Charlotte Amalie (/ˈʃɑːrlət əˈmɑːli(ə)/ SHAR-lət ə-MAH-lee(-ə); Danish: [ʃɑˈlʌtʰə ɑˈmɑːljə]),[3] located in Saint Thomas, is the historical capital and largest town of the U. S. Virgin Islands.

However, it has boundaries defined by the Virgin Islands Code, and it is recognized as a town or census-designated place (CDP) by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Frenchtown is a distinctive neighborhood and fishing community within the town limits of Charlotte Amalie, located southwest of downtown and just south of Highway 30.

Originally settled by French immigrants from the island of Saint-Barthélemy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it has retained a strong French-Caribbean influence that is evident in its traditions, cuisine, and way of life.

As a result, St. Thomas remained unprotected by the Spanish for many years, which left Charlotte Amalie's sheltered coves to be frequented by pirates, like Blackbeard, as well as mariners and other European settlers.

[12] The Danish West India Company chartered Charlotte Amalie in 1671 after King Christian V decided to secure them for plantations.

As early as in 1672, the Danish government began the construction of Fort Christian on Saint Thomas Harbor in Charlotte Amalie.

The Danish government supplied convicts to work the plantations but soon allowed colonists from neighboring islands to settle there, as well as to permit the importation of slaves from Africa.

[13] Adjacent Water and Buck Islands served as pasture lands for the town, and Taphus was renamed Charlotte Amalie in 1691 after King Christian V's wife.

In the early 18th century, more than 3000 white settlers lived in town, and sugar production and slave trading were the economic mainstay.

After the Danish government wanted direct administration of the archipelago in 1754, the capital was moved from Charlotte Amalie to Christiansted on the Island of Saint Croix.

The town prospered as a free port and United States, Danish, Sephardic, German, French, British, Italian and Spanish importing houses operated here.

[15] A growing share of the West Indian trade passed through the port in the beginning of the 1800s, and the rise of steamships made Charlotte Amalie an ideal coaling station for ships sailing between North- and South America.

Neighboring islands gradually began importing coal directly from producers, and Charlotte Amalie was sidestepped in trade in the early 1800s.

During the American Civil War in the early 1860s, the town evolved into a smuggling center for ships running the federal blockade of ports in the Confederacy.

As an acknowledgment of the port's smuggling success, the Danish government decided to move the capital of the archipelago back to Charlotte Amalie in 1871.

During the last half of the century, Charlotte Amalie experienced extraordinary economic growth, largely as a consequence of being a U.S. territory with a growing U.S. tourism.

The red walls of the Danish Fort Christian and the open space of Emancipation Garden and the Vendor's Market are the center of downtown.

To the west, spanning the area between Waterfront Dr and Dronningens Gade (Main Street), are a score of alleys, each lined with colonial warehouse buildings that have been turned into stores and urban malls.

While Charlotte Amalie does have a lengthy wet season, outside the months of September through November, the town generally does not see the heavy precipitation that is prevalent in many other cities with a tropical climate.

Saint Thomas is home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the Western Hemisphere as Sephardic Jews began to settle the island in the 18th century as traders and merchants.

[28] Tourist attractions include Blackbeard's Castle which is one of the most visited attractions in the town,[29] Bluebeard's Castle, 17th-century Fort Christian, the green and distinctive Legislature Building, the 99 Steps Stairway, Emancipation Garden, Market Square, Seven Arches Museum, St. Thomas Synagogue, Frederick Lutheran Church, and the Weibel Museum.

Once the site of the biggest slave market auctions in the Caribbean Basin, today it is an open-air cluster of stalls where resident farmers and gardeners gather occasionally to sell their produce.

The Danes left castles, cemeteries, churches, forts, town homes, sugar mills and plantation houses that are still standing.

It has also been used for soccer, football, boxing, wrestling, high school sports, and community events, making it an important recreational space for the island.

This VITRAN service include door-to-door or curb-to-curb transport and advanced reservation systems at half the price of the fixed path transist.

Some of the major highways and roads include: Charlotte Amalie is renowned for its numerous historic staircases (or “step streets”), which are a unique feature of the town's architectural and cultural heritage.

The 45 step streets,[38] in total, date back to the Danish colonial era and were originally built to help residents and visitors navigate the steep hills of the town.

The steps reflect the ingenuity of Danish urban planning during colonial times, allowing for the development of a town in a challenging, hilly environment.

The historic steps are not only a functional part of the town’s layout but also an enduring symbol of the architectural ingenuity and cultural legacy of Charlotte Amalie.