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Well, as you all know I have been thinking about retiring in Costa Rica in the near future.
I was born & raised in Puerto Limon until I was 10 years old, and having lived there as a kid, I thought it was paradise, but we moved to California in 1960.
I went back in 1962 to finish my sixth grade, and visited in 1968 with an student visa, and also went back in 1978 for almost a month.
Since I have family here in California on my mother’s side, and all are from Costa Rica, and all are now American citizens, they have a different angle on Costa Rica.
What they tell me is that I should visit Costa Rica first because it has really changed.
Sure, if you can live in the gated communities separated from the prevalent crime inundating the country, fine.
But that just walking in Avenida Central leaves you open to petty theft to jeopardizing your life.
They made a point of the latter, pointing out to the influx of over a million Nicaraguans that Costa Ricans are beginning to detest, and the problems of Colombians, socialist Chileans and particularly the narco agents that have infested the country from Colombia. In other words, paradise lost.
Needless to say, this is quite distressing to me, and very disturbing.
Here in California, and now living in Orange County, one can see the changes that have happened over the last 20 to 30 years with unchecked illegal immigration.
I have witnessed all this, to the point that just going to Costco is like going to the third world. I’m perplexed and confused as to what to do next.
Of course Costa Rica has changed since 1960. What country hasn’t changed DRAMATICALLY in the last 52 years?
And of course you should visit Costa Rica before deciding to live here. …
Since you haven’t been here for 34 years (!!) you are clearly “assuming” that what you are hearing or reading elsewhere is correct …
“..walking in Avenida Central leaves you open to petty theft to jeopardizing your life.”
I live in San José (Yeah! it’s that bad! :lol:) and I have walked down Avenida Central hundreds of times nearly always with expensive camera gear and have never, ever felt threatened…
And please don’t generalize about the Costa Ricans “beginning to detest” the Nicaraguans who came here to improve their lives… Of course a few of them do but it’s certainly not a widespread sentiment.
Oh! But wait a minute, your family are immigrants, right? Your family may have moved to the U.S. for the same reason so many Nicaraguans came to Costa Rica…. And everybody in California love all the people who have emigrated from Central and Latin America, right?
I am also an immigrant in Costa Rica … A very, very happy one and you couldn’t pay me enough money to live in California.
And “… narco agents that have infested the country from Colombia” ?? Did you read that in the National Enquirer?
The good news is that California is way more bankrupt than Costa Rica and for crime I would like to encourage you to read:
[url=https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/3802.cfm]Worried About Crime in Costa Rica?[/url] Murder rate drops and Costa Rica is still the safest country in Central America and even our most dangerous areas are safer than Washington D.C., St. Louis, Baltimore, Detroit, Newark, Kansas City, Buffalo and Cincinnati …
Scott
[quote=”johnnyh”] Well, as you all know I have been thinking about retiring in Costa Rica in the near future.
What they tell me is that I should visit Costa Rica first because it has really changed. Sure, if you can live in the gated communities separated from the prevalent crime inundating the country, fine. But that just walking in Avenida Central leaves you open to petty theft to jeopardizing your life.
They made a point of the latter, pointing out to the influx of over a million Nicaraguans that Costa Ricans are beginning to detest, and the problems of Colombians, socialist Chileans and particularly the narco agents that have infested the country from Colombia. In other words, paradise lost.
Needless to say, this is quite distressing to me, and very disturbing. [/quote]1 ~ You absolutely should visit before making a decision to move to a “foreign” country.
2 ~ If you believe Gringos who would denigrate anything that doesn’t fit them exactly you are making a poor decision.
3 ~ We lived without fences, bars on windows and an unlocked door for four years here in Ciudad Colon. Our alert system has been a couple of dogs that we salvaged from the streets. Recently we were required by Fuerza Publica to fence our property to keep the dogs from harassing peatones in our dead end street.
4 ~ The Nicas here are no different than the illegal Hispanics in the U.S. If you would tell me that you would not seek a better life with more opportunity I would call you a liar. We lived in areas where Hispanics (legal and illegal) were in the majority and we got to know them and understand where they were coming from. Their hopes for the future were no different than ours.
5 ~ Although we have little occasion to visit San Jose at night, my wife makes almost weekly trips to Hospital San Juan de Dios with shopping afterward. She had her money stolen one time because she carelessly left her purse on a table while ordering a meal. We feel as safe in San Jose as we felt in the LA area.
[quote=”johnnyh”]Here in California, and now living in Orange County, one can see the changes that have happened over the last 20 to 30 years with unchecked illegal immigration.
I have witnessed all this, to the point that just going to Costco is like going to the third world. I’m perplexed and confused as to what to do next.[/quote]From 1989 until I retired in 2007 we lived in Orange and LA counties. Come for a month to three month visit to find out what it is really like here. Everything is changing everywhere but I think at the end of it all “Johnny will come home”.
😀I know that a lot of people choose the central valley for the convenience and shopping but the area around Lake Arenal has a remarkable climate and little crime. We don’t need gated communities to feel safe. Instead, we have neighbors.
Those same attributes apply to many areas in the Central Valley as well. At 4,200 feet, we rarely see temperatures above 78 degrees F or below 60 degrees F.
In seven years, we’ve never had an unpleasant experience, much less been exposed to any crime, and we do not live in a gated community with “guards”, guard dogs, or bars on our windows and doors.
Not having lived around Lake Arenal, I can’t compare directly, but from our home in Grecia, we’re an hour or so from all the amenities that the greater San Jose area has to offer including the best shopping and the best medical care.
Victoria, our friends up near you was robbed on Christmas day a couple of years ago… as were their neighbors, around the same time. So, crime is there, so don’t let your guard down.
[quote=”costaricafinca”]Victoria, our friends up near you was robbed on Christmas day a couple of years ago… as were their neighbors, around the same time. So, crime is there, so don’t let your guard down.[/quote]
Lake Arenal is a big area…in which area do your friends live?
Near Aguacate.
In today’s amcostarica.com it states ” [url=http://www.amcostarica.com/morenews2.htm]Costa Rica leads hemisphere in rate of robberies “[/url]
Just saying, that living in a rural area doesn’t mean that you should be less strident in protecting your property. Neighbors can be thieves, too.
[quote=”costaricafinca”]Near Aguacate.
In today’s amcostarica.com it states ” [url=http://www.amcostarica.com/morenews2.htm]Costa Rica leads hemisphere in rate of robberies “[/url]
Just saying, that living in a rural area doesn’t mean that you should be less strident in protecting your property. Neighbors can be thieves, too.
[/quote]I agree. Crime is everywhere. Better to be safe than sorry. Were your friends actually robbed or was their house burglarized? Robbery is very scary. Did they ever catch them?
Crime is happening everywhere in the world. I think , comparing to other areas in C.R. and to many places on the planet, Lake Arenal is still pretty safe and pura vida. I have been here for 20 years and never had a major problem. 😀
Yup, crime is everywhere. We have an alarm system and a caretaker. And a nice big dog. And neighbors.
Sometimes, I think it is how you treat your Costa Rican neighbors too. If you are just-another-expat with no interest in being part of your local community, you may be at greater risk for crime. Just a thought. Anyone want to comment on the thought?
[quote=”Scott”]Of course Costa Rica has changed since 1960. What country hasn’t changed DRAMATICALLY in the last 52 years?
And of course you should visit Costa Rica before deciding to live here. …
Since you haven’t been here for 34 years (!!) you are clearly “assuming” that what you are hearing or reading elsewhere is correct …
“..walking in Avenida Central leaves you open to petty theft to jeopardizing your life.”
I live in San José (Yeah! it’s that bad! :lol:) and I have walked down Avenida Central hundreds of times nearly always with expensive camera gear and have never, ever felt threatened…
And please don’t generalize about the Costa Ricans “beginning to detest” the Nicaraguans who came here to improve their lives… Of course a few of them do but it’s certainly not a widespread sentiment.
Oh! But wait a minute, your family are immigrants, right? Your family may have moved to the U.S. for the same reason so many Nicaraguans came to Costa Rica…. And everybody in California love all the people who have emigrated from Central and Latin America, right?
I am also an immigrant in Costa Rica … A very, very happy one and you couldn’t pay me enough money to live in California.
And “… narco agents that have infested the country from Colombia” ?? Did you read that in the National Enquirer?
The good news is that California is way more bankrupt than Costa Rica and for crime I would like to encourage you to read:
[url=https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/3802.cfm]Worried About Crime in Costa Rica?[/url] Murder rate drops and Costa Rica is still the safest country in Central America and even our most dangerous areas are safer than Washington D.C., St. Louis, Baltimore, Detroit, Newark, Kansas City, Buffalo and Cincinnati …
Scott
[/quote]
many US cities are and look like war zones…hear a lot about issues w/London and Liverpool,etc in the UK too….
there is a site, endofamericandream and a twin site to it, same guy runs both…..
He got his fame and start by studying and writing on Detroit, Newark,etc and his columns now are all over……
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