Colombia is working hard to revamp its image and even has a new national motto, “Colombia, the only risk is wanting to stay.” In one article Time Magazine talked about “Colombia’s comeback” and praised the country. Colombia was never out of the picture since it is the longest established democracy in South America. Simply put, Colombia is Latin America’s “sleeping giant” that has now emerged on the world stage.
The country has been discovered and number of tourists visiting Colombia almost doubled since 2010, according to the Administrative Department of National Statistics (DANE).
Colombia’s rugged geography and tumultuous past have combined to shape the country today. About twice the size of Texas, the country is located at the northwest tip of South America and is the only country to have both coasts. The Andes Mountains, stretching north to south along the western edge divides the country into three huge areas: the Caribbean coast; the Pacific coast, and the Amazon region. Colombia is a place where you can enjoy cosmopolitan cities, tropical beaches on both the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean., spectacular snow-capped mountains, jungles in the Amazon basin, river valleys with three different climate zones.
With a Little over 4 million people, Medellín is the country’s second largest city and capital of the department of Antioquia. The city is situated in the narrow Aburrá bowl-shaped valley, surrounded by green mountains with the city on both sides of the Río Medellín (Medellín River) at an altitude of 4,300 feet feet above sea level. Medellín extends north and south along the valley floor. It has often referred to as the “city of eternal spring” because of its year-round, spring-like and almost perfect climate. The average yearly temperature is around 71 degrees during the day and 55 degrees at night with rainfall around 66 inches annually. Air conditoning is seldom needed.
The city features red brick high-rise apartments, condos, office buildings set against a backdrop of hillsides and mountains. The downtown is a grid around Bolívar Park. El Poblado is the center of activity around the so-called “Golden Mile” which stretches along Avenida Poblado —an upsacle area full of hotels, casinso, high-rise condos, shopping malls and the city’s best bars, discos and restaurants. On Sundays, the main avenue through Medellín’s El Poblado is closed to traffic and is filled with people enjoying the good weather, walking along the avenue, jogging, biking and walking their dogs. Medellín is truly a city of many neighborhoods with each one having its own personality and flavor.
The Crime Index 2017 Mid-Year report, stated there are over 25 U.S. cities considered to be more dangerous than Medellín. So, expats feel safer here than in many large cities in the U.S. You don’t see the mass shootings you do in the States. During the last 30 years crime has dropped significantly and Medellín is safe. The city is a completely different world than is depicted on Netflix’s series like Escobar and Narcos which paint a completely false image of present day Colombia abroad.