Best PR neighborhood for single female without a car

Go to clasificadosonline.com to look for houses/apts. to buy or rent. Finding a safe quiet place is always a crapshoot. You may find a nice little place somewhere that is seemingly tranquil and when you go to bed at night all you hear is dogs barking(the strays are all over), the house nearby might have a resident that likes to come home at 3am with reggaeton blasting in the car or you may hear dirt bikes and atvs roaring past all night. Oh yeah, and the car alarms going off constantly. People here love car alarms. Chances are that if you say anything to your neighbor about the noise it will set in motion a whole set of problems that will be difficult to deal with. A lot of these neighborhoods are populated almost entirely by families and if you piss one of them off, the rest will join in to make life unpleasant until you move out. On the other hand, you could find a nice little place somewhere where all you hear at night are the couqui and the roosters crowing in the morning. You just never know until you commit to renting or buying a place. Then you have to live with your decision either way.
  Living anywhere on the island without a vehicle is not a good idea. Things are not usually set up too well for walking around trying to get the things you need and taken care of. Public transportation is spotty or non existent in most places. You can find a neighborhood in San Juan that fits the bill but unless you have a lot of money to live in a safe area you will be very vulnerable and exposed to high crime.
  I've said it in posts before, coming here to PR on a whim is not a smart thing to do. This isn't Kansas anymore Dorothy. Actually living here is nothing like you would hope or expect. Anybody that has idealistic notions about coming here needs to quickly change that to realism and pragmatism. Come into it with your eyes wide open. For 8 years I tried to find a way to move here. Now that I'm here I'd leave tomorrow if I could put the money together. My wife hates it here. And she is from Mayaguez! But, that's just been my experience. Unfortunately I'm not alone. Many others are finding out or have found out that coming here was not a smart thing to do. On the other hand, many others have found a wonderful life here. So I will never tell anyone "don't move here". But I will say, re evaluate, re think and re adjust your mindset. Come here for extended periods if you can and visit. Get a feel for the place. Above all, it's not a good idea at all to come here if you don't know anyone on the island. You will need help navigating daily life here for awhile. Good luck.

Gregg

Safe neighborhood for a single female without a car? There are NONE.Only place on the island that has a transport system is San Juan and even that is very limited. Everything else is structured thusly,places like San Juan that has el tren urbano (the urban train ) even that consists of very few stops along designated neighborhoods. Then then your problem would be how to get to those train stations. Thats where the second form of transport comes in, the Guaguas Publicas, but not public in the traditional sence of the word, they are only public because you and around ten other strangers sit cramped in 90+ degree weather in a sometimes 20 or 30 year old van wich only goes one designated route. I would assume that logic would dictate that these publics buses have incorporated the train stations as designated stops. That's, another thing, here in Puerto Rico never, absolutely never assume or rely on logic. That's where the third mode of transport comes in. They are large buses like we see in the states that are known here as "AMA" they have very limited routes and are very unreliable, but at least some of the routes operate till late at night. these publics buses have incorporated the train stations as designated stops. That's, another thing, here in Puerto Rico never, absolutely never assume or rely on logic.I've included links to the tren urbano and AMA web sites, and also Wiki have a very complete article on them both. Also a very useful website to have is pr.gov, that is the general website for the commonweatlth of Puerto Rico, it's surprisingly very well constructed with lots of information, and someone even had the bright idea of making it BI-LINGUAL!!! Can you believe that. Anyway I hope this helps and good luck to you.
787.690.6688 yhis is a number I found for the tren urbano. .http://eltrenurbano.com/ for the AMA buses it would be htpp//sashto.dtop.gov.pr/AMA/default.htm

I fully agree with Gregg. Anybody who thinks of moving here should spend as much time here as you possibly can before you make the decision to move.

As for an area to live without a car, I'd suggest you'll take a look at Old San Juan. You'd have shops and restaurants at walking distance. It's not really quiet though and cheap apartments are not to be found in that area.

I just wanted to add that you should absolutely dispell any notion you have in your head of what "neighborhoods" are. Here they are not even remotely anything like what you have known all your life. Come here. Find some things out first.

Old San Juan is the place to live. It's safer than anywhere else in the San Juan metropolitan area and having a car is actually a huge pain in the neck because finding parking is such a battle. I worked there so I know what I am talking about.

*Eggyny is right about the public transportation, though, if you ever need to leave Old San Juan than that will be a huge mission.

Taxis are very expensive as well. You may get a better rate if you share one with a local (local Puerto Rican, not just any local). That's how it has worked for me anyway.

Old San Juan is more charming to the eye than to actually living there. Water service goes out regularly. Last summer there was no running water for an entire week and they trucked water in like you would see in a third world country. As my law colleague said at the time (he lives in OSJ), "Esto se esta poniendo como Haiti, hermano." [I won't do accents on my laptop - too much of a pain.]

There are also a LEGION of crackheads and mentally ill homeless people in OSJ. I use the word "legion" advisedly - they could form their own army if they weren't already brain-fried zombies. And they are not like your typical bums in third world countries. Bums in third world country usually provide a service of some kind in return for your donation, such as watch your car (or even wash it) or find you parking. Bums in OSJ just hound you about giving them money. They don't do anything useful in return. Their hygiene is truly horrid. It's amazing they are allowed to lurk around OSJ day or night, right in the center of the tourist trade in PR. Absolutely ghastly.

IF you want a great neighborhoood feeling go to the Condado; you still have to be careful but you have shops, coffee, starbucks, pizza,church, schools,beach, pool, parks, everything at your fingertips.   we live in a bad world where no on has any respect for anyone or anything but Condado still has a small town feel.
check it out.

Gary and Gregg, if you are so down on PR why the heck are you here???  it's not really as bad as you make it out to be...... maybe you're from some rural place where people still leave their doors open but : OF COURSE WE HAVE neighborhoods: CONDADO, OCEAN PARK, COUNTRY CLUB... what are they???  every time I go to the Supermax I say hello to at least 2 dozen people including my greengrocer..... It's not what it was 20 years ago but then, WHERE IS?????

Read some of my posts - I have been here for ten years and I like it..

Sorry Gary, it's Gregg who is the big nay sayer....maybe he doesn't want more gringos on the island

Reading is fundamental. Pay attention to what is being said. Gary said he loves it here. But he also says he understands why people feel the way they do sometimes. I never said I hate it here. I have said my wife hates it here. She's entitled. She's a native and has seen the drastic changes over the years. As far as leaving here goes, I've also said I'd leave tomorrow if I could. I'm not denigrating the island. I've done nothing but talk about my personal experience. I also temper any negativity of my own with the acknowledgement that other people can and  have had a very different and positive experience here. I'm currently an Expat. People reach out to others to find out about what it's like moving here. Most have absolutely no clue. It's not like moving from Ohio to Arizona. It's totally different than most people can imagine until they've actually been here. Let's face it, it's not realistic to just say to people, "Just come down here and live in the Condado , oh, and you can join the country club while you are at it." Come on, really? If I had the financial means to do that my experience here would be totally different. Most people that are looking to come here can't do that either. There are certain realities about living life in Puerto Rico and for those of us participating in this blog, it should be our responsibility to make people aware of the good and bad as best we can. I also didn't say there weren't any neighborhoods here. I  said that the neighborhoods here were absolutely nothing like the ones in the states. They are just not. It's a different culture and a different country. The same rules don't always apply here. Maybe it would be smarter and less embarrassing for you if you were to offer some constructive advice as opposed to unnecessary attacks on people who's experiences aren't like yours. Let's just keep it to your experiences and views. Leave mine out of it. I can express them on my own just fine. Readers can look at everything  we all have to say and form their own judgments. No matter what any one of us has to say, people need to come here for some serious visits and find out for themselves.

Life is what you make it. You move to any area and expect local differences.   Puerto Rico, USA is a fine place to live.   Negative people are negative no matter where they live.   Condado is a great area full of good and bad people just like the rest of the world.  We don't belong to any country clubs but Country Club is a gated community of middle class homes near the metro areaa.  We have great art museams, cultural events, concerts, festivals and if you are over 60 , the tickets are 1/2 price.   Nay sayers are just going to be miserable no matter where they live. Come and enjoy Puerto Rico USA ...and stay away from negative people.

Hello,

I just moved here over 2 months ago & feel as if I'm single since my BF roughly works about 60-80 hours per week.  I chose not have a car yet & find the public transportation is somewhat reliable based upon where you live at in the metro San Juan area.  With that being said, it's all about personal preference. 

If you will be relying soley on public transportation to get around, I highly suggest Old San Juan, Miramar, & Santurce as the metro 1 & express busses run pretty reliable through these areas; perhaps a 3 - 5 minute wait.  Also, the busses will take you directly to the train station.  Miramar & Santurce areas will take about a 10-20 min walk to the beach where no beach exists in Old San Juan.  Each area has plenty restaurants near by & a main grocery store.

I happen to live in Santurce (banking district) & absolutely love its location.  I can take a 15 min bus ride into old San Juan, 10 min bus ride into Hato Rey (business district), 20-30 min bus ride to Isla verde, 20-30 min bus ride to plaza las Americas, and a 10 minute walk to condado.  Also, the metro busses end at the train station which can take you to other areas such as rio piedras, guaynabo, & bayamon.

If you have more time to spare, then Condado or Ocean Park (beach neighborhoods) would be ideal.

I'd suggest staying in a condo building with hired security personnel & do not go walking out by yourself at night for safety reasons.

If you need help locating a spot or have more questions regarding certain neighborhoods, feel free to just email me back.  PR is not that bad as some people are portraying it to be, you just have to be cautious of your surroundings.

Interesting to see everybody's opinions!
My fiance ( originally from Montana) and myself (originally from NY) LOVE LOVE LOVE it here.. we live in condado, but ocean park, isla verde, miramar, rincon, bayamon, dorado..etc i can keep going are all marvelous neighborhoods. Depends on what you would like Sleepy beach neighborhood or thriving city life.
We had no car for 6 months and had fun taking Public T or walking the neighborhoods. Nighttime it is ABSOLUTELY safe to walk around. I mean, puerto rico isn't compton LA! haha. You can think of PR as San Diego, but Caribbean.
Enjoy the fact that you will be envied by absolutely every one of your friends for living in a tropical island in the Caribbean, with all of the benefits the US mainland has to offer

Hi, Andrew here.

I'm living in a great neighborhood in Hatillo. One of many. Before moving to PR, I checked out many areas.

I'm here almost 7 years now and I'm happy with my location. EVERYTHING is within walking distance - supermarkets, bakery, doctors, dentists, beaches, restaurants. The mall is a short trip on the Publico. A beautiful park is across the street with running track. Quiet and relatively safe area.

Very many people speak English if that is a factor for you.

Seems to be a while since you posted and are likely settled. If I may be of help, just ask. andyinhatillo@hotmail.com

Andrew