View source for Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands

{{Short description|One of the main islands of the United States Virgin Islands}}

{{For|the settlement on Saint Croix|Saint John, Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox islands
| name                            = Saint John
| image                           = StJohnTrunkBay.jpg
| image_caption                   = Trunk Bay, Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands
| image_map                       = St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.jpg
| map_caption                     =  Satellite image of Saint John
| nickname                        = Love City
| location                        = [[Caribbean Sea]]
| pushpin_map                     = USA Virgin Islands#Lesser Antilles#Caribbean
| pushpin_label_position          = bottom
| pushpin_relief                  = 1
| coordinates                     = {{coord|18|20|N|64|44|W|type:isle_region:VI|display=inline,title}}
| archipelago                     = [[Virgin Islands]], [[Leeward Islands]]
| area_sqmi                     = 20<ref>This is the figure given in the [https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-John-island-United-States-Virgin-Islands article at the on-line edition of the ''Encyclopedia Britannica''].  It is not the figure given by the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands on the [https://www.usvi.net/st-john/ St. John] page of ''usvi.net'', which reports the area to be 28 square miles.  Other reliable sources report various figures closer to the Britannica figure.  The [http://islands.unep.ch/IWY.htm#415 Virgin Islands (United States) page] at the [[United Nations Environment Programme]]'s Island Directory gives the area as 50.0 square kilometers, equivalent to 19.3 square miles.  A 1998 paper issued by the [[United States Geological Survey]], [https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1631/P1631-tag.pdf Professional Paper 1631], reports the area as "about" 48 square kilometers, which is equivalent to 18.5 square miles (see page 1 of the paper).  And although the U.S. Census Bureau does not report the areas of geographic entities, it does report their population densities (equal to the total population divided by the area).  In the 2010 census, the population was reported as 4,170 (Table P1, "Total Population") and the population density was reported as 211.8 per square mile (Table P40, "Population Density").  Together, these figures imply an area of 19.7 square miles.</ref>
| country                         = {{USA}}
| country_leader_title            = Administrator 
| country_leader_name             = Shikima Jones<ref>{{cite web | title=Bryan Names Shikima Jones to St. John Administrator | website=St. John Source | date=2019-02-05 | url=https://stjohnsource.com/2019/02/05/bryan-names-shikima-jones-to-st-john-administrator/ | access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref>
| country_admin_divisions_title   = [[Insular area]]
| country_admin_divisions         = {{VIR}}
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = [[Districts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands|District]]
| country_admin_divisions_1       = Saint Thomas-Saint John
| country_largest_city            = [[Cruz Bay, United States Virgin Islands|Cruz Bay]]
| country_largest_city_population = 2,706
| population                      = 3,881
| population_as_of                = 2020 census<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020 Island Areas Censuses: U.S. Virgin Islands |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2020/dec/2020-us-virgin-islands.html |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=US Census Bureau}}</ref>
| density_km2                     = 74.6
| additional_info                 = 
}}        
[[File:USVI - St. John - Coral Bay - Map from 1720.jpg|thumb|Coral Bay, Saint John; map from 1720]]
[[File:Virgin islands sm02.png|thumb|Map of the U.S. Virgin Islands]]

'''Saint John''' ({{langx|da|Sankt Jan}}; {{langx|es|San Juan}}) is one of the [[Virgin Islands]] in the [[Caribbean Sea]] and a constituent [[Districts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands|district]] of the [[United States Virgin Islands]] (USVI), an [[unincorporated territory]] of the United States.

Saint John ({{cvt|50|km2}}) is the smallest of the three main US Virgin Islands.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/geography/|title=Where is the U.S. Virgin Islands: Geography|website=Virgin Islands}}</ref> It is located about four miles east of [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint Thomas]], the location of the territory's capital, [[Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands|Charlotte Amalie]]. It is also four miles southwest of [[Tortola]], part of the [[British Virgin Islands]]. Its largest settlement is Cruz Bay with a population of 2,652.<ref name=":0" /> Saint John's nickname is Love City.<ref>{{cite web | last=Jervis | first=Rick | title=Hurricane recovery led by private groups on St. John one year later | website=[[USA Today]] | date=September 3, 2018 | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/09/03/hurricane-irma-st-john-rebuilding-one-year-later-love-city/1146557002/ | access-date=May 17, 2019}}</ref>

Since 1956, approximately 60% of the island is protected as [[Virgin Islands National Park]], administered by the [[United States National Park Service]].<ref name="VINP Basic Info">{{cite web |title=Basic Information About Virgin Islands National Park |url=https://www.nps.gov/viis/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=14 August 2018}}</ref> The economy is based predominantly on tourism and related trade.<ref name="Economic and Fiscal Conditions in USVI">{{cite web |last1=Austin |first1=D. Andrew |title=Economic and Fiscal Conditions in the U.S. Virgin Islands |url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R45235.pdf |via=fas.org |publisher=Congressional Research Service |access-date=14 August 2018}}</ref>

Saint John is {{cvt|50.8|km2}} in area with a population of 3,881 (2020 census).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=2020 Island Areas Censuses: U.S. Virgin Islands (Table 1. Population of the United States Virgin Islands: 2010 and 2020) |url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/island-areas/us-virgin-islands/population-and-housing-unit-counts/us-virgin-islands-phc-table01.pdf |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=US Census Bureau}}</ref> As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 U.S. census]], the population of the US Virgin Islands territory was 87,146,<ref name=":0" /> comprising mostly persons of [[Afro-Caribbean]] descent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data: 2020 DECIA U.S. Virgin Islands Demographic Profile |url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=0400000US78&d=DECIA+U.S.+Virgin+Islands+Demographic+Profile&tid=DECENNIALDPVI2020.DP1 |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

==History==
[[Petroglyph]]s and [[artifact (archaeology)|artifacts]] found at [[Cinnamon Bay]] indicate a [[Taíno]] presence on Saint John from about 700 to the late 15th century.<ref name=VINPS>{{cite book |title=U.S. Virgin Islands: a guide to national parklands in the United States Virgin Islands |publisher=Division of Publications, National Park Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=0912627689 |pages=53, 64–65|year=1999 }}</ref>

[[Christopher Columbus]] sailed past Saint John on his [[Voyages of Christopher Columbus#Second voyage|second voyage]] in 1493, but did not come ashore.  He named the northern Virgin Islands [[Saint Ursula|''Las Once Mil Virgenes'']].<ref name=VINPS/>{{rp|24}}

===Colonization and settlement===
{{Main|Danish West Indies}}
[[File:St Jan lithograph c1850.JPG|thumb|Lithograph of Saint John, 1850]]
The [[Danish West India Company]] resettled Saint Thomas in 1671,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=St. Thomas: island, United States Virgin Islands – Britannica|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-Thomas-island-United-States-Virgin-Islands|access-date=April 20, 2021}}</ref> and an African slave market was established in 1673. Saint John was claimed as a part of the [[British Leeward Islands]] in 1684 when it was leased to two English merchants from Barbados, yet they were removed by [[Sir William Stapleton, 1st Baronet|Governor Stapleton]]. It was uninhabited when 20 Danish planters came over from Saint Thomas in 1717, and the island was claimed again by Denmark in 1718.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dookhan, Isaac.|title=A history of the Virgin Islands of the United States|date=1994|publisher=Canoe Press|isbn=976-8125-05-5|location=Kingston, Jamaica|oclc=31432296}}</ref><ref name="VInow.com - History">{{cite web|title=St. John: History|website=VInow|url=https://www.vinow.com/stjohn/history/|access-date=April 20, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=St. John: island, United States Virgin Islands – Britannica|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-John-island-United-States-Virgin-Islands|access-date=April 20, 2021}}</ref> They grew [[sugar cane]], cotton, and other crops. [[Annaberg, Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands|Annaberg]] sugar plantation was built in 1731, and became one of the island's largest sugar producers by the 19th century. By 1733, there were 109 plantations on the island, 21 of which were producing sugar.  The islands were made a crown colony in 1754,<ref name=VINPS/>{{rp|24}} and the British relinquished their claims to the island to the Danish in 1762.<ref name="VInow.com - History" />

The [[1733 slave insurrection on St. John]] started when a small group of slaves entered Fort Frederiksvaern, on Fortsberg Hill in [[Coral Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands|Coral Bay]], with [[cane knife|cane bills]] concealed within bundles of wood.  The slaves, led by those formerly from [[Akwamu]], overpowered and killed 5 of the 6 soldiers within the Danish fort.  Firing the fort's cannon, the signal was given for the start of a six-month revolt, which only ended when French troops were brought in from [[Martinique]].<ref name=VINPS/>{{rp|68–69}}

Instead of submitting to captivity and slavery, more than a dozen men and women, including [[Breffu]], one of the leaders,<ref name=norton>{{cite thesis|title=Estate by Estate: The Landscape of the 1733 St. Jan Slave Rebellion|author=Holly Kathryn Norton|date=2013|type=PhD|publisher=Syracuse University|page=90|id={{ProQuest|1369397993}}}}</ref> shot and killed themselves before the French forces reached them.

[[Moravian Brethren]] built the first church at [[Emmaus, U.S. Virgin Islands|Emmaus]] in 1749. [[Cruz Bay]] was established in 1766, and includes [[battery (artillery)|The Battery]].<ref name=VINPS/>{{rp|25}}

By 1804, the slave population reached a peak of 2,604. Denmark emancipated the slaves in 1848, and by 1850, many of the plantations were abandoned. By 1901, Saint John's population was 925,<ref>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle= St John (island) |volume = 24 |last= |first= |author-link= |page= |short=1}}</ref> and the last sugar factory ceased operation in 1908.<ref name=VINPS/>{{rp|24–26}}  Between 1845 and 1945, the population declined by 70%.<ref name="ForeignAffairs">{{cite magazine|last=Williams|first=Eric|date=1945-01-01|title=Race Relations in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands|volume=23|number=2|magazine=[[Foreign Affairs]]|url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/puerto-rico/1945-01-01/race-relations-puerto-rico-and-virgin-islands|issn=0015-7120|url-access=subscription|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===Purchase===
[[File:USVI - St. John - Coral Bay.jpg|thumb|Coral Bay, Saint John]]

In 1917, during the [[World War I|First World War]], the [[United States]] purchased the U.S. Virgin Islands for $25 million from the Danish government in order to establish a naval base. It was intended to prevent expansion of the [[German Empire]] into the [[Western Hemisphere]]. As part of the negotiations for this deal, the US agreed to recognize [[Denmark|Denmark's]] claim to [[Greenland]], which they had previously disputed.

During the 20th century, private investors acquired properties on the island, redeveloping some plantation houses as vacation resorts, such as Laurence Rockefeller's [[Caneel Bay]] Resort. The islands became popular and tourism and related service jobs developed as a major part of the economy.

===Hurricane Irma===
In September 2017, Saint John was hit by [[Hurricane Irma]]. The category 5 storm forced roughly half of the island's 4,500 residents to evacuate and caused power outages that lasted for months.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/09/17/battered-hurricane-irma-thousands-flee-st-john-island-path-next-storm/675407001/|title=Battered by Hurricane Irma, thousands flee St. John island in path of the next storm|website=USA Today}}</ref>

==Government==
[[File:St. Thomas-St. John, USVI.JPG|thumb|View of Saint John from neighboring Saint Thomas]]
Since 1917, the U.S. Virgin Islands are an [[Territories of the United States|organized, unincorporated territory of the United States]]. Its residents are [[United States nationality law|U.S. citizens]], but they cannot vote in [[United States presidential election|presidential elections]].

Until 1970, governors of the territory were appointed by the US president. Since that year, residents of the island have elected a territorial governor and lieutenant governor, and fifteen senators to the legislature, representing all three islands. Seven are elected from the district of Saint Croix, seven from the district of Saint Thomas and Saint John, and one senator at-large (who must be a resident of Saint John) are elected for two-year terms to the unicameral Virgin Islands Legislature.

Residents of the Virgin Islands also elect a delegate to the US Congress, who has non-voting status in that body.

Saint John has no local government; however, the Governor appoints an administrator for the island. Having no official powers, this figure acts more as an advisor to the Governor and as a spokesperson for the Governor's policies.

The main political parties in the U.S. Virgin Islands are the Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands, the Independent Citizens Movement (ICM), and the Republican Party of the Virgin Islands. Additional candidates run as independents.

[[File:LeinsterBayTrailMap.JPG|thumb|upright|Leinster Bay Trail Map of Saint John's National Park]]

===Voting===
[[File:U.S._Virgin_Islands_Subdivisions.svg|thumb|250px|Districts and subdistricts of the US Virgin Islands]]
Saint John is divided into the following [[subdistrict]]s (with population as per the [[2020 United States census|2020 U.S. census]]):<ref name=":0" />
# Central (pop. 470)
# [[Coral Bay, United States Virgin Islands|Coral Bay]] (pop. 724)
# [[Cruz Bay, United States Virgin Islands|Cruz Bay]] (pop. 2,652)
# East End (pop. 35)

Activists filed a lawsuit on September 20, 2011 in the federal US District Court of the Virgin Islands seeking the right to be represented in Congress and to vote for U.S. president. The case is Civil No. 3:11-cv-110, ''Charles v. U.S. Federal Elections Commission et al.'' The case alleges the 1917 Congress, with all-white members, denied the right to vote to island residents due to racial discrimination, as the island had a majority of people of color. The case was dismissed on August 20, 2012.<ref>[https://www.docketalarm.com/cases/Virgin_Islands_District_Court/3--11-cv-00110/Charles_v._U.S._Federal_Election_Commission_et_al/ ''Charles v. U.S. Federal Election Commission et al.''], Docket Alarm, 2012-2015</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:FACTORY BUILDING VIEWED FROM THE EAST, CURING AND STORAGE WING TO THE LEFT, BOILING HOUSE IN THE CENTER, GRINDING PLATFORM TO THE FAR RIGHT, ST. THOMAS ISLAND VISIBLE IN HABS VI,2-CANBA,1-A-1.tif|thumb|Sugar cane factory ruins]]
[[File:MongooseJunction.jpg|thumb|upright|Entrance to Mongoose Junction, a popular shopping center in [[Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands]].]]

The main export of Saint John used to be [[sugar cane]], which was produced in great quantity using African [[slave labor]]. However, this industry declined after the abolition of slavery, as it was dependent on slave labor to be profitable. In addition, in that period, it had to compete with sugar produced in other areas, including by the use of sugar beets in northern locations.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}

=== Tourism ===
The economy of Saint John is almost entirely dependent on tourism. The island has hundreds of rental villas as well as hotels and resorts. Numerous shops and restaurants serving both residents and tourists are located in Cruz Bay and Coral Bay.

Saint John is a popular stop for day and term boat charters from the [[United States Virgin Islands]], [[Puerto Rico]], and the [[British Virgin Islands]]. Individual and group boat charters are widely available on Saint John and island hopping is a favorite local and visitor activity. Popular day excursions include bar hopping or snorkeling at Christmas Cove, [[Jost Van Dyke]], [[Buck Island National Wildlife Refuge]], [[Tortola]], [[Norman Island]], [[Virgin Gorda]], [[Water Island, U.S. Virgin Islands|Water Island]], [[Lovango Cay, U.S. Virgin Islands|Lovongo Cay]], [[Cooper Island (British Virgin Islands)|Cooper Island]], and [[Peter Island]]. Mooring and anchoring locations are available in most bays around Saint John for both day use and overnight stays.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/viis/planyourvisit/quick-mooring-information.htm|title=Quick Mooring Information - Virgin Islands National Park |publisher=U.S. National Park Service|access-date=2016-09-07}}</ref>

==== Virgin Islands National Park ====
In 1956, [[Laurance Rockefeller]] donated his extensive lands on the island to the United States' [[National Park Service]], under the condition that the lands had to be protected from future development. The remaining portion, the Caneel Bay Resort, operates on a lease arrangement with the NPS, which owns the underlying land.

The boundaries of the [[Virgin Islands National Park]] include 75% of the island, but various in-holdings within the park boundary (e.g., Peter Bay) reduce the park lands to 60% of the island acreage.

Much of the island's waters, [[coral reef]]s, and shoreline have been protected by being included in the national park. This protection was expanded in 2001, when the [[Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument]] was created.

===Transport===
While Saint John does not have an airport, the island is served by [[Cyril E. King Airport]] on nearby Saint Thomas. There used to be a [[seaplane base]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://airportsbase.org/Virgin_Islands/all/St_John_Island/Cruz_Bay_Seaplane_Base|title=Airport codes Cruz Bay Seaplane Base in St John Island, Virgin Islands (VI)|website=airportsbase.org}}</ref><ref>http://ourairports.com/airports/SJF/#lat=18.3315,lon=-64.79599999999999,zoom=14,type=Satellite,airport=SJF Cruz Bay Seaplane Base-OurAirports</ref> in the town of Cruz Bay. Antilles Airboats provided regular service until it was sold by [[Maureen O'Hara]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://virginislandsdailynews.com/news/maureen-o-hara-left-mark-in-virgin-islands-1.1962940 |title=Maureen O'Hara left mark in Virgin Islands - News - Virgin Islands Daily News |website=virginislandsdailynews.com |access-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151027130923/http://virginislandsdailynews.com/news/maureen-o-hara-left-mark-in-virgin-islands-1.1962940 |archive-date=27 October 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Virgin Islands Seaplane Shuttle also used to offer services to that seaplane base using [[Grumman Mallard]]s prior to [[Hurricane Hugo]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2012/11/hurricane-hugo-part-2.html|title=Adventures of Cap'n Aux: Hurricane Hugo, Part 2|date=November 28, 2012}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

A [[ferry]] service runs hourly from [[Red Hook, U.S. Virgin Islands|Red Hook, Saint Thomas]], thrice daily from [[Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands|Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas]], and daily from [[Tortola]]; regular ferries also operate from [[Virgin Gorda]], [[Jost Van Dyke]] and [[Anegada]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vinow.com/travel/virgin-islands-ferry-schedules/|title=Virgin Islands Ferry Schedules|date=January 2, 2015|website=Virgin Islands}}</ref>

Cars and cargo are transported to the island via barge. Two companies offer barge service between Red Hook, Saint Thomas and Cruz Bay, Saint John. The barges operate hourly during daylight hours. Although prohibited by Virgin Islands law,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/vicode/|title=LexisNexis® Custom Solution: Virgin Islands Code Unannotated Research Tool|website=www.lexisnexis.com|access-date=2017-05-01|page=20 V.I.C. § 422}}</ref> some rental car companies allow their vehicles to use the car ferry.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.budgetstt.com/contact.php |title=Budget Rent a Car |author=<!--Not stated--> |access-date=May 1, 2017 |quote= Yes, we allow our cars to go to St. John and here is the ferry schedules to St. John}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amaliecar.com/faqs |title= Amalie Car Rental St. Thomas FAQ |author=<!--Not stated--> |access-date= May 1, 2017|quote=Yes! You Can Take the Vehicle to St. John}}</ref>  This is because the U.S. District Court deemed the law to violate the Interstate Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/989/720/1528474/|title=Everett v. Schneider, 989 F. Supp. 720 (D.V.I. 1997)|website=Justia Law}}</ref>  However, as of 2017, the unconstitutional law is still technically on the books, but the Government of the Virgin Islands does not enforce it. Car rental companies are located throughout Cruz Bay, most within easy walking distance of the ferry dock.

Taxis are widely available on Saint John to provide transport to beaches, hotels, and vacation villas. Water taxi service is also available from Dolphin Water Taxi.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dolphinshuttle.com/index.php|title=Water Taxi in the Virgin Islands - Dolphin Water Taxi|website=www.dolphinshuttle.com|access-date=2016-09-07}}</ref>

VITRAN public bus service runs hourly on weekdays between Cruz Bay and Salt Pond Bay via Centerline Road.

====Major port town====

In the colonial era, [[Coral Bay, United States Virgin Islands|Coral Bay]] was the hub of economic activity on the island.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} Its natural port offered protection to the sailing ships of the day. In addition, it was an easy sail by smaller boats, with minimal tacking, to the nearby British Virgin Islands. Until the late 20th century, the residents of Coral Bay and East End had easier and more frequent access to Tortola than did those of either Cruz Bay or Saint Thomas.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}

Today, Cruz Bay is the port of entry to Saint John. Cargo and car barges use The Theovald Eric Moorehead Dock and Terminal. Domestic ferries use the Loredon L Boynes Dock in central Cruz Bay. International ferries use the United States Customs and Immigration dock at the Victor William Sewer Marine Facility.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.viport.com/seaports/seaports.html |title=The United States Virgin Islands' Airports and Seaports |publisher=Virgin Islands Port Authority |access-date=2016-09-07 |archive-date=October 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009000420/http://www.viport.com/seaports/seaports.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Cruise ships visit Cruz Bay regularly during the winter, although they must anchor and deliver guests via tender.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wico-vi.com/cruise-ship-dock/ship-schedule-port-availability|title=Ship Schedule - Port Availability|website=www.wico-vi.com|access-date=2016-09-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822080623/http://www.wico-vi.com/cruise-ship-dock/ship-schedule-port-availability|archive-date=August 22, 2016|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Saint John is also a popular day excursion for cruise ship passengers at port in Saint Thomas or Tortola.

The waters surrounding the US Virgin Islands are patrolled by [[United States Coast Guard cutters]] out of [[Miami, Florida]], and [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]].{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}

== Notable people ==
* [[Breffu]], an [[Akwamu]] leader of the [[1733 slave insurrection on St. John]]
* [[Myrah Keating Smith]] (1908–1994), a pioneering nurse and midwife
* [[John Campbell (skier)|John Campbell]] (born 1962), and daughter [[Jasmine Campbell]] (born 1991), alpine skiers, moved to US in 2000
* [[J. Robert Oppenheimer]], the 'Godfather of the Atomic Bomb', starting in 1954, Oppenheimer lived for several months of each year on the island. From 1957 onwards, he owned a home on [[Gibney Beach]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bird |first1=Kai |author-link=Kai Bird|first2=Martin J. |last2=Sherwin |author-link2=Martin J. Sherwin |title=American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer|location=New York|publisher=Alfred A. Knopf|year=2005|isbn=978-0-375-41202-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/americanpromethe00bird/mode/2up |url-access = registration |pages=566–569}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Bird|Sherwin|2005|p=573}}</ref>

==Education==
[[St. Thomas-St. John School District]] operates schools for the island residents.
Saint John has one public school, Julius E. Sprauve (pronounced "Sprow" and referred to as 'JESS'). Private and parochial schools include [[Gifft Hill School]] (formerly Pine Peace and Coral Bay), Saint John Christian Academy, Saint John Methodist School, and the Saint John Montessori School.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}

The only school that includes a high school is Gifft Hill, along with their programs in elementary and middle school. The only other middle school on the island is the 'JESS,' which also has an elementary program. The public high school for Saint John students is [[Ivanna Eudora Kean High School]] located in Red Hook, Saint Thomas.

In October, 2020, the Trump administration signed a non-binding preliminary agreement to pursue a land swap between the National Park Service and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and Government of the Virgin Islands (GVI) agreed to work together for 12 months to evaluate a proposed exchange that, if successful, would allow local officials to construct the first K-12 public school on Saint John. Public education on Saint John is currently only available through the eighth grade.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 22, 2020 |title=Trump Administration Signs Agreement with U.S. Virgin Islands to Pursue a Land Exchange for New School on St. John |url=https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/trump-administration-signs-agreement-with-u-s-virgin-islands-to-pursue-a-land-exchange-for-new-school-on-st-john.htm |access-date=February 15, 2023 |website=National Park Service. Office of Communications.}}</ref> The National Park Service issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the potential land exchange. The final 45-day public comment period on the land exchange was opened from January 8, 2023 until Feb. 21, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 12, 2023 |title=NPS Opens Final Public Comment Period and Releases Finding of No Significant Impact for Potential St. John Land Exchange |url=https://viconsortium.com/caribbean-community_center/virgin-islands-nps-opens-final-public-comment-period-and-releases-finding-of-no-significant-impact-for-potential-st-john-land-exchange |access-date=February 15, 2023 |website=The Virgin Islands Consortium}}</ref>

==In literature==
* ''Grandma Raised the Roof'' by Ethel Walbridge McCully. Author's own story of building her dream home on Saint John and defending it from being acquired by the National Park Service, in the early 1950s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/04/obituaries/ethel-mccully-saved-virgin-islands-home-from-condemnation.html |title=Ethel Mccully, Saved Virgin Islands Home from Condemnation |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date= January 4, 1981 |website= [[The New York Times]]|access-date= November 4, 2015|quote=Ethel Walbridge McCully, the grandmother who went to Washington to "raise a little hell" on Capitol Hill in 1962, died Dec. 21 on St. John in the Virgin Islands in the home she successfully defended against condemnation by the National Park Service. She was 94 years old. Mrs. McCully was a secretary in New York City in 1947 when, on one of her frequent trips to the Caribbean, she first saw the island of St. John. She swam ashore with a basketful of belongings because the captain of her English cruise ship declined to dock at the then undeveloped island. Mrs. McCully, a small, outspoken woman, bought four acres, designed her dream house and spent 11 years struggling with suppliers, boat captains and workmen to build it. She described her tribulations in a book entitled ''Grandma Raised the Roof''. Her home, called ''Island Fancy'', was jeopardized in 1962 by a clause in a Congressional bill calling for the enlargement of the Virgin Islands National Park. The clause would have let the National Park Service acquire land on the island by condemnation. With other island homeowners, Mrs. McCully lobbied to get the provision struck from the bill. Some years ago, Mrs. McCully reluctantly sold the house to the Park Service with the proviso that she would have life tenancy.}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed>
File:Caneel Bay Turtle Bay Beach 4.jpg|Turtle Bay Beach at Caneel Bay
File:Caneel Bay Sunset at Turtle Bay Beach 1.jpg|Sunset at Turtle Bay
File:Virgin Islands National Park Reef Bay.jpg|Reef Bay and Virgin Islands National Park from Cocoloba Point
File:Stjohntrunkbeahjan2020.jpg|Mid day Trunk Beach, Saint John Virgin Islands National Park
File:A view from the ocean on Gibney Beach.jpg|Gibney Beach on Hawksnest Bay
File:Trunk Bay (2677414468).jpg|Trunk Bay
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Outline of the United States Virgin Islands]]
* [[Index of United States Virgin Islands-related articles]]
* [[Bibliography of the United States Virgin Islands]]
* [[Flanagan Island]]
* [[Great Thatch]]
* [[List of people from the United States Virgin Islands]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in the United States Virgin Islands#Saint John|National Register of Historic Places listings on Saint John]]
* [[Norman Island]]
* [[Piracy in the British Virgin Islands]]
* [[Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Refbegin}}
* [https://stjohntradewinds.com/ ''St. John Tradewinds'']—major Saint John newspaper, est. 1972
* Rankin, D.W. (2002). ''Geology of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands''. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1631. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/24/travel/escapes/24hour.html "36 Hours in St. John"] (2006). ''[[The New York Times]]''. Jon Rust
* [http://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a39772/why-i-gave-up-a-95k-job-to-move-to-an-island/ "Why I Gave Up a $95,000 Job to Move to an Island and Scoop Ice Cream"]—2015 ''[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]]'' article by Noelle Hancock
* [https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/05/checklist-st-john-for-first-timers.html Checklist: St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands] - Stephanie Burt, ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]''
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/realestate/house-hunting-on-st-john-.htm "House Hunting on ... St. John"]—Marcelle S. Fischler, ''The New York Times''
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Saint John, United States Virgin Islands}}
{{EB1911 Poster|St John (island)|Saint John}}
{{Wikivoyage|Saint John (Virgin Islands)|Saint John, United States Virgin Islands}}
* [https://www.census.gov/census2000/usvi.html Census 2000 Data for the U.S. Virgin Islands]

{{U.S. Virgin Islands}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands| ]]
[[Category:Islands of the United States Virgin Islands]]
[[Category:Virgin Islands National Park]]