I have heard it is very Americanized . Is this true or do you still feel you are away like on the BVI's?

Thank you

Simply FYI, there is no "s" in St John. Otherwise one may think you are speaking of a town in Antigua.

And to answer the question, IMHO opinion, I do not feel as if St John is "Americanized". Still lots of small local shops & restaurants. STJ is also 70% national park, so even with lots of construction around the island, it will always have a pristine feel to it.

To me, places that are major league "Americanized" are Grand Cayman & Aruba.

I guess that all depends on what you mean by "Americanized". There are many folks from the mainland that now make their home there as well as many college aged folks doing a short stint and working there.

I would say that it lacks the West Indian culture of say, Jamaica or St Lucia. There are still plenty of West Indian food places. The only chain restaurant was Subway and that is no longer there. It also feels like you are "away" like The BVI's. You still have to work a little to get there. St John offers the same topography and stunning views as The BVI's. You don't have to go far at all to get away from "town". The beaches are plentiful, stunning and uncrowded.

I kind of like that they have a Chelsea Drugs and a few food markets available.

I hear complaints both ways e.g. that it is too "Americanized" and also that it is not what Americans expect out of a national territory which should be abiding by the same legal system and protections. If your concern is that you won't feel like you're 'out of the country' then you may find STJ a bit too comfortable. STJ has most modern conveniences easily accessible and that legal and social expectations are pretty much the same as back home which is what I think of when I think "Americanized." It's got ATM's, well-stocked drug stores, some gourmet food stores, really expensive restaurants, high-end luxury villa, a rowdy bar or two, local ding-bats. But it still doesn't have anything that runs 24 hours, no drive-thru's, no big store shopping. Only has two resorts and a handful of small inns. Everything runs on "island time" and never a "New York minute." For example, I don't feel France is Americanized because their odd store hours and two hour lunch breaks are just kind of inconvenient to my American sensibilities. I do find Hong Kong Americanized because I can find a restaurant open just about any time day or night. You can pretty much find anything you want just about anytime you want it. STJ is as convenient or as remote as you want it to be. IMO, its attraction is that it has this wide range.

I like St. John but it Americanized compared to St. Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, etc. But, you feel you are truly on vacacation in a beautiful envirnment with turquiose waters, still very good snorkeling, very good weather most of the year and on St. John should something go wrong a fully staffed hospital on St. Thomas is 20+ minutes away by ambulette boat and that is not the case on the islands I mentioned above. I am not a dooms-sayer but you are covered in all respects as well as being 3+ hours from Miamiand 4 hrs. from NYC.