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16 thoughts on “What Are the Safest Neighborhoods in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley?”
No bueno Jeff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lIunFoBzHM
Great website. Very informative. My challenge is with #6. TShirt and Cargo Shorts are my normal attire (no flip flops though) and is well suited for the warm weather there. I don’t enjoy wearing long pants. Should I avoid Medellin because of this or is it not that big of a deal? Thanks!
Some expats wear T-shirts and Cargo shorts normally in El Poblado without an issue. But it does mark you as an expat when none of the locals dress like that.
Very helpful – both the article and the comments by other readers. Thank you Jeff.
Great info…thanks
Hi Jeff, I just wanted to join the praise for this well-balanced and well-researched article. You present the facts as they are and leave the conclusions to the reader.. My personal preference still is with El Poblado though.. 🙂 🙂
Cheers Harry
Jeff, thank you and I second the kudos for your professionalism. It seems from the comments here and news reports elsewhere that ‘when the sun goes down, the crooks come out. We’ll use your safety tips which are, in reality, applicable to any large city in the world. Here in the U.S. this morning, I am having second thoughts about volunteering at a local charity function outside with large crowds. The rising number of mass shooting here in the U.S. is frightening. People have to be alert everywhere on our planet, sadly. Again thanks for this article.
Jeff, I agree. I live in Atlanta in Buckhead which has always been a sought out area to live. Our two Premier Malls are right down the street from me and there was a shoot out INSIDE Neiman Marcus about six weeks ago. The other Mall, Phipps Plaza with a lot of high end expensive store had a shoot out outside of the Mall but a stray bullet hit a little 8 year old girl just riding in the car with her Mother. She died about a week ago. I could go on and on. Actually violence is horrible in the U.s. right now.
Thanks for the crime stats and safety tips. I stayed in Poblado the first time I came to Medellin but quickly determined it wasn’t for me after seeing all the obvious crime in Parque Lleras. I now much prefer Envigado where it feels safer and is not Gringoized like Poblado. Also it appears that the growth is moving south of El Poblado with the new mall in Envigado that is nicer than the malls in El Poblado.
Be careful in Poblado as you aren’t in Kansas anymore. In the last month, my wife was robbed by two guys with guns on Av Poblado late at night when she was getting in a taxi and one friend was robbed at gunpoint in Provenza after leaving a restaurant and another friend was robbed in parque lleras by a young guy with a knife. Also, parque lleras is full of drugs and working girls at night and we never go there anymore.
I agree. Be careful in Poblado, even Popeye the former hit man of Escobar was robbed in Poblado near the Vizcaya mall in Provenza.
Thanks for the helpful post. I haven’t seen homicide and robbery stats by neighborhood anywhere else.
So many posts on the Internet say that El Poblado is safe but need to keep in mind that El Poblado has one of the highest robbery rates in the city. A friend was robbed by a kid with a knife last week when walking at night on Calle 10 from Parque Lleras to the metro station.
Not sure how useful this is. Statistics can mean something or nothing in themselves. I live in El Poblado and would never ever consider living in far out boring Sabaneta. I am sure that the author who happens to live in Sabaneta finds these statistics comforting, and good for him. But it’s not a great service to those who live in other neighborhoods, have been there for years, and are happy about it. Not sure either how useful it is to scare away potential foreign residents from certain neighborhoods with pure statistics, except for those cases where numbers might be considered of an extreme and alarming nature.
Several readers have asked about the safest neighborhoods. Instead of just saying we feel X, Y and Z are safe neighborhoods in Medellín like other posts I have seen on the Internet, we actually provided homicide and robbery statistics by neighborhood.
Also, I believe It is important to understand the rates of homicides and robberies in El Centro, which are alarmingly high. In addition, foreigners should be aware that the robbery rates are higher in El Poblado and Laureles than in other neighborhoods in the city. So, precautions should be taken.
Many long time readers of Jeff’s articles will know that he is tactful and highly professional in his approach to journalism. I have never thought of him as someone who will seek comfort from imposing or validating his point of view at the expense of others. My view is that he’s a “heavy hitter” and Medellin is lucky to have him.
Finding and settling in a particular comuna is a highly individual choice. I point with pride to my great stroke of luck in finding a lightly cosmopolitan and international neighborhood but others have told me that they want total immersion in the local culture and prefer to stay as far away as they can from English speakers.
The list of individual preferences goes on and on but one thing that’s on everyone’s mind safety. Jeff’s time consuming research into the cold facts is a true service to his readers. He removes anecdotal evidence and gossip from the equation.
Thanks! I suspected some expats wouldn’t be happy about the cold hard facts about robbery statistics in El Poblado. We don’t sugar coat things and try to provide facts so people can make more educated decisions.
I agree 100% that finding and settling in a neighborhood is a highly individual choice. Everyone has different priorities. The only way to know which neighborhood is the best for you is to spend time there.