Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands is the main town on the island of Saint John in the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

. According to the 2000 census, Cruz Bay had a population of 2,743.

Community

Cruz Bay, located on the west coast of Saint John, is the island's largest commercial center and the location of the main port on Saint John. The primary access to Saint John is through Cruz Bay Harbor. Frequent barge and

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

, including car ferry, service connects Saint John to the neighboring more-developed island of Saint Thomas. Ferries also run regularly between Cruz Bay and

Tortola Tortola () is the largest and most populated island of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It has a surface area of with a total population of 23,908, with 9,400 residents in ...

Virgin Gorda Virgin Gorda () is the third-largest island (after Tortola and Anegada) and second-most populous of the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Geography Located at about 18 degrees, 48 minutes North, and 64 degrees, 30 minutes West, it covers an area ...

, and

Jost Van Dyke Jost Van Dyke (; sometimes colloquially referred to as JVD or Jost) is the smallest of the four main islands of the British Virgin Islands, measuring roughly . It rests in the northern portion of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands, loca ...

in the

British Virgin Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = Territorial song , song = "Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands" , image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg , map_caption = , mapsize = 290px , image_map2 = Brit ...

. Cruz Bay is home to numerous shops and restaurants which are frequented by tourists and locals alike. The

Virgin Islands National Park The Virgin Islands National Park is an American national park preserving about 60% of the land area of Saint John in the United States Virgin Islands, as well as more than of adjacent ocean, and nearly all of Hassel Island, just off the Char ...

Visitor Center, the Elaine Sprauve Library, and a United States Post Office are also located in Cruz Bay. Cruz Bay beach is lined with beach bars and shops. There is also a casino. The beach has soft white sand, a designated swimming area, and space for day boaters to anchor. The National Park Service has its headquarters near the waterfront in Cruz Bay as does U.S. Customs and Immigration. The Cruz Bay Town Historic District was listed on the

U.S. National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2016.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system, Cruz Bay has a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...

, abbreviated "Am" on climate maps. On 31 July 1988, Cruz Bay recorded a temperature of , which is the highest temperature to have ever been recorded in the United States Virgin Islands.

Gallery

Image:Landing pier at Cruz Bay, Saint John, United States Virgin Islands 5-28-2008 12-33-25.jpg, Landing pier at Cruz Bay. Image:Cruz Bay, Saint John; United States Virgin Islands.jpg, Cruz Bay Image:St John Cruz Bay 1.jpg, Cruz Bay File:ConchBlowerSTJ.jpg, Conch Blower statue, Franklin Powell Park

References

External links

Cruz Bay Visitor Center
– Official site {{Coord, 18, 20, N, 64, 44, W, source:svwiki_region:VI, display=title Populated places in Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands National Register of Historic Places in the United States Virgin Islands Towns in the United States Virgin Islands Sub-districts of Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands