This quaint little residential island of just under 500 acres was not purchased from the Danes in 1917 like the surrounding US Virgin Islands. This didn't come until 1944, when it was bought to use as a military installation. It only became a part of the USVI in 1996, despite its stone's-throw distance from Crown Bay on St Thomas, which is only a 10 minute ferry ride away.
Before the devastating storms last year, Water Island had less than 200 residents, and that number is probably much less as many people were forced to abandon St. Thomas and St. John in the wake of Hurricane Irma (days later, Maria would ravage St Croix, before heading on to Puerto Rico).
Rachael's Rentals, Water Island.
There are no vehicles on Water Island, except for a few small trucks here and there for various essential tasks, and no traffic whatsoever, unless you count a few golf carts! We rented one, and tooled around the empty roads past beautiful homes, tropical plants and cactus, until we came to the high side of the island, where the road wanders along a tall cliff overlooking the ocean.