize in personalized, private PADI dive instruction from Discover Scuba through Divemaster, and guided diving here on beautiful sunny St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. They have great diving year round with water temps from 77 degrees in the winter to 84 degrees in the summer.

★ Cool factor: Year round diving! Visit site
gandor.tv
💻 Website Solutions

gandor.tv

gandor.tv specializes in creating, maintaining, hosting and promoting websites in the Caribbean. They are known for their customer service, maintenance packages, fast response, e-commerce, booking systems and social media magic and creation of advertisments.

★ Cool factor: They create, maintain, host and promote websites. Visit site

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St. Croix Tours & Activities

These St. Croix tours or activities are independently operated. After booking, the tour operator will contact you directly with your reservation details.

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Christiansted Sunset Sail
ChristianstedExplore & Book
Hike the Caledonia Ghut
ChristianstedExplore & Book
Morning Kayak in Salt River
ChristianstedExplore & Book
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Beyond the beaches

5 Fun Facts About St. Croix

The stories behind the postcard — a few things worth knowing before you go.

1

Historical Significance

St. Croix was under Danish rule until 1917, when the U.S. purchased the Danish West Indies — the island's colonial architecture in Christiansted and Frederiksted is unlike anywhere else in the USVI.

2

Diverse Culture

A blend of Danish, African, French, Spanish and American influences shows up in the island's food, architecture and Crucian dialect — a distinct identity within the USVI.

3

Buck Island Reef National Monument

A protected marine park just off the north coast, with one of the Caribbean's best-preserved barrier reef systems and a marked underwater snorkeling trail.

4

Christiansted & Frederiksted

The island's two historic towns each carry their own character — Christiansted's Danish fort and waterfront, Frederiksted's Victorian architecture and famous sunsets.

5

Crucian Cuisine

Local specialties like kallaloo, fungi and saltfish reflect the island's mixed Caribbean and Danish colonial roots — distinct from the food traditions on St. Thomas and St. John.

Don't miss

Top 10 Things to Do

Ranked by locals — the St. Croix essentials.

  • 1Night dive Frederiksted Pier
  • 2Snorkel Buck Island Reef National Monument
  • 3Swim at Rainbow Beach (see beaches below)
  • 4Kayak the bioluminescent bay at Salt River
  • 5Hike to the tide pools at Annaly Bay
  • 6Catamaran tour with Jolly Roger
  • 7Horseback riding tours
  • 8Sandy Point Wildlife Refuge
  • 9Point Udall — the easternmost point in the United States
  • 10Whim Plantation Museum
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National anthem

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The serious facts

St. Croix Fact Sheet

Nationality
U.S. citizens by birth — residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands do not vote in presidential elections and have only non-voting representation in Congress.
Capital
Charlotte Amalie, on St. Thomas, is the current USVI territorial capital. Christiansted, on St. Croix, was the historic capital of the Danish West Indies and remains the island's own commercial and cultural hub.
Size
214.66 km² (82.88 sq mi) — the largest of the three U.S. Virgin Islands.
Population
41,004 as of the 2020 U.S. Census — down substantially from the legacy page's older, overstated figure of roughly 65,000.
Currency
US Dollar. Major credit cards are widely accepted.
Government
An organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. Governor: Albert Bryan Jr., currently in his final term. Lieutenant Governor: Tregenza Roach. USVI's non-voting Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives: Stacey Plaskett.
Time zone
Atlantic Standard Time (AST, UTC-4) year-round — no daylight saving.
Drives on the
Left — despite U.S. currency, U.S.-spec vehicles and driving on the right elsewhere in the U.S.
Calling code
+1, area code 340.
Coordinates
Latitude 17°45′N, Longitude 64°45′W.
Banks
Banco Popular, First Bank VI, Scotiabank and several Virgin Islands community banks operate branches on St. Croix.
Geography
Located roughly 40 miles south of St. Thomas and St. John, and closer to Puerto Rico than to its sister islands — flatter and drier in the east, with rainforest terrain in the northwest.
Brief History

St. Croix passed through French hands in the mid-1600s before being sold to the Danish West India Company in 1733. Christiansted became the seat of Danish colonial government in 1734, and the island developed into a major sugar-producing colony, worked by enslaved Africans on plantations still visible in ruins across the island today.

In 1917, amid concerns over German naval power in the Caribbean during World War I, the United States purchased St. Croix along with St. Thomas and St. John from Denmark for $25 million in gold under the Treaty of the Danish West Indies — the islands have been a U.S. territory ever since, with residents gaining U.S. citizenship in 1927.

That Danish inheritance still shapes St. Croix today: Christiansted's fort and warehouses, Frederiksted's Victorian streets, and a local Crucian culture distinct from — and quieter than — its sister islands.

Pick your pace

St. Croix Beaches

🏖 Protestant Cay (Hotel on the Cay)

A small, calm private island beach just offshore from Christiansted, reachable by a short ferry — good swimming and easy access to town.

🏖 The Buccaneer Beach

A palm-lined, resort beach near Christiansted with calm water, watersports rentals and easy public access along the shore.

🏖 Divi Carina Bay Beach

A quieter south-shore beach with good swimming and reliable trade winds — a popular spot for a slower afternoon.

🏖 Cane Bay Beach

Famous for shore diving right off the sand — the Cane Bay Wall drops off into deep water just a short swim out.

🏖 Rainbow Beach

A wide, less-crowded west-side beach near Frederiksted with calm, clear water and some of the island's best sunset views.

From a local

Caribbean Tip of the Day

Packing for the Caribbean? You can really get away with the minimum. Fashion. Bring light sundresses, shorts, T-shirts, sandals and a swimsuit. Although, you can get all of those - plus sarongs and sunscreen - on the island too. Jackets, jerseys, long sleeves and long pants are only sometimes worn on islands that get cooler in winter time, like The Bahamas. But in general, even fine diners are seen wearing Bermuda shorts and sandals, and sundresses for women. Guys wearing white shorts with Caribbean color belts are seen a lot.

Tips by Liz Strauss, an experienced traveler and piano entertainer. www.lizpiano.com · Disclosure

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