How to decide where to live

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
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There seem to be quite a few posters looking for advice on where to live, or those that have already decided, ie have already bought land or a house or a business. Usually the advice they are given by long term posters is wise and comes from experience. However recently there was a lady who was looking to live in Barahona and was told how dangerous it was etc. So I thought I would see if there was any information around as to which part of the country actually did have a bigger drug problem; which part had more buglaries; which had more ex-pat violence etc, so that information could be given based on fact rather than assumption and/or hearsay. I have a farm in Barahona and I wanted to find out if a place I find to be much more tranquil than where I live at the moment, really was that bad.

Unfortunately not a great deal of success!!! However I did find out that in 2007 there were 46 murders in Barahona province, 182 in Santiago and 71 in Puerta Plata province (including Cabarete and Sosua). Totally useless without population stats and those were only available for 2002!!

Anyway I could find nothing on drugs nor expat stats.

So the point of this rambling is to say that I did come across nice documentation on each province which gives a wealth of socio- demographic information which you might find interesting!!

Oficina Nacional de Estad?stica (ONE) :: Perfiles Provinciales

It is all in Spanish but is a good source to find out more about where you might or might not want to live.

Matilda
 

suarezn

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Feb 3, 2002
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I've seen these stats by province somewhere but can't seem to find them now. Anyhow, according to this article Las Provincias Por Dentro: Provincia Santiago Rodr?guez menos violenta de RD (In Spanish) Santiago Rodriguez is the safest province in the whole country (which I can believe since I never heard of anything happen over there).

I was surprised to see that Maria Trinidad Sanchez (Nagua) was the second safest...I would have never thought it to be the case, so Matilda you're right about perception vs. reality.

I was happy to see that my province Sanchez Ramirez (Cotui) came in third.

On the flip side Santo Domingo was the most violent with 414 violent deaths - No Surprise there - followed by The National District with 163 violent deaths. Next are Santiago with 141 and San Cristobal with 84.

Oh and Sabana Perdida is the most violent area in The Santo Domingo province which makes it the most violent in the country. There I thought Capotillo, Las Canitas, Los Guandules would be even more violent...

http://www.hoy.com.do/investigacion/2008/8/17/243924/Sabana-PerdidaEl-mas-violento-sector-de-la-provincia-de-Santo-Domingo

Violent crime increased 22% overall last year. http://www.clavedigital.com/app_pages/Portada/Titulares.aspx?id_Articulo=16160 I see the alcohol curfew is working...Not.
 
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dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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i have read the data for puerto plata only and i already have doubts as to accuracy. number of deaths related to automotive accidents is way too low.

the poverty level for the whole country has shocked me, thou. :ermm:
 

SKing

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Nov 22, 2007
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I can't seem to pull up the link but would like to say that these types of stats you have to take with a grain of salt.
I mean, of course the largest areas are going to have the highest numbers.
SHALENA
 

J D Sauser

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Nov 20, 2004
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www.hispanosuizainvest.com
The thread you mention (Barahona) had more ill faithed ingredients than just the location, including, living in a tent with small to adolescent children, little languages skills (if I remember right), no educational future planning for the children and a double pair of pink colored glasses leading to the believe that things in el campo (country side) had to be all as nice as the poplulation seems at the beginning.

The drug biz has overrun this country from end to end. There is, as far I sense it, not one spot which has had the privilege to be excluded.
Together with it, and especially where local consumtion has picked up too, crime has grown most everywhere.

I think, one has to look at choosing a loocation to live in this country like choosing a car. One has preferences and inclinations (city, town, country side, North-South, coast-mountains... etc just like HP, colors, number of doors, high-low-sporty-utility etc.) and come SEE it and kick the tires.
Not "invest" monies before having test-lived as a tenant for at least 6 months and keep an open. flexible mind.

... J-D.
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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Violent crime increased 22% overall last year. Las muertes violentas se incrementaron 22% este a?o :: CLAVE digital I see the alcohol curfew is working...Not.
That was last year, this is now:

(Be forewarned that the following article contains a typical sensationalist photo - just got to love Dominican journalists, eh?)

Muertes violentas bajan un 13.26% en primeros meses

One thing that should be noted is that the violent death data includes all sorts of voilent death ranging from killings to car accidents, electrocutions to suicides; basically anything that takes someone's life in an instant or near instant. Most people have a tendency to interpret these figures are purely criminal acts. As for why most people tend to associate violent death with crime and only with crime, I guess its paranoia; but there is a thread on that subject in the polls section already.

-NALs
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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I can't seem to pull up the link but would like to say that these types of stats you have to take with a grain of salt.
I mean, of course the largest areas are going to have the highest numbers.
SHALENA
Ditto.

Its good to see that there are still DR1ers with a good head on their shoulders. ;)

-NALs
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
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I can't seem to pull up the link but would like to say that these types of stats you have to take with a grain of salt.
I mean, of course the largest areas are going to have the highest numbers.
SHALENA

That's why I said the data was a bit useless with the same year populations stats!!!

Sorry you couldn't see the link - there is lots more interesting stuff like poverty, education, hospitals etc by DR province. Its the office of ONE - so you could google that in the DR Google and that should pull it up.

matilda
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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if births go unregistered, what about deaths? i did not see any statistics regarding missing persons either...
 

latka

New member
Feb 13, 2009
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WOW. You are talking about murders in a province. Where I live, there were more than 300 homicides last year... and that is the LOWEST rate in more than 20 years!
Looks like the DR is not as dangerous as I'd heard...

OOPS... just noticed the stats for Santo Domingo. Sounds like home! But there are less than a million people living in Detroit nowadays...
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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Santiago Rodriguez. Now there is a place you could live and do fairly okay.

Jes?s!! HB, now that came outta nowheres!!

Well, it's like this: I have been familiar with the town since like hummm, close to 50 years, now and it has a charm of its own.
It is not mainstream
It is rural
It has some modern facilities, like cable and internet
It has real people
It is not all that far from modern health facilities (1:20 to Santiago) or educational facilitles.
It does have a good nun's school for primary and secondary education and access to university education (PUCMM) in Santiago...

There are well educated, fairly cultured people living there.

Yet, it is quiet, once you get off the main street.

Give it a look...Or maybe Monci?n, San Jos? de las Matas or some place similar???

HB
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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WOW. You are talking about murders in a province. Where I live, there were more than 300 homicides last year... and that is the LOWEST rate in more than 20 years!
Looks like the DR is not as dangerous as I'd heard...

OOPS... just noticed the stats for Santo Domingo. Sounds like home! But there are less than a million people living in Detroit nowadays...
You are comparing apples to oranges!

The figures shown are for violent deaths, which includes things like homicides as well as car accident deaths, slipping-and-hitting-your-head-hard-enough-to-die deaths, electrocution deaths (think illegal connections-common), motorcycle accident deaths, etc. As you can see, homicides makes up a part of the figures and with the DR having one of the highest motor vehicle car accident rates in the world, one can't discard the importance of the other factors.

Detroit's homicide rate only includes homicides.

You can't compare one set of data based on one criteria with another set of data based on another criteria.

The results will be fallacious, even though your conclusion is still correct.

-NALs
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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Santiago Rodriguez. Now there is a place you could live and do fairly okay.

Jes?s!! HB, now that came outta nowheres!!

Well, it's like this: I have been familiar with the town since like hummm, close to 50 years, now and it has a charm of its own.
It is not mainstream
It is rural
It has some modern facilities, like cable and internet
It has real people
It is not all that far from modern health facilities (1:20 to Santiago) or educational facilitles.
It does have a good nun's school for primary and secondary education and access to university education (PUCMM) in Santiago...

There are well educated, fairly cultured people living there.

Yet, it is quiet, once you get off the main street.

Give it a look...Or maybe Monci?n, San Jos? de las Matas or some place similar???

HB
Why would anyone want the place to be ruined?

With publicity comes all sorts of people trying to get away from the craziness. This includes people who seem to attract the craziness where ever they are!

-NALs
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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You are comparing apples to oranges!

........

The results will be fallacious, even though your conclusion is still correct.

-NALs
Speaking of fallacious

Detroit's stats are probably more accurate then any available in the DR.
The DR is well known for it's LACK OF FACTUAL stats !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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Speaking of fallacious

Detroit's stats are probably more accurate then any available in the DR.
The DR is well known for it's LACK OF FACTUAL stats !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No one on DR1 questioned the validity of those stats when they showed a marked increase in crime starting in '96. But once the figures began to decline circa 2006, suddenly everyone is 'dubious' on them.

In 2004-2005, the stats showed the DR economy was in crisis and no one questioned them, in fact the term "take your medicine" was quite popular on DR1. Once the stats began to show a recovery, suddenly they were "unreliable" among the DR1 crowd.

Its quite funny how the DR1 collective mind functions.

-NALs
 

donP

Newbie
Dec 14, 2008
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Up on a high level already

the figures began to decline circa 2006

Violent deaths (= homocides + legal actions by the authorities) in 2006: 2,144

In 2007: 2,111 (down 1.54 % :tired: )
In 2007 incl. Sept.: 1,487
In 2008 incl. Sept.: 1,807 (up 21.5%, a figure which was also reported in the press)

Me thinks 2008 will be a record year...
But then, they are still working on the statistics. :cheeky:
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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No one on DR1 questioned the validity of those stats when they showed a marked increase in crime starting in '96. But once the figures began to decline circa 2006, suddenly everyone is 'dubious' on them.

In 2004-2005, the stats showed the DR economy was in crisis and no one questioned them, in fact the term "take your medicine" was quite popular on DR1. Once the stats began to show a recovery, suddenly they were "unreliable" among the DR1 crowd.

Its quite funny how the DR1 collective mind functions.

-NALs

Yeah NALs, once the stats got to the "incredible level" they did something about it.
Less reporting of actual crime, means better stats.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

How many DR1ers can say they DON'T KNOW of any un-reported crime in the DR?

How many DR1ers can say they DO KNOW of any un-reported crime in their home country (Besides the DR)?

(For purposes of this poll, minor, minor shyte crime does not count)

... then, calculate the stats on those responses!