Is Nicaragua as dangerous as the US State Dep't. website claims???

I took a taxi from the airport to Huembes market and there connected to Granada. Huembes is closer to the airport, thus a cheaper taxi ride, than to UCA, and has excellent street food vendors.
IN Granada I used HOSPEDAJE COCIBOLCA, "Su Hogar Fuera de Casa" (from my souvenir bar of soap) near the plaza. I think we have the same preferences in accommodations.
If you have that much time I recommend Corn Islands via land. I was on Grande and stayed in Casa Blanca, which is on the beach and about as basic as you can get. I heard that the land leg of the transit wasnt that great of a drag.

Now I'd love to hear what a different perspective you'd all get from people who happened to have had a problem there; those people, and they're legion, are clearly not represented here. They are, however, represented in the statistics of the State Dept, and thus, the grim warnings. It's a numbers game, and when it's your time, it's no fun and we've seen their posts here on the TT. They, too, like the State Dept, get poo-poohed here.
Like many, I've never had a problem personally in Nicaragua, but I've heard enough first hand reports from fellow travellers, both green and experienced, to know that one needn't be a "dumbass" or "naive" to be assaulted there. It can just happen, and it can change the kinds of opinions I'm reading here, quickly... Yes, go and enjoy, but be careful and do your homework. Punto.

hey Pedro, so you don't get assaulted in States then?
or mugged?
or shot?
or machine gunned by teens in your school?
or stabbed ?
or run over by drunk drivers?
funny cos i watch the US news here and its murder inc every day and night!!!
here maybe once every few months, almost always in the barrios!!
was it the State Dept that warned about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq??
just wondered, cos obviously US government statistics are completely true usually.

Stats on crime is all related to population, a per capita index.

There is more petty crimes in the capitols and major cities againt foreigners in this region, but overall, unless you wonder into a barrio that

As long as you dont wonder into gang infested and poverty from end to end, the odds of a issue for a foreigner is no greater risk to me than the USA.

Knowing where not to go, and what not to do, in CA, is asimportant as where to go and the must see. Always ask the hotel/lodge about safety.

Nightime presents the greatest risk, gee, imagine that!

I was far more intimidated getting lost in Naples Italy than in San Jose Costa Rica, thats for damn sure.

Yeah, been assaulted in Manhattan, close call in Boston once, but we're talking about the relative safety issues in CA, and the fact that many people on here sound like they're in the tourism industry the way they try to downplay the potential dangers in CA (granted, while the State Dept over plays it) solely because they've been fortunate enough to never have a problem like the majority of travellers. Humorously, they generally attribute this to their savvy travelling skills, whereas more often than not it's been plain dumb luck.
Funny you mention schools, I turned down a pretty good gig in a middle school in the Springfield area because of the metal detectors and the gangs, etc. Glock-toting 12 year olds.... What an environment to teach in!

I'm not trying to downplay it,.
It's just that people here get fed up with the 'image' that this is a dangerous, poor country.
It is poor, but I feel safer here than in Costa Rica where I lived for 3 years where almost every day I had friends locals and ex-pats robbed.
You need to be aware, but not paranoid and most people here that I've heard of that got robbed by being stupid.
Like, walking around Managua in bad areas!!
Just like in the States, if you do that, you're probably going to have a problem!
A poster recently here got mugged in an area that Lonely Planet warns against and any hotel here would tell you was a bad area.
We know the street here as 'anything goes' its brothels etc, so he walks round there with his kids!!!!!????
The thing about common sense is it's not that common!!
Ask at your hotel, if in doubt get a taxi.

Yes, very true, many people get in trouble due to lack of street smarts, but some of the most veteran travellers I know have fallen victim, too. Worst incident I had was in Guatemala when the Nike knock-offs that I had in my hotel room were snitched by the girl who cleaned the room.... I agree about the CR comparison, I felt much safer in Nica. I spent 40 days in San Jose doing a Celta course once and of the 15 of us in the course it was amazing how many came to school with reports of muggings, etc. I also tempted fate ridiculously when I used to drink a lot back in the bad old days: I purposely went where you're not supposed to go, and often! I've seen a lot of violence all around me in Guatemala and Honduras, too. Life is cheaper down there in many respects, it just is

it is, but its nowhere near as bad here as in any of those countries!
Part of the reason I left CR was because of the crime, a lot of it with guns!

Well I have been on this LP TT branch for 7 years, and bottom line is, the reports of assualts/robberies of a tourist in Nicaragua average about 4 per year....and lot of that was Corn islands before they cleaned up the issues.

Nicaragua, is great destination and I consider it as safe as anywhere in USA.

East St Louis, Compton LA and Spanish Harlem offer far more risk.

Getting back to the practical and away from the philosophical, somebody recommended Hotel Terrasol. Where is it, please (in what city)?

Which of the Corn Islands do people prefer?