Safest Neighborhoods For Families?

[dietzele]

well in my opinion no place is safe here. maybe in a gated community or country as they call them here.. I live in a quiet town called Monte Grande about 20 minutes from the airport. At first glance you´d think oh this is a nice quiet suburb..what could possibly go wrong...well a lot. I´ve been robbed once at gun point at my mother-in-law´s house and twice at knife point while walking home, even with my husband next to me. you constantly here about people´s houses being broken into and just yesterday a colleaguetold me his brother was shot during an attempted car jacking when he was parking the car in their garage. this is a mainly middle class area with a nice town center, some really nice houses and several private schools. but still its not safe and unfortunately Ive decided to throw in the towel. I´m a US citizen, but my husband is from here, so we´re just starting the visa process for him to be able to travel back to Florida with me. It´s sad because Argentina does have many great things, but the crime is just out of control for me. maybe it´s normal for others, but I come from a quiet suburb of Orlando and am not used to crime, let a lone violent ones. I even lived in Colombia and Mexico and had no problems. Too bad. But I wish you luck finding something...I´d recommend an apartment with a 24hr doorman to atleast make coming home at night safer if you live in the city.

 

[thanksmister]

I have friends that moved to Pilar outside the city to be safe. Gated communities with 24 hour security and super family friendly. It's definitely a safe are, but a bit suburban if you ask me, even has malls. Seems like most people tend to live in the city here but unless the area is really upscale or your building has solid security, everyone is at risk to some extent. Once you settle in and are not looking like a tourist, you will probably be off the radar of most criminal types.

 

[Gringoboy]

Sorry to say this, but even gated communities have their share of crime.
We lived in one for about four years and house robberies were common. Not violent but opportunistic and usually carried out by or with subcontractors/mucamas.
So in time each car entering and leaving the estate was searched, CCTV was installed, armed guards patrolled the manicured streets and people started to have alarms fitted.

 

[Jaredberryman]

Gated communities are not 100 percent safe. In Capital there are few gated communities. I know of a very nice one in Saavedra that I have been to that seemed fairly safe, and I think there is one in Villa Devoto. Outside of Capital, the safest is by far Nordelta. To get into Nordelta, you have two checkpoints, the first to get in, and the second to get into your neighborhood. At the second, they usually search your car and your trunk if you are not a registered visitor. It's really quite rare to see theft in Nordelta. There were some thieves that tried to rent a house in Nordelta for the purpose of theft, but they were caught. But there is no place 100 percent safe anywhere. Capital is never safe, but it is a large city, and large cities are never safe places anywhere.

 

[trennod]

Seems like most people tend to live in the city here but unless the area is really upscale or your building has solid security, everyone is at risk to some extent. .

Even then that means little, given the frequency of inside jobs. A while ago there was a member of this forum who was renting a luxury apartment in Palermo, thieves somehow entered in to the building and if I remember correctly held him up at gunpoint and took everything of value. Luckily he was unharmed.

Porteros/Encargados/Security can be your worst enemies - never get on their bad side, never give them too much info and never give them a key to your apartment.

 

[mmoon]

If you want to live in the city and not in a gated community or north of General Paz, try Belgrano R. Great connection to the center via train and only 10 short blocks to the D line. We parked our car on the street and never had a problem. Excellent schools, very walkable. Only problem is that it can be hard to find a place because no one seems to ever move!

 

[Gringoboy]

All neighborhoods are not safe here hence why I sleep with a 12 gauge pump action loaded with buckshot, a 9mm 17 shot pistol and a .380 compact all within reach.

I recommend this buckshot below BTW. Turns violet criminals into carne picada fast!

Hey Mr Turkey, do you sleep with all that weaponry by your bed?
See, I couldn't do that as the slightest bump in the dark would probably end up with me shooting myself in the foot.

 

[Splitty]

Don't come near my house unannounced.
Don't tell my girlfriend by when she is not there I sleep with them next to me!

 

[ben milne]

agreed

nowhere is 100% safe

Bella Vista (40km north west of BA,near Hurlingham) is very family oriented and my kids (and the kids in the neighbourhood) cycle or walk the 6 to 10 blocks to school alone

no problems in the 8 years ive lived there but ........

regarding plaza san martin, robberies are very common there

in fact, any common tourist haunts from BK and McD to shopping malls are prime targets

I have seen many attempted robberies in the last 15 years in BA

common sense is always useful e.g handbag etc between your legs or on your lap and nothing in your back pockets

thieves almost always work in groups of at least 2 or 3

apart from the well known accidental coffee, ice cream, mustard, ketchup (or even oil !) spillages to distract you while an accomplice robs you, I have seen some more creative ones

e.g.

someone drops their keys, you leave your seat (and your bag) and try to chase the 'poor' guy, back is gone when you get back

my personal favourite is when two obviously latin american people (holding a tourist map upside down and wearing a watch) ask you what the time is (or whatever question) in crappy english !

in a city full of fluent spanish speakers, to ask a US / European tourist the time in english is a little too obvious, but, if it has never happened to you before, you would probably be polite and answer the question suspecting nothing

 

[funnyk]

I consider one of the safest neighbourhood is Saavedra.I live here, and i always feel safe, non turistic area, with great park, near there is a shopping street, Cabildo. It looks like a province but it is quiet, clean, neighbours know each other for years, no garbage, no homeless people. When i was searching for an apartment, i was looking somewhere in Belgrano, Palermo, Recoleta, but never saw the Saavedra and Coghlan neighbourhoods, they are non popular, but this is a real plus.