Thinking to move to panama with the wife and two kids

Puedes orientarte en mi blog....

panamavisas, could you please post in english & stop promoting your blog in all your posts ? (I've moderated most of them this morning)

Our family moved here in Sept.  We have 2 small children under the age of 4 and feel very safe.  We live in Costa Del Este which is 10 minutes outside of Panama City.  We feel completely safe but with any large city, there are areas to stay away from.  Once outside the city, there are also areas to stay away but don't know what these areas are with the exception of Colon.  This area was once a great place but since the Americans left, it isn't a good area and have been told not to visit. 
We did a ton a research prior to moving to Panama and wouldn't have made the decision to live here if we didn't feel safe. 
Best of luck to you.

Hello Scubacher, i see your post is from last year. I am planning of moving to Panama, i also have 2 kids and i am looking for a safe area, preferably surrounded by nature not far from the city. Apart from where you live, would you recommend me other areas? How is the education in Costa Del Este? Any private schools? What is the rental market?

Any information you could give would be greatly appreciated

Raquel

It is tough finding areas in the city that are surrounded by nature but one area that you may like is in the canal zone.  It isn't too far from the city and it is close to the rain forest.  It is an older area since it was built by the Americans while the canal was being built but has a certain charm to it.  We almost rented a home over there but the home was too close to the "red zone" so we opted for Costa del Este.  My kids are only 2 & 4 so they are in pre-school.  They go to a private preschool & I walk them daily.  It is only 1 mile from our condo so it is good exercise.  There is a private school in Costa that is really good.  The private schools to check out are:  Braxton, ISP, Balboa.  There are a couple others but I can't recall their names right now.  I know that you have to get the kids on a waiting list and there is usually some sort or "gift donation" prior to the kids attending.  There are a lot of properties for rent but we had a bit of a sticker shock from what we expected.  We are use to a certain life style so we had to pay for it.  We wanted to have an ocean view and although it is more than we wanted to pay in rent, it is cheaper than an ocean view back in Calif.  We are directly across from the ocean and can see the Causeway and the ships waiting their turn into the canal.  I feel safe in Costa but it too isn't free from crime.  Since I posted last year, I had someone come up to me in plain daylight and take my blackberry cell phone right out of my hand and run away!  The worst part is they used my kids - leaning down into the stroller acting like they were saying hello!  It was a terrible experience and now I feel like I have to always be on my toes.  Let me know if you have any other questions or send me a private message and we can chat.  I am happy to help anyone that has to relocate.

Hey Pitxi,

Scubacher had a lot of good information for you. I'm an American living in Panama, with 4 kids, but I have a lot of help from my wife's Panamanian family.  My brother in law lives in Costa Del Este and his family loves it.  It's a pricey area though. It is probably one of the most "Americanized" areas. They just recently opened a Papa Johns Pizza, and you'll find Cinnabun, a large pharmacy called Arrocha that's similar to a Walgreens or CVS.  There are two large supermarkets in Costa Del Este, including Riba Smith, which is the closest to what you'd find in the states.  One area that hasn't been mentioned yet, and it's probably because it's still being developed, is an area called Panama Pacifico.  They have a website, just type Panama Pacifico into google and I'm sure you'll find it.  Panama Pacifico is actually on the old Howard Air Force Base.  It's just a little ways outside of the city, and they're planning for it to be a huge, very modern, business/shopping/residential area.  I have no idea what the prices of homes will be, but again, I'm sure it's going to be fairly pricey.  So...if you're not planning to move here immediately, and if price isn't a big concern, check out their website.  You mentioned nature, and that should definitely fit into the picture out there. As for areas in the city, look into San Francisco, Costa Del Este, and possibly even Fort Clayton (now being called the City of Knowledge) which is where the US embassy is.  You'll find an excellent new school there (not sure the name of it offhand), great parks and some nice "Americanized" subdivisions.  Hope this helps.

Scubacher and CMichael, thank you for your tips, you guys are big help

Raquel

Hello...
This is my first post.... I am a Venezuelan living in New Zealand and moving to Panama or Rio de Janeiro.... any of you had been living both places? I need help please

Absolutely one of the safest places in the planet compared to other Latino countries. Very well governed and an excellent police force. Are there robbery's - yes, but very few and little or no violence. Violent crime is almost a complete no no. The local  people here are very helpful, good friends, and the type of people that you will feel very comfortable. There is very little or no racism. Towns offer good shopping, reasonable prices compared to the rest of the world. Driving is a little wild - but the drivers here are generally pretty good. Education is good, medical is great and reasonably priced. I live on a beach (Playa La Barqueta near the town of David) and find it to be a very clean and friendly place.

If you choose to move to Panama - you will love it.