When I was considering Belize I was informed that Belize City was very dangerous. That information came from this forum. Please reconsider even staying over night in that area. Many gangs and high crime. You may be able to walk around in the day time but forget late evening and night time strolls or quick bicycle rides.

I am sure the forum Belize gurus will chime in soon to give you great info. Bobbbyyyy, gammo, Brad, so many more I cannot remember. Good people...good info...good forum;)

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the gang problems are not in the Tourist and Hotel zones so an overnighrt stay is highly unlikely to put you in Danger. There are still less murders in Belize city per year than in most US cities but as it is a small population (they dont allow for the numbers of tourists at any given time) the statitics make it look a much more dangerous place than it is. Also not all areas in Belize city are dangerous Lived for 2 years there (admittedly 'nice' area) sometime ago and no problems. Some of the posters on here no longer live in Belize and feel if they were not happy to live here they should warn of anyone else.
By the way most regular, not tourist, rentals in most areas are found on the ground as it were, local realtors will have lists but often talking to staff and owners in a hotel you are staying at will find people that know who has places to rent.

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Terrific. I join this forum as I am thinking of starting a business in Belize. I got a lot of advise/feedback, some positive, some negative. It basically boiled down to me making a trip to check it out for myself, which was always my intention. As I signed up , I follow the new postings and learn more information every day. I keep reading about Belize city and how it should be avoided at all costs. Your response was the 1st positive one I have seen on Belize city and leads me to ask a couple of questions. Who lives in Belize city? Where does the elite class of Belize nationals live?

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Rental properties come and go quickly - it is often word of mouth with no advertising. Once you have dates in mind, I can help with the Placencia area - email me at melissa@placenciapropertyrentals.com

Bear in mind that these are tiny communities compared to what most people are used to - there are mainly single family dwellings, most without air conditioning, most without fenced yards, and almost no condos. No big box stores, no 24/7 hour shopping.

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Some of them live on the water front in Belize City. I have been in the back alleys of Belize City, not alone. Belize City is a very sketchy place to hang out. I basically go in to see my lawyer and out. Personally, knowing what I now know, I would never venture out at dark there, ever. Once I went clubbing on a thatched roof roof top at 3 AM. had three very burly guys escort me. That was before I actually got my sense as the Belizeans say. I have been shopping downtown in broad day light with a group and was not hassled. If people want to challenge what is said regarding Belize City, go on ni there and scope it out for yourselves...You better lose your wallet and bling before you do....

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I have stayed over night there at hotels. I felt safe within the confines of their grounds...

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what kind of business are you going to start?

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It's disingenuous to compare the number of murders in Belize to the number of murders in large US cities. The total population of Belize is about the same as the population of St. Louis, MO. A city 3-5 times that size, sadly, is likely to have a larger number of violent crimes, but that doesn't provide an accurate picture of the crime rate.

Simply put, Belize as a nation has the third highest murder rate in the world with 44.7 murders per 100,000 of population,

To put that in perspective, the murder rate for the city of Detroit is 43.5 per 100,000 while the rate for New Orleans is 38.7 per 100,000. Those are two of the most dangerous cities in the US and the murder rate for the nation of Belize (not just Belize City) is higher than both.

Source: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/belizes-safety-for-tourists-questioned-after-latest-visitor-killing

It's fashionable to pretend that violent crime is confined to the gang-infested areas of Belize City, but anyone who follows Channel 5 or Channel 7 news knows that's not the case.

Is Belize so violent as to merit avoiding the place entirely? Maybe. That's a question everyone who contemplates living there would have to answer for himself/herself.

I'm sure there are a lot of people living in New Orleans who could live somewhere else if they wanted to do so. Doubtless Belize presents a similar choice. But that choice probably needs to be made with both eyes open and the rose coloured glasses taken off.

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looking at agro based exports

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In my 5 years in the Banana Republic of Belize I never experienced violent situations but petty crime is a national pastime. Any gringo who says that they have not been victims of theft or home invasion is dishonest. Sadly Belize is a failing state. Its is not an ideal retirement spot nor a sensible place to raise kids. It is for DIY-minimalist- libertarians who have a nostalgia for living in 1876 Dodge City. That can be fun but the average retiree is happier in Playa del Carmen or Boquete.

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I have never said it is a good Idea to explore Belize city at night, any more than walking through the back streets in any big city in the US or Europe.
Belize city has high end new developments mainly on the north end of the city up the northern highway a little.way. I lived In Bella Vista for 2 years never a problem, tne area is where the Brodies and Benny's and many stores are located. The Biltmore Hotel was our "Local"
Within the city center there are many high end hotels, and there is a much higher Police presence in the tourist/hotel area.
As to the Statistics they are always open to interpretation. They do not put out statistics that say how many tourists/visitors per annum are murdered, or how many murders are not gang related. It seems that the 'Fashionable' response is to say that Belize is more violent not less according to this forum. Feeling it is not safe to even stay overnight after reading forum posts is not pretending it is safe.
The bigger problem in Belize for the average tourist is opportunist crime. Keep valuables close and don't casually put down Purse,cameras or phones while looking elsewhere,they can dissapear within seconds.

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Just to point out the figures you quoted were for the whole country of Belize, not just Belize City.

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Just reading the Belize Times its saying murders in Belize are in line for a record high and Salvidar who promised that action was being taken to stop record crime is staying very silent and is nowhere to be found. Also at the same time Lord Ashcroft flew in to pick up his 200, million POUNDS CASH which is half of what the Belize gov, own him and he refused Belizean dollars and they have to pay out as they where found wanting in the International court of the Hague, they have been selling everything they have to make the payment and have to make the same payment in a yrs time, so no money for hospitals schools or the poorly equipped police, and no over seas banks want to deal with Belizian banks , the country is going to the dogs, all down to rotten politics , getting just like certain African countries that are being stripped by their ruling parties, Feel very sorry for the Belizean people who have no one to turn to , Sad state of affairs , lovely country getting ruined, but the rose tinted glasses stay in place.

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No rose tinted glasses here, but i think if you cant say anything good don't just say everything is Bad. You don't live here any more, you jumped out when you wanted to. I don't understand why half your posts are informative and helpful and the other half are dour and negative. You have a lot of good knowledge to impart but your negative speculation is a bit of a downer. Trouble with a tiny country with 3 newspapers is they have to fill them twice a week. so they will always be full of opinion pieces and speculation usually reiterating the political position of their owners. also all bad news stories will be headlines as not enough other stories to allow them tuck away inconvenient stories way back in the paper.

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Triffic, i dont say bad things, i say truthful things. We didnt jump out , we made a calculated withdrawl, sold at the right time, loved every minute of our time there, no bad mouthing anything, just what the Gov have done do a lovely country.

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visited Playa in January will not make that mistake again it is now a place I avoid

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I am sure everyone knows that even in the US one has to be careful in choosing where to live. You can choose to live in downtown Chicago and your risk will be very high (http://crime.chicagotribune.com/chicago/homicides). Or you can choose to live in the suburbs and be pretty happy, although you will have to pay.
The same applies to Belize. There are areas where locals live and there are areas where only expats live. I am not sure if there are mixed areas with poor expats deciding to mix with locals. I would never choose to live where locals live. Not because I do not like them, but because of the different life style and petty crime.
Hopkins is a good example. I would never purchase any land or house in Hopkins village and live with locals as neighbors. It gets loud at night when they have parties, dogs can be barking, music blasting. And living there you are inviting a petty crime, since you are rich by their standards. Although, I found Hopkins pretty safe and I would not be afraid to go there shopping or to eat out even after dark.
There is a Sittee River development just south of Hopkins. The area is populated by expats and houses for rent. Mainly Canadians, Americans, Germans, South Africans, Russians. Locals do not live there, since they cannot afford. We bought a lot of land on the beach and building our new house there. And even there sometimes there are break ins. Those are petty crimes, they break in just to see if there is a TV or a DVD they can take, not much damage usually done. It happens only if a house is not inhabited and the windows are not secure. Sittee River development has 5 phases and a gated community, all about 10 min drive from Hopkins.
I am sure any banana republic, which is probably the whole Caribbean, has petty crime. So, they key is to choose your neighborhood.

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