Safety Concerns

Hi Scott;
We went though the same thoughts in November of 2010.  We have since been back four times and own property for our retirement.  Send me a Private message if you would like to know more about our exploits.  It has been interesting but VERY enjoyable.
Cheers ..... Terry n' Viv

Your friend is full of it. BTW, I have been travelling in and out of Central America since the mid 80s and there are plenty of Anglo appearing people in Costa Rica and other neighboring countries. Now about the bars on the windows; sometimes it is to discourage burglars but mostly it is to protect the window from damage during storms, broken tree limbs, etc. Today, most places in the cities, come with bars on the windows as standard equipment.

Hello Scott and wife.  I personally don't live in Costa Rica but having been there a few times and soon to be returning for three months.  I once shared to your safety concern.  As a single male traveler I've been to the Jaco, Atenas, and San Jose areas and have had no problems at all.
I too talked to friends that told me petty crimes were high but when I asked them if they had ever been there or know of someone who was, they usually responded with no.  Before I take any trip outside the US I usually go to two US government sites to get some facts US Department of State Travel Warnings and CIA World Factbook.
We all know skeptics and I let mine say what they want, but I do my own research and listen to those that have been there.

Mike
Have fun, Travel safe
travelthrumyeyes.com/index.html - Travel Thru My Eyes

Plus, I'm not really sure what to make of the photo's I've seen of houses with bars on the windows and doors. Is it really that bad?

Barbwire, fences, gates, bars on windows are a big part of Central American culture, seems like you have never been in Central America. Different countries have different security habits.

My wife is a blond with blue eyes and according to this friend, it would be dangerous for her to go anywhere South of the U.S. border, including Costa Rica.

People from around the world arrive daily in Costa Rica, she won't be the only blond with blue eyes! Costa Rica is a safe country to travel to. However, it  is always recommendable to be responsible and use common sense when traveling.

Scott,
One of the reasons that I prefer Costa Rica over the States is the safety.  Do the research.  Look up the crime statistics for your home town and then do the same search for the entire country of Costa Rica.  There seems to be a lot of paranoia amongst Gringos here.  I looked this up for my ex-wife who lives in Richmond, Virginia.  There was ten times the amount of crime in that one city than all of Costa Rica. 

My twenty one year old daughter lives with me and she has blonde hair and blue eyes.  Yes, she gets looked at and whistled at; but, she feels MUCH safer here than the States.  Here they make cat calls, etc., but she does not feel physically threatened as she did in the States.  It's always amazed me that people in the U.S. do not realize that they are living in a very violent and deadly country.  Please, do the research and decide for yourself.

As one of the other posters stated, you do have to use common sense here as in any other country.  You should avoid the bad areas of San Jose and the other major cities.

Please, do the research and decide for yourself.

I totally agree with that. But statistics can lie and in addition to a proper research you should visit Costa Rica for longer period.

The homicide rate of Costa Rica is much higher than the one of the USA or Canada, but since 2010 it is dropping. An increased police presence improved the situation a lot.

Here you can see a comparison of homicide rates by country.

For the same reason car theft numbers are slowly decreasing since 2005. Furthermore better and more sophisticated security measures have made it more difficult to steal vehicles.

The comparison chart you referred to is extremely inaccurate and I am curious how it shows 2012 figures when they have not been posted by any State in the U.S. as of this date.  Further, what is the "rate" it refers to?  If you compare rates per 100,000 persons, the U.S. ranks "much" higher than Costa Rica.
If you go to:  http://www.welovecostarica.com/public/1482.cfm you see a better comparison.  I looked at numerous sites and they are all similar to this. 
I agree that statistics can lie and be manipulated, so it is important to look a a number of sites.  Either way, after spending years in Costa Rica, I feel MUCH, MUCH safer here than I ever did in the States.

I just wanted to let you know that I recently visited Costa Rica by myself.  I did stay with friends once I got to their house but I traveled from the plane, by car that I rented and drove by myself as a red head and blue eyed girl and I am still alive. I do not mean that to sound too rude but the truth is Costa Rica is very safe.  Yes sometimes there are issues with leaving ones property if they own any without someone to take care of it because of some petty theft, but as regards all out crime issues there just simply are none.  I am sure some of this might be different in different areas but as for Flamingo Beach area and Arenal, I have never felt so safe.  At the moment I live in a small North Georgia Town called Dalton, Georgia that in recent years has been swamped with Latinos from Mexico.  In what we call our very Mexican neighborhoods bars on shop windows is very common.  It is almost just an instinctive part of the culture.  Certainly nobody is getting broken into or murdered.  The crime rate is so low in Costa Rica that they do not even have an army.  They just have a local police presence.  Please do not let here say stop you all from visiting one of the Happiest places on earth.  I am at a point in my life where I am thinking of moving there as a single women who is not unattractive and making it work and I am fully confident that I will be okay.  Just wanted to give you a little bit of information based on a very recent visit of mine where I was there for a month.  Good luck with everything.