Safest places for women to live

[Principessa]

I'm an east coast kind of girl myself, and I also am affected by the seasons. I vote for Delaware, they have no sales tax! :smile:
Charleston, SC is a lovely town and has nice suburbs. I've never been to Savannah but I understand it too is quite lovely. Oh and lest we forget Norfolk, VA with it's constant supply of cute sailors to entertain you. :tongue: My only caution is that the south east can get tornadoes in the spring and ice storms rather than blizzards in the winter.
njqt466

Must factor in sunlight/climate. I can't live somewhere dark and gloomy. Pittsburgh winters drove me to the brink of insanity. I've thought about moving back to Chicago but if I do, i'm purchasing a UV lamp. As they say, i'm seasonally affected.
I've become quite fond of the east coast topography and climate. The weather in Delaware is moderate due to the closeness in proximity to the coast. Simply put, i'm spoiled.

 

[ClaireTalon]

I could hire you as my personal assistant, but that'd require you to learn the use of arcane scientific text editors and mathematics typesetting. If you're willing to do that, we can have a lot of fun during the rest of the time.

If that's not what you looking for, you should probably test Europe. Scandinavia has the advantage that nearly everyone there speaks English, the TV flicks are subtitled only if they're in English. For the rest of that continent, it'd be better to learn the local language, I'm at my second right now.

And for the rest of the world, I think Australia as well as some Asian countries. But don't go to Asia if you're exceptionally tall. Other than that, I can't think of more safe places; you can still move to Colombia or other South American countries, but you had to stick with the housing districts for diplomats and other foreigners then, where there's special security.

My new job fell through and i've decided to throw out my resume to the wind and see where it will lead me. Unless I get lucky soon, the opportunities in my area are few, thus the great possibility of relocation is welcome, even if it means jumping over the pond. That said, i've been researching the safest areas in other countries for single women to live but finding solid information is trickier than I expected.

Some countries/regions should obviously be avoided like certain Middle East and Columbia, but i'd like to hear from those who have traveled far and wide. What are the safests areas in other countries you've explored and what areas should a single woman avoid?

 

[Lordpendragon]

Well, the obvious answer is with me MB :redface:

However, sadly Northern Europe and Scandinavia are out because of the weather. Also central and Eastern Europe have cold cold winters. Big towns around the Med are all a little dangerous, as are Paris and London - though of course you can manage your risks down.

Japan, Korea (obvious downside :biggrin1: ), Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand are all pretty safe (so is Vietnam) - though in all honesty I wouldn't wish to be an expat where you stick out too obviously and can only be part of an expat community - fine for short work stints for the life experience, but not for me personally in the long term. Singapore would be the most tempting.

Aus and New Zealand are well worth a serious look and work would be easier to find than somewhere like Italy and Spain. I like the Middle East and North Africa a lot - marakesch is a must for anyone with an eye for design. Just don't know how easy job ops are.

There are some great UK expat websites - UK Google expat community, you will find them.

x

 

[swordfishME]

That's why I mentioned certain areas. Egypt and Jordan are probably fine, unlike Iraq or Sudan. But that's why I threw the question out for discussion. I'm looking for specifics and since you're a resident, you would know better than most. Anything you can tell me would be much appreciated.

Depends on what field you want to work in. Egypt and Jordan are good but trust me you will have better prospects in the United Arab Emirates (Dubai), Bahrian and Qatar. The standard of living is excellent. (You can be one of the high-salaried, no-talent white people that the Asian populations of these countries love to complain about).

The weather is pleasent October-March but it gets over 50 degreees in July and August. In Dubai and Qatar you can pretty much find a job in any field of your choosing, in Bahrain you have to work in the financial sector or the now-growing hospitality indsutry.

Countries to avoid by all means inculde Iraq (we messed that country up for atleast the next 30-40 years), Saudia Arabia (a pretty safe country but unless you like doing nothing but going to work and then sitting at home don't move there) and Oman (to at I me it is the most traditional of the MEastern Countries).

 

[Ethyl]

:biggrin1:

Spoiled by east coast weather...wow! You want sunshine and warmth....move to Texas!...OK....not the safest place, statistically speaking, but you can carry your own gun here. How much safer do you want?....k....prolly not very convincing.....think about nekid pics wearing only your gun holster....with a big magnum 45 sliding into that holster......did I mention our 60 deg and sunshine January days?

Actually, in the US I'd move to Portland, Or. Overseas...Copenhagen....I love Copenhagen!

I like Texas but don't know that I want to live there. I've spent time in Austin and San Antonio, both are rich in culture and very appealing on that level. The topography is flat as a pancake but that's the midwest for you, aside from the Ozarks. I have friends in the area, which is a plus.

Copenhagen is wonderful although it's been over a decade since I last visited. A mecca of design so it's right up my alley (one of the reasons you love it so much, I take it?). Cost of living is kinda high (exchange rate is .18 to the dollar). Something to ponder.

I'm an east coast kind of girl myself, and I also am affected by the seasons. I vote for Delaware, they have no sales tax! :smile:

So you're telling me to stay where I am? :biggrin1: I've thought about moving to Philadelphia but i'd have to pull in more bucks to survive being taxed to death.

Charleston, SC is a lovely town and has nice suburbs. I've never been to Savannah but I understand it too is quite lovely. Oh and lest we forget Norfolk, VA with it's constant supply of cute sailors to entertain you. :tongue: My only caution is that the south east can get tornadoes in the spring and ice storms rather than blizzards in the winter.
njqt466

I lived in Charlottesville for a couple years and liked it tremendously. West Virginia is beautiful but the locals make it a rather insular environment. A good friend has mentioned Charleston, SC as a possibility.

I could hire you as my personal assistant, but that'd require you to learn the use of arcane scientific text editors and mathematics typesetting. If you're willing to do that, we can have a lot of fun during the rest of the time.

I've toyed with the idea of moving back to the west coast. Most of my extended family resides there and the Bay Area will always be home to me. Only drawbacks for me are that the cost of living is absurdly high and it's congested. I love that you can frolic in the mountains and be sitting at the opera within the span of an hour or less. There's no place quite like it.
As to the typesetting and text editors, it's something I could learn to do but i'd rather help you find a way to hang photos of more hot men on the walls in your apartment. :biggrin1:

Well, the obvious answer is with me MB :redface:

Let me know when you secure that clipper ship, then we'll talk.

However, sadly Northern Europe and Scandinavia are out because of the weather. Also central and Eastern Europe have cold cold winters. Big towns around the Med are all a little dangerous, as are Paris and London - though of course you can manage your risks down.

I can't imagine Paris or London being more dangerous than living in Philly, DC or NYC. If I can avoid trouble with the crackheads on the Loop in Chicago, i'll probably fare well in most European cities. I was this close to being mugged last year in downtown Wilmington but thinking on my feet saved me.

Japan, Korea (obvious downside :biggrin1: ), Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand are all pretty safe (so is Vietnam) - though in all honesty I wouldn't wish to be an expat where you stick out too obviously and can only be part of an expat community - fine for short work stints for the life experience, but not for me personally in the long term. Singapore would be the most tempting.

Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore are all very tempting. Always wanted to visit the far east. Maybe now is the best time.

Aus and New Zealand are well worth a serious look and work would be easier to find than somewhere like Italy and Spain. I like the Middle East and North Africa a lot - marakesch is a must for anyone with an eye for design. Just don't know how easy job ops are.

I'm also using every contact I have with the granite and marble industry in Italy. Haven't heard back from anyone yet.

Depends on what field you want to work in. Egypt and Jordan are good but trust me you will have better prospects in the United Arab Emirates (Dubai), Bahrian and Qatar. The standard of living is excellent. (You can be one of the high-salaried, no-talent white people that the Asian populations of these countries love to complain about).

At this point, it sounds infinitely better than being highly talented and underpaid.

The weather is pleasent October-March but it gets over 50 degreees in July and August. In Dubai and Qatar you can pretty much find a job in any field of your choosing, in Bahrain you have to work in the financial sector or the now-growing hospitality indsutry.

Countries to avoid by all means inculde Iraq (we messed that country up for atleast the next 30-40 years), Saudia Arabia (a pretty safe country but unless you like doing nothing but going to work and then sitting at home don't move there) and Oman (to at I me it is the most traditional of the MEastern Countries).

Definitely food for thought. Thank you for sharing. :smile:

 

[ClaireTalon]

Forget hanging pics of men on my walls, here's the deal: You get my couch, and we can go prowling for guys every night. Travis AFB is not far away, we can go hunting there. Forget the sailors, flyboys are the real deal ;-) And as for cars, which one do you want: The Mustang, or the Audi?

Regarding Europe, have you ever tried the outlying islands, like Tenerife? I heard the climate is most pleasurable there around the year, and especially tourism and the supporting industries are still growing there.

 

[Ethyl]

Forget hanging pics of men on my walls, here's the deal: You get my couch, and we can go prowling for guys every night. Travis AFB is not far away, we can go hunting there. Forget the sailors, flyboys are the real deal ;-) And as for cars, which one do you want: The Mustang, or the Audi?

Hehehe. I'll bring my Mazda unless parking is a problem. If that's the case, then i'll probably borrow the Audi.

Regarding Europe, have you ever tried the outlying islands, like Tenerife? I heard the climate is most pleasurable there around the year, and especially tourism and the supporting industries are still growing there.

Daverock has sung the praises of his beloved residence enough to make me curious. I'll probably talk to him at length about it in PM.

 

[dongalong]

Sorry to hear about your job falling through but it's a good idea to discover new horizons, go for it!
If you are still considering Europe, I can recommend Portugal - what a lovely place. It isn't very well known but the food is great, the wine is good the weather lovely and cost of living low. I always thought that Portugal was one of the poorer European nations, but their standard of living seemed higher to me!
If you'd like to live in Paris, one of the reasons I chose the 15th District (SW Paris) is because it is full of women! There isn't a main train line through it which comes from the car burning, rough suburbs so it is considered to be one of the safest parts of Paris.

 

[No_Strings]

Any southern european/mediterranean country, I'd say a single female has a better social standing then anywhere else I know of (not that I know particularly much about most of the world) The culture, cuisine, weather and cost of living are pretty desirable too.

Alternatively, come and share an appartment with me, England does have nice summers

 

[B_NineInchCock_160IQ]

There are several single western women whom I work with here in Korea and they all seem to get along just fine. I think in general the country is very safe, as well. Some yakuza presence in the south but I've been told if you leave them alone they'll leave you alone. Around Seoul the violent crime rate is pretty low, at least from what I've seen/heard.

I looked at Tenerife, also per Daverock's suggestions, before I settled on Korea. I just couldn't find any jobs at the former.

Re: LordPendragon's short comment on Korea. What's the obvious downside?
I agree moving to a foreign country and only hanging out with expats seems a little dumb... and it is easy to fall into the routine of associating with those who speak your own language. But... if that's not what you want, it's easy enough to avoid going to Hongdae or Itaewon. I find myself going there a lot lately because that's where I get invited to go... but if I avoided those places I could go all day without seeing another western face here. Outside of work, anyway.

 

[B_NineInchCock_160IQ]

Must factor in sunlight/climate. I can't live somewhere dark and gloomy.

Seoul is a little cold and almost always hazy. Combination of air pollution, fog, and dust blowing in from the gobi desert. I hear the south is supposed to be warmer and sunnier.

 

[Ethyl]

Sorry to hear about your job falling through but it's a good idea to discover new horizons, go for it!
If you are still considering Europe, I can recommend Portugal - what a lovely place. It isn't very well known but the food is great, the wine is good the weather lovely and cost of living low. I always thought that Portugal was one of the poorer European nations, but their standard of living seemed higher to me!

Well, that's a second recommendation for Portugal. One of the restaurants I frequented in Pittsburgh was owned by a family from Portugal. The food and wine was indeed sublime. I may give them a call.

If you'd like to live in Paris, one of the reasons I chose the 15th District (SW Paris) is because it is full of women! There isn't a main train line through it which comes from the car burning, rough suburbs so it is considered to be one of the safest parts of Paris.

Full of women? No wonder you're having such a grand ol' time. :biggrin1:

Alternatively, come and share an appartment with me, England does have nice summers

I'll keep that in mind. *scribbles "can spend summers in England with No Strings" in notebook*

Re: LordPendragon's short comment on Korea. What's the obvious downside?

He's yanking your chain and mine. Ignore him. :biggrin1:

I agree moving to a foreign country and only hanging out with expats seems a little dumb... and it is easy to fall into the routine of associating with those who speak your own language. But... if that's not what you want, it's easy enough to avoid going to Hongdae or Itaewon. I find myself going there a lot lately because that's where I get invited to go... but if I avoided those places I could go all day without seeing another western face here. Outside of work, anyway.

Yeah, i'm not interested in moving to another country and hanging out at Starbucks. I'll get plenty of that next year when I go on a cruise with my mother. It's tempting to go somewhere i've visited previously but i'd like to explore one of the countless places i've never been. I'm not afraid of learning another language. If I can pick up on a little Finnish, a language with 14 different cases, I can probably learn others.

 

[GoneA]

Korea (obvious downside :biggrin1: )

Pfft, South Korea got Seoul.

 

[Mr. Snakey]

One thing is for sure sweety. A new future await's you. You are a very smart and beautifull person. I'm sure you will do well anywhere in the world.......:smile:

 

[dong20]

Stay as far away from Zimbabwe as you can. Even I think twice before going right now.

I agree with the Poster about the MEast, Iraq and Sudan are pretty much no go zones for all, never mind women. In Europe you could do worse than Spain, Further afield maybe Australia - bit of latent sexism but I'm sure you're up to that. The Cape has a great climate, though maybe not that safe. Botswana is safe if a little boring and DAMN hot in summer!!

I'm in 'Eastern Europe' right now, was 15C in Prague today. I'm sure you would do OK with a phrasebook and a smile. You ruled out Scandinavia, shame it gets warm in summer but yes cold in winter. Great peeps tho.

I don't know, one lifetime just ain't enough...

 

[ClaireTalon]

I wouldn't dismiss third-world countries right away. Of course not the ones that are dwindling down, there some in SE Asia in particular that have a potential for development. Jobs in these countries can be real career builders, plus as a member of the western business community, you're an important person there. Someone I know had spent five years working for the Saigon branch of a venture captial company, he says he had a corner office much earlier than he would ever have one in the US, and that his career back in the states prospered in the same way. So, don't write that idea off right away. Of course, as Dong20 says, there are some countries where you won't find much development, of the positive kind that is, anyways. But consider the positive sides.

 

[Ethyl]

Stay as far away from Zimbabwe as you can. Even I think twice before going right now.

That's what my friend in Tanzania tells me. I'll heed that warning.

I'm in 'Eastern Europe' right now, was 15C in Prague today. I'm sure you would do OK with a phrasebook and a smile. You ruled out Scandinavia, shame it gets warm in summer but yes cold in winter. Great peeps tho.

I agree one hundred percent. Wonderful people and culture.

I don't know, one lifetime just ain't enough...

Won't argue with that. :smile:

I wouldn't dismiss third-world countries right away. Of course not the ones that are dwindling down, there some in SE Asia in particular that have a potential for development. Jobs in these countries can be real career builders, plus as a member of the western business community, you're an important person there. Someone I know had spent five years working for the Saigon branch of a venture captial company, he says he had a corner office much earlier than he would ever have one in the US, and that his career back in the states prospered in the same way. So, don't write that idea off right away. Of course, as Dong20 says, there are some countries where you won't find much development, of the positive kind that is, anyways. But consider the positive sides.

I'll do that. Thanks. I'm seriously thinking about returning to school which means i'll be here another year, but use that time to see where my talent would best be utilitised. In my particular field, employers are looking for more education as well as experience and I don't see that trend changing at all.

 

[B_NineInchCock_160IQ]

Are you spelling Britsh now? You need to stop talking to LP. Even if the "s" in most -ized words may have at one time been intended as voiceless when some still pronounced the "e" in "ed" as in middle English, it now adopts the voicing of the immediately following phoneme which in this case is the voiced alveolar stop /d/. It makes perfect sense to spell it with a "z".

okay, that definitely means it's time for bed...

 

[Ethyl]

Are you spelling Britsh now? You need to stop talking to LP. Even if the "s" in most -ized words may have at one time been intended as voiceless when some still pronounced the "e" in "ed" as in middle English, it now adopts the voicing of the immediately following phoneme which in this case is the voiced alveolar stop /d/. It makes perfect sense to spell it with a "z".

okay, that definitely means it's time for bed...

Hey, i'm not jqblonde. Stop picking at my english. I just woke up and i'm still groggy. Go to bed. :tongue:

 

[ClaireTalon]

I'll do that. Thanks. I'm seriously thinking about returning to school which means i'll be here another year, but use that time to see where my talent would best be utilitised. In my particular field, employers are looking for more education as well as experience and I don't see that trend changing at all.

As a teacher/educator you should be able to find employment in any kind of front-office jobs (unlike me, who sucks at teaching newbies). Given your looks and intelligence, you would make a great representative for anything.