Job Discussion Forums

[dagi]

What's Izmir like to live in? And why would one prefer it to Istanbul?

[Otterman Ollie]

Because one is there already of course ,silly fish !

[Golightly]

Izmir's a nice city to live in. It might not have the buzz and historical bits that Istanbul has, but it is a remarkably laid-back place. In Istanbul, it's all go all the time: The Izmirli attitude is far more 'manana' - kind of 'oof bos ver yaa, Kordon'da oturup, raki icelim, yarin yapacaazz..'

[FGT]

Izmir is a built up city of about 4 million people. There is a lack of greenery and historically interesting places.
However, Izmir is a very comfortable, easy place for foreigners to live in.
One of the best things about Izmir is the ease with which you can escape the city - you can be on a beach, in a village or at a world class historical site within about an hour of the city centre. The mentality of Izmirlis is very laid back. Yes, they work hard but they also play hard. Nights on the Kordon (the coastal strip in the town centre), weekends at the summer house are de rigueur. Winter is a bit dull but....
I've been here 14 years. I still like it (on the whole).
Try it and see!

[dmb]

I've always thought that Izmir has a kind of Parisian atmosphere to it.

My Izmir is limited to Konak and Alsancak, but then my Istanbul is limited to Beyoglu most of the time.

I love both....... in a limited way.

[tvik]

i made a conscious decision to live in izmir over istanbul. certian parts are very grey but some part are very green as well. the towns on the fringe of the city are perfect for me and only about 30 mins to the city center. the night life operates at a subsistance level for my taste but others will find it sufficent or deficient depending. you tend to meet less people here because they often stay in closed groups of friends.

[Nmarie]

I've always told myself that if I ever moved back to Turkey, it would definitely be to Izmir over Istanbul. I am in Paris now, and although I'd never thought about Izmir being specifically Parisian, it did always seem to have a more European feel than Istanbul.

What's the crime like, in comparison to Istanbul?

[Golightly]

Yes, it does feel more like a port city in Spain, France or Italy, doesn't it? Probably 'cos it was where most foreigners lived during Ottoman times, with the exception of Pera. Merchants weren't taken seriously there if they didn't speak at least 5 languages, apparently.

[lovelace]

What about the Izmir girls? Turkish guys say they're the most beautiful in the country, while a lot of women think they behave like spoilt princesses...

[tvik]

i'd say the latter was truer than the former

[billybuzz]

Leave the dames alone just coz you can't pull one !

[yaramaz]

From what I understand after extensive questioning of non Izmirli men, the women are considered the most beautiful because they wear miniskirts and bikinis. That seemed to be the extent of the explanations.

[Nmarie]

Would anyone care to comment on the crime? I felt scared to death out in Istanbul at night (mostly the Taksim area). How does Izmir compare?

[tvik]

izmir is less scary... there is not as much poverty

[harry the hobbit]

Izmir is very friendly to hobbits ,one feels much safer walking the streets at night than one did back home in the shire .
Harry did find one place to avoid at night on your own especially when one has taken a drink or two . However,he now goes there with a group of fellow hobbits and has never had any trouble apart from the occassional maurading orc or troll . usually a swift swipe of ones well padded bag sends them on their way .
In the summer Harry usually finds everyone is too hot to be bothered to even mug one !