Moving To American Samoa - Where to Live
3 Comments Published by P-Daddy on Wednesday, October 01, 2008 at 9:38 AM.
As a service to those contemplating a move to American Samoa, here's just a couple of pointers.
Part 1. Picking a neighborhood
Part 2. Housing, Jobs, Church, School & Taxes.
Part 3. Language, Weather, Health Care, Transportation, Entertainment, & Recreation.
Part 4. The bad part about living in paradise.
Picking a neighborhood.
AmSam doesn't really have neighborhoods like you may be accustomed to in the States. Rather, we have villages, hundreds of them. In fact, they're more like really, really small counties. Every piece of land in AmSam is controlled by a village. There are no subdivisions. And since most of the land is communal land (owned by the Samoan family/aiga), Fee Simple title which can be owned by non-Samoans is extremely rare. So don't even consider the idea of buying a house. Just understand and deal with the fact that you'll be renting.
There are two sides of the island: East and West. Separating the two is the Pago Pago harbor. Most businesses are located either (1) adjacent to the harbor or (2) in the Tafuna plain (Central Westside). Most palagis (ex-pats) choose to live in the Tafuna plain. Popular villages in the Tafuna plain are Ottoville, Ili'Ili, Nuuuli, and of course, Tafuna.
Your employer may include a house, or a housing stipend, for your stay. Many government employees are housed at the Lions Park complex, located in Tafuna, next to the lagoon. These houses are basic living quarters with no frills. Most of those individuals which live in this complex are young, single, and don't mind rooming with a couple hundred geckos. Most long-term government employees tend to find other places to live.
Commuting is generally not a problem. Traffic flows rather smoothly on most days, though mornings and afternoons (especially Friday afternoons) can get a bit hectic at times. Riding a bicycle is fairly dangerous as our roads are not smooth, not well lit at night, and our drivers are not bicycle friendly. Our island has one main road that runs east to west. It is a two-lane road, with a speed limit of 30 mph.
If you decide to live on the East side of the island, understand that you may spend thirty minutes commuting to Utulei (government office building) or one hour commuting to Tafuna. It's a small island, but our traffic moves smoothly, yet slowly.
House burglaries are a problem. Since no place is perfectly secure, use common sense when searching for a home. You may want to also get a dog for security. For some reason, many Samoan burglars are scared of indoor dogs. Some burglars are not.
Some villages also practice an evening Sa... or time of prayer/worship. During this time, village residents are not permitted to leave their house. Also, you may not be permitted to enter your house. No walking, jogging, loud music, etc. You simply stop where you are, chill out for ten minutes, and then resume normal activities when the bell rings. Some villages which adhere to Sa are Ili'Ili, Faleniu, and Fagatogo. For many palagis, this is an invasion of their freedom, and they can't deal with it. Others find it a relaxing change of pace.
Communal versus individual land. Several residents which reside on communal land are expected to give money to various local family functions. While most Samoans give palagis a "free pass" on their lack of knowledge regarding Samoan customs, some villages are more blunt and forceful. If you live on communal land, you may be expected to contribute money to various family events such as funerals, or other special occasions. Normally, you don't have to deal with these issues if you live on government land, individual land, or in an apartment.
Apartments.
There are very few apartment complexes on our island. Star's apartments in Ili'ili and Tumus apartments in Ottoville are the only two complexes I can think of, off the top of my head. Both complexes have about 12 units. There are, however, several homes which offer "mother in law suites" or apartments to guests. Many times a family will live in a portion of the house (downstairs) and rent the other portion of the house. Normally, in these circumstances, you would still have your own kitchen, living room, etc. (There are also units at Freddie's Beach in Fogagogo, though many of these are leased by the Dep't of Education.)
The best place to check for housing is the Samoa News. However, as a rule of thumb on the island, the best homes are never advertised. You'll likely find a better place within a couple of months on the island. Thus, if you find an initial starter house, make sure you agree to a short term lease, as you'll likely find a better location within a few months.
Part 1. Picking a neighborhood
Part 2. Housing, Jobs, Church, School & Taxes.
Part 3. Language, Weather, Health Care, Transportation, Entertainment, & Recreation.
Part 4. The bad part about living in paradise.
Part 1. Picking a neighborhood
Part 2. Housing, Jobs, Church, School & Taxes.
Part 3. Language, Weather, Health Care, Transportation, Entertainment, & Recreation.
Part 4. The bad part about living in paradise.
Picking a neighborhood.
AmSam doesn't really have neighborhoods like you may be accustomed to in the States. Rather, we have villages, hundreds of them. In fact, they're more like really, really small counties. Every piece of land in AmSam is controlled by a village. There are no subdivisions. And since most of the land is communal land (owned by the Samoan family/aiga), Fee Simple title which can be owned by non-Samoans is extremely rare. So don't even consider the idea of buying a house. Just understand and deal with the fact that you'll be renting.
There are two sides of the island: East and West. Separating the two is the Pago Pago harbor. Most businesses are located either (1) adjacent to the harbor or (2) in the Tafuna plain (Central Westside). Most palagis (ex-pats) choose to live in the Tafuna plain. Popular villages in the Tafuna plain are Ottoville, Ili'Ili, Nuuuli, and of course, Tafuna.
Your employer may include a house, or a housing stipend, for your stay. Many government employees are housed at the Lions Park complex, located in Tafuna, next to the lagoon. These houses are basic living quarters with no frills. Most of those individuals which live in this complex are young, single, and don't mind rooming with a couple hundred geckos. Most long-term government employees tend to find other places to live.
Commuting is generally not a problem. Traffic flows rather smoothly on most days, though mornings and afternoons (especially Friday afternoons) can get a bit hectic at times. Riding a bicycle is fairly dangerous as our roads are not smooth, not well lit at night, and our drivers are not bicycle friendly. Our island has one main road that runs east to west. It is a two-lane road, with a speed limit of 30 mph.
If you decide to live on the East side of the island, understand that you may spend thirty minutes commuting to Utulei (government office building) or one hour commuting to Tafuna. It's a small island, but our traffic moves smoothly, yet slowly.
House burglaries are a problem. Since no place is perfectly secure, use common sense when searching for a home. You may want to also get a dog for security. For some reason, many Samoan burglars are scared of indoor dogs. Some burglars are not.
Some villages also practice an evening Sa... or time of prayer/worship. During this time, village residents are not permitted to leave their house. Also, you may not be permitted to enter your house. No walking, jogging, loud music, etc. You simply stop where you are, chill out for ten minutes, and then resume normal activities when the bell rings. Some villages which adhere to Sa are Ili'Ili, Faleniu, and Fagatogo. For many palagis, this is an invasion of their freedom, and they can't deal with it. Others find it a relaxing change of pace.
Communal versus individual land. Several residents which reside on communal land are expected to give money to various local family functions. While most Samoans give palagis a "free pass" on their lack of knowledge regarding Samoan customs, some villages are more blunt and forceful. If you live on communal land, you may be expected to contribute money to various family events such as funerals, or other special occasions. Normally, you don't have to deal with these issues if you live on government land, individual land, or in an apartment.
Apartments.
There are very few apartment complexes on our island. Star's apartments in Ili'ili and Tumus apartments in Ottoville are the only two complexes I can think of, off the top of my head. Both complexes have about 12 units. There are, however, several homes which offer "mother in law suites" or apartments to guests. Many times a family will live in a portion of the house (downstairs) and rent the other portion of the house. Normally, in these circumstances, you would still have your own kitchen, living room, etc. (There are also units at Freddie's Beach in Fogagogo, though many of these are leased by the Dep't of Education.)
The best place to check for housing is the Samoa News. However, as a rule of thumb on the island, the best homes are never advertised. You'll likely find a better place within a couple of months on the island. Thus, if you find an initial starter house, make sure you agree to a short term lease, as you'll likely find a better location within a few months.
Part 1. Picking a neighborhood
Part 2. Housing, Jobs, Church, School & Taxes.
Part 3. Language, Weather, Health Care, Transportation, Entertainment, & Recreation.
Part 4. The bad part about living in paradise.
thanks for this info, altho it doesn't solve our housing problem, it does confirm our frustration in being unable to find clean, livable housing...now if i could only figure out where freddies beach is... this is a great blog for us/well me, the stay at home(?) wife - thank you.
Linda. No one ever "solves" a housing problem in AmSam. That said, there are plenty of "clean, livable" houses... you just have to adjust your standards slightly. It's not as if we're all living on dirt floors.
Freddie's Beach is a compilation of apartments located adjacent to the Maliu Mai beach resort in Fogagogo. The apartments have a small pool (sometimes with a working filter) and are on the water. These apartments are usually reserved for DOE and other government employees.
The only negatives associated with Freddies are its proximity to a nightclub (now known as "Tap's"), they apartments are a little small (but what can you expect for an apartment?) and the apts lack louvered windows, thus the reliance on expensive air conditioning during the less-windy months.
HI MY NAME IS MAHINA AND i HAVE A HOUSE SITTING OVER THERE IN AM.SAMOA NOBODY IS LEAVING IN. sO i WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOUR FAMILY TAKE OVER THE HOUSE AND ITS A BIG HOUSE AND ITS CLOSE TO THE WATER WHERE YOUR FAMILY WILL LOVE. pEOPLE FROM THE VILLAGE ARE GOOD PEOPLE TOO. SO EMAIL ME SO I CAN MAKE ARRANGEMENT FOR YOU N THE FAMILY. mahina620@yahoo.com Good luck!