Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands is the main

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) on the island of Saint John in the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...

. It is the fourth largest town or

(CDP) in the

U.S. Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...

(after Charlotte Amalie, Anna's Retreat, and Charlotte Amalie West). According to the 2020 census, Cruz Bay had a population of 2,772.

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 boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

, 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, 30 minutes North, and 64 degrees, 30 minutes West, it covers an area o ...

, and Jost Van Dyke in the

British Virgin Islands The British Virgin Islands (BVI), officially the Virgin Islands, are a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands and north-west ...

. Cruz Bay is home to numerous shops and restaurants which are frequented by

tourists Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

and locals alike. The

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

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 sites, buildings, structures, districts, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2016.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

system, Cruz Bay has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

, abbreviated ''Aw'' 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.

Demographics

2020 Census

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 {{Authority control 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