You may have never given a second thought to what life in the U.S. Virgin Islands is like, but besides the gorgeous views, whatever comes to your mind now is probably not so accurate.
TikToker Kira Mitchell (@kiramitchell22) has lived in the U.S. Virgin Islands all her life, specifically St. Thomas, and she’s pulling back the curtain on what day-to-day life in a U.S. territory actually looks like. These things would shock those living in the States.
First of all, there is no Target or Walmart anywhere on St. Thomas. The only store in the area is K-mart. According to Kira, there used to be two K-marts, but one has just closed.
The remaining store is always half-stocked, and you can hardly ever find anything you need. Walgreens exists on the islands as well, but it’s constantly half-stocked, too.
The grocery stores just don’t resemble anything you would see in the States. The only store that comes close is Cost-U-Less, a smaller, more expensive version of Costco. Other than that, you can shop at local or Caribbean grocery stores.
“We also have a limited number of fast-food chains,” Kira added. “So, we only have McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and KFC. There is no Starbucks; there’s no Chick-fil-A. And those three really dominate the whole island.”
Furthermore, people living in the Virgin Islands drive on the left side of the road. The steering wheels are still on the left side, though, which can be a little confusing.
Plus, the roads are really skinny. In addition, they cannot vote, even though the United States president is their president.
Kira says that there’s nothing much to do on the islands, except for going to the beach or bars. The bars are a good place to hang out and play card games, not just drink. A sports bar recently opened up where you can play darts. The islands also boast a movie theater and a zip line.
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“The speed limit here is technically 35 miles per hour and 25 miles per hour, depending on where you are on the island,” Kira elaborated. “No one goes that speed, and we prefer if you went faster.”
The population is very tiny. Her graduating class consisted of just 19 students. They also live on island time, so the people tend to be very slow-moving. Lastly, the drinking age is 18 years old, which Kira thinks should be implemented in the United States as well.
In the comments section, TikTok users from other U.S. territories or island areas chimed in, noting the similarities, even though they’re located thousands of miles apart.
“I live in Guam. We also have one of the last three K-marts here! And Cost-U-Less, didn’t know VI had them, too! Funny how similar things are between U.S. territories on opposite sides of the world,” commented one user.
“This is so interesting! I’m from Puerto Rico, and our K-mart stores unfortunately ended up closing. We’ve gotten more fast-food chains as of recent, the funniest one was Red Lobster because most Puerto Ricans will go to local places to eat seafood, so they ended up closing the few Red Lobsters they opened,” shared another.
“My mom is from St. Thomas! Also, when driving, everyone uses their horns liberally,” stated a third.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
