i see a lot of questions answered as to where to live..... however, i would like to know areas to avoid.... i am going to be looking for a long term rental would rather have a general idea where to stay away from....


any suggestions would be much appreciated...

It all depends on how old you are, your interests, if family oriented or single visiting, luxury and or service expectations, weather expectations!!! etc!...however and as regular middle class "tico" I hate to live in the central valley area where crime is an every day thing!...car thefts, house theft...this is also every where in the world I know, but if you can avoid the central valley do it!...it's ok to visit!...the beach areas are fine however if like humidity, just make sure you choose the right beach area for your convenience...ex jaco is super touristy some people like, others won't!!!....atenas, grecia, san ramon, esparza towns are real and decent size towns with all services available for a decent lifestyle and different types of weather ranging from cool breeze to hot and humid!...Try checking www.maptak.com to see the towns i mentioned and to have a better idea of the locations!!!
Good luck...e-mail me at crrcr79@yahoo.com if you have any questions about CR.!

thanks caly for the reply....

i am from florida, usa, 6' 275lbs will be travelling with a couple of friends at different times....... as for crime goes, the main crime that concerns me is violent crime with weapons of some sort, whether it be bats, sticks, knives, guns etc.....

robbery is a concern, but not a primary concern....

i prefer to be more centrally located to various activities of the country, not wanting to live ocean/mountain only, but some where i can travel to for a visit and return to my rental and find it still there.

hope that helps to clarify but will probably make the effort more difficult to find some where perfect......

maybe el tigre?

got you!... I'm 26, married and a 3 year old daughter--I work in San Jose but manage to go out of the city on my days off w/out a problem...from Central valley you can go almost anywhere like volcanoes, beach areas, etc!!!!!...so for you and friends Heredia city or Sabanilla town or San Pedro where the malls and major university, clubs, etc are just min. away...... The central valley is just fine to rent an apartment and use it as a base for travelling around the country w/out a problem! cause in and out the central valley is easy to go around taking cabs or buses during the day, at night just try to avoid walking around places you are not familiar yet with...also 1:30 to jaco beach, 3:10 to manuel antonio beach, 5 hours to Guancaste beaches, 3h. to san carlos and volcan arenal area, poas volcano in Alajuela city just 1:15 min. away!!!!canopys, fishing and national parks in jaco area the closest place to go, also the aerial tram is like 40 min. from San Jose!....so basically you'll be just fine renting an apt. in Central valley!....a decent place maybe 2 rooms can go from like $300 to $800 a month in those towns I mentioned!....

caly, you're time and effort in responding to my questions is much appreciated.....

will definitely follow up on your information...

thanks

Hi Starslidr,

agree with the town suggestions;
Jaco has some serious drug and crime problems due to growing quickly and next to no police. I would not want to live in San Jose, Escazu, too crowded and congested, Upala and La Cruz, they have difficulties being close to the border.

I live in San Jose de la Montana, above Barva de Heredia, you can see it at
www.dearbetty.com

The advantages here are many, it's a very safe, quiet, peaceful little village, we are behind 2 locked gates at night, we have cooler temps making it easier to sleep, we have some of the best water and air on the planet, the view is awesome, the people are terrific and it is close enough to town to get to shopping and services.

love it,
Dianne

My wife and I plan to move to CR early next year. We will not be able to make a trip to investigate before we take off. We want to rent for at least a year.
Does anyone have any comments about the Carago area? Are services ( shopping-medical ) available near by?

Thanks
LK

Do you mean Cartago? If that's what you meant, that's a nice area too. Grecia, Atenas, and Heredia are all my favorite areas personally...


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