Did you feel safer in Canada or in the U.S.?

[Hugglebuggles 60]

I'd have to say I feel safer here in the US. But, its just comes down to the places I lived in both countries. Back in Canada I lived in a dingy town with high unemployment and a big drug problem. When I was 10 out car was stolen from our driveway. A couple years ago our neighbors car was stolen from the front of their house. AND, 2 weeks before I moved someone completely vandalized the poor old woman car across the street, scratched it up and smashed it with a baseball bat. And the stories don't stop there.... The weird thing is that I never knew anyone in Welland with a home security system.

Here in the US, I live in a quiet suburban area. Aside from having my GPS stolen from my husbands car (which was really our fault since it wasn't locked) I haven't heard a lot of bad stories from the area. But, everyone here has technical home security systems... they drive me absolutely insane. So maybe there is something to that? We'll see. It just has a really nice feeling down here, which is one of the big reasons my husband and I haven't moved out of my in-laws house yet. We don't want to leave the area, so we'll stay here until we have the financial resources to have our own place in the area we like and know. I actually feel comfortable going for walks by myself down the street... the only thing I fear here are wild animals

I think a big difference is that everyone in Canada just naturally trusts each other more. My parents often left the house unlocked, the windows open, the car doors unlocked... knowing the history of crime in the area. Its like we tend to give people the benefit of the doubt, while American's are often naturally suspicious of those around them... Not to generalize, its just a feeling I get. My inlays have lived in this house for 13 years, and they don't know their neighbors first names. Isn't that weird? I invited ours to my wedding.

[The Dude 206]

Hey Naked Smurf. Sorry to hear you had these problems in Montreal. The majority of people I know have had an amazing time when they've come here. It sucks you had to go through that.

I don't mean it as an indictment on the province. I've just found in my travels throughout Quebec, I find myself saying "#######?", "Seriously?" and "You've got to be kidding" far too often. People at work, and friends often ask me about Montreal and QC, and I tell them that they are lovely cities and leave it at that. I don't imagine getting mugged and running into a riot in successive trips is any indication to the city, but it was my experience.

I've been to Montreal twice in my lifetime. The first time I was there was in 1999, and I got robbed. Police wouldn't even bother taking a report. The second time I went was in March of this year for my wifes interview at the consulate. Straight out of the train station, a uniformed police officer gave us wrong direction to our hotel, which was intentional I suspect. How else do you give perfectly exact WRONG directions? When we finally got to the hotel, we unpacked and wanted to look around downtown for a nice restaurant for dinner. We walked no more than 5 minutes, only to find the police cleaning up the last bit of a small scale riot downtown. I don't see myself returning there ever again.

Well Montreal is a law unto itself

I guess I kind of think it is more about perception than real facts. I mean i'm sure Lake Mary is quite a safe place and I know Calgary is no disneyland - we have had a huge influx of people from elsewhere - both good and bad - which always makes for an interesting mix and generally an increase in crime. Where there is money so shall the thieves go.

That said, I have never really felt safe in the U.S. - even when we have travelled to Spokane to visit family.

For me, it's a comfort level, which is based on familiarity. Before I took the job I have now, I actually interviewed with a company in Calgary. I was there for 3 days, and after the first two, I thought I was comfortable with the city. On the night before I went home, I struck up a conversation with someone who worked at the hotel. Somehow, the topic turned to bars around the city, and when I told him the one that I had gone to the night before, he then informed me that it was a known bar for buying meth. Shows how well I was aware of my surroundings

[Sprailenes 47]

For sure felt safer in Canada. Nothing really has happened to me here to make me feel unsafe, I guess it was just my home and it was familiar.

[trailmix 77]

Trail, I'm just curious and not trying to be a snot in any way.

Why do you feel the way you do? Is it because of the perception in Canada of what a "dangerous" place the US is and that's what you grew up being told?

No, that's not what I grew up being told at all. A lot of the time I was growing up I wasn't even living in Canada - we lived overseas and I went to an American School for most of middle school and High School. We travelled to the States a lot when I was a kid as well, as we have family in Spokane.

I think what actually really confirmed what I was already feeling, as an adult, is when we were in Spokane once and we went to dinner. I looked out the window at the Safeway across the street and the security guard at the door was carrying a gun. That was out of my realm of experience - I think that kind of set the U.S. apart for me.

I mean I visited Karachi airport once and there were guards with machine guns on the stairs, which I also thought was freaky - so do I think Karachi is a warm and welcoming place - no not really - it's along the same lines - just on a different arms scale haha.

[Krikit 1,165]

OMG, I just wrote a whole freaking novel on my thoughts and then VJ froze and lost it all!!!!!

I am not posting again until it stabilizes. Is anyone else having trouble?

[trailmix 77]

OMG, I just wrote a whole freaking novel on my thoughts and then VJ froze and lost it all!!!!!

I am not posting again until it stabilizes. Is anyone else having trouble?

Blah!

Yes, it's doing that hanging thing again!

[Malrothien 6]

I am, Kri. It's annoying. :|

[JillA 2]

Another reason I felt safer in Canada (which has been discussed before) is the lack of streetlights in the US. Sounds silly, I know but in Canada there are many more streetlights. I felt safer walking at night. Here, on my street there is 1 or 2 streetlights and it's SO dark. I don't feel safe at all, due to the darkness everywhere.

[Krikit 1,165]

I've sent Ewok an email about the system slowdown.

[Sam and Ben 2]

I currently live in a little city outside Windsor, Ontario, and I can say without any hesitation that I don't feel safe at all most days. Too many things go on in the city that are never fully reported to the media, a lot of quiet goings-on, many robberies, etc. While we don't have many armed assaults or murders here, we seem to have many, many of the lesser offenses - and a lot of sexual assaults and aggravations. Closing at a downtown business as a young woman was never a wholly safe thing to do.

So, since the paranoia is already strong in me ...heh. I will admit, though, it was a little surreal to be visiting Ben for my first time and to drive past the shooting range there with the media buzzing, crime tape, etc, only to find out that a murder-suicide happened there just an hour prior to us driving by...

I did look up the sexual registry though, since you folks all mentioned it. Only five within a one mile radius to where we'll be living (of course, that's five too many, considering there's a school in the block, imo..).

[Krikit 1,165]

Okay, I think I'll risk posting this again. But you get the short and sweet version of it this time. I'm too irritated to remember exactly what I wrote.

I regularly left my doors and windows open in Canada, whether I was home or not. My husband was constantly asking if I had locked up. I, too, was like Jill in that I never thought twice about walking on the trails at night. Here, I would not do that.

My husband tells me there are dangerous areas in Florida so I let him pay attention to where they are. I definitely feel a sense of unease here at times. I don't know if it's because I feel unsafe or because he's taught me to be more cautious. I feel very safe in our neighbourhood, and in our town. Maybe because it reminds me of home. lol

[movingsoon2 0]

So far I feel safer her in the us. In Vancouver, BC I used to have my car either stolen or vandalized. If I forgot to put a steering wheel lock on or forgot to lock the car, somehthing would happen. It would stress me out. Also, we wouldn't go out for a walk in the evening, it just didn't feel safe.

So far, I live in a quiet suburb community north of Indianapolis. I get mad at myself as often I forget to lock the house, never mind the car and nothing has happend yet. The neighbours leave their garages wide open. The whole neighbourhood feels like an open house! I am still cautious but feel safe here.

[Carlawarla 1]

In Saskatoon I never locked my doors or windows. I walked alone at night and was never fearful. However, I grew up this way, and never thought twice about it. Here, where I now live, I've grown accustomed to locking the doors when I go out, but when I'm here, not always, although Gene reminds me to. I live in a very quiet and safe neighbourhood. However, there are parts of Saint Louis where even in daylight you don't walk....this is far away from where I am. I think the key for me is familiarity of my surroundings.

[minnew 4]

I felt safer living in the USA. I lived in a small college city in ND for almost 6 years and I felt alot safer than back in the bigger city in SK. The small college city, everyone left their doors and windows open, cars unlocked, WITH the keys in the ignition, I felt like I could go outside for a walk and not be bothered. I definitely would not go out at night for a leisurely walk, thats just something I have never done, but walking home from the campus library at night did not feel unsafe. Crime rate of the small city..0%..lol.. For the most part people were friendly, said hello and were civil. You do not get that in the "big city"...people are rude and only care about themselves, they do not make chit chat with you at the grocery store, the pharmacy,...etc..etc..

Flipside, the city of about 200,000 in SK, I do not live anywhere near close to the "core" area of downtown or the famous "North Central" where people have been murdered, stabbed, raped, robbed..etc.etc...This city used to be known as the crime capital of Canada. I still do not feel safe here at all. We always keep our doors locked, our house locked, windows closed, we had an attempted break-in at one point, our basement windows were tampered with. The native gang problems in this city are unreal, so are the drug problems, there are just some places in this city day or night you do not want to be caught walking in. Anyone ever heard of the Oldsmobile gang? LOL. Car thefts about 10 years ago were outrageous.

Now...to where I will be living.....I am not entirely sure if I will feel safe or not, the 2x I have been there I felt relatively safe. We will live in an apartment complex that is intertwined with a members only golf course and clubhouse and secluded as well. It is an an area where I would say is "family oriented", quiet and away from traffic, with homes, schools, parks, etc..but again you never know who or what your neighbours might be like. There are people who have come up to our parking lot area and just sit there...(because again its secluded, sort of at the top of a hill) People I guess have noticed because police showed up and were questioning all the neighbours about the vechiles that showed up and what the people look like. If I had to make a guess, it would be a drug deal. Once I move down I am sure I will sure all the areas of the metro area. I did take a look at the sex offender registry and the closest one would live about 3 miles away, and a total of about 15 of them living in the city, now the entire metro area I am sure there was ALOT more than that!

Edited September 8, 2009 by minnew

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Southern ON - hands down. Sure stuff happened where I lived, but not the same stuff as here, near DC. I lived in a smaller town obviously (Kitchener)

The number one thing on the news is who and how many people have been shot in DC overnight. 1 or 2 is light night. Many times 5-8 shooting deaths in an evening is standard.

I have to say that not once in 37 years in Kitchener did I picture pulling up to a light and having someone pull a gun out in the car next to me because they're PO'd........but this is a weird new fear I have. someone with bad road rage with be carrying a gun that day and I'll have somehow pi$$ed them off. And the gun will be legal to boot! - Don't even get me started.

There was a couple recently who were beaten (the husband killed) when they were out for their early morning walk with their dog...it was gang-initiation related. It's freaked me out that although my neighbourhood is friendly, what if they'd taken a trip down my street instead?

A little irrational perhaps, but I do not feel as safe here even though I live in the average, all-american, people-who-don't-even- know-me-wave neighbourhood....I just don't feel safe.