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Knowing the worst U.S. cities is one of the best ways to make sure you don’t move to one when you first come to America. There are plenty of ways to measure how successful a city is. Economic growth or economic losses, housing levels, green space, and crime are just a few. The list below is of the 20 most dangerous US cities, calculated by measuring how much major crime there is relative to the number of people who live there. Specifically, this list uses the highest crime rates for six major crimes (murder, assault, robbery, rape, auto theft, and burglary).

By learning which cities are dangerous, you can help discern the worst cities America has in a more general sense. For example, if crime is high, that indicates that people are desperate for money, which suggests that unemployment is high as well. If unemployment is high, then cities do not have a lot of tax revenue coming in, so there is likely to be less green space and parks. Less green space and parks means that property values will not be as high, so neighborhoods may have challenges keeping quality housing around. (more…)

Moving to the United States can be a somewhat intimidating experience. With almost 20,000 different cities, towns, and villages, it can be difficult to decide where to move. Knowing the safest cities in the U.S. is a good place to start. Whether living by yourself or with family, knowing that your home is in an area of low-crime is good for everyone.

The following is a list of the top ten safest U.S. cities. These are the 2010 list, based on the 2009 crime figures that address the top 6 types of crime that impact community safety (those being murder robbery, assault, rape, burglary, and car theft). All but one of the top ten safest cities in America has a population between 75,000 and 85,000, so even if you don’t choose one of these, you have a good indication of a particularly safe size to choose when selecting your new home. (more…)

If you are new to the US after leaving loved ones behind in order to call America home; then here are the top 10 things you will certainly need to make life easier nor you are an American resident. Everyone understands that starting fresh in a new country is hard, especially for those with limited knowledge of the language. There are plenty of new customs, life-style choices and a host of other things to discover. It is certainly difficult but with a little forethought and planning the transition to the US way of life doesn’t have to be too stressful.

1. Groundwork: With a bit of luck you will have done at least some initial preparation before leaving your home country as this is especially helpful regarding things like the rules and regulations of the area in which you plan to settle.

2. Exactly Where to Live: This is certainly one of the absolute top 10 must do things when you arrive in America. Decisions concerning the landscape of the city such as an urban metropolis or a country town for example need to be considered. As everyone knows, your home is your castle! If you are planning on staying with friends or family already living in America; then obviously this will influence your decision on where to settle.

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I thought anyone reading this blog should know the Oath of Allegiance - I took this from Wikipedia. The United States Oath of Allegiance (officially referred to as the “Oath of Allegiance,” 8 C.F.R. Part 337 (2008)) is an oath that must be taken by all immigrants who wish to become United States citizens. The first officially recorded Oaths of Allegiance were made on May 30th, 1778 at Valley Forge, during the Revolutionary War.

The current oath is as follows: (more…)

Sweet Chilli Sauce… Delicious, especially with sour cream and wedges. But apparently this delicious combination hasn’t caught on in America, so it’s hard to find. But on the extremely off chance that someone Googles “Where can I find sweet chilli sauce in Boston”, here ’tis.

Sweet chilli sauce can be found in the Asian “world” section at the Shaw’s next to the prudential center. (Sorry for the Americanization (sorry for that one too.) (more…)

The glittering skyscrapers of New York, the Technicolor action of Hollywood and vibrant casino life of Las Vegas are the wild visions that Mr Job Kariu Ngugi nursed about the United States of America. For many people like Mr Ngugi, America is the place where dreams are born and opportunities seized.

 
Arriving in America in 1995 when he had just turned 21 , Mr Ngugi determined to study, earn a degree and come back to Kenya. He was later to learn that everything in America was not perfect.

 
“I was shocked that there are beggars, and there are wooden houses like in Kenya,” he says.
 
Nevertheless, his life took an unexpected turn, and a year later he won the green card lottery. Mr Ngugi was elated and returned to Kenya to process an immigrant visa.
 
“An applicant is given a deadline after which you cannot be issued with a visa,” he says.
 
Armed with the precious green card, Mr Ngugi was assured that he could legally work and live in the United States without fear of deportation. Like the thousands of fellow immigrants escaping from broken dreams in various countries, Mr Ngugi knew that he was an inch away from poverty - or riches.
 

He would see the sleek cars snaking through the streets of Boston, the jobs and the smoothness of life as compared to Nairobi. Though Mr Ngugi contends that the green card is just a piece of paper that grants you immigrant status in the US, he says it is a lifeline that has changed his life. (more…)

British and Europeans alike want to come and retire in Florida. We were planning to do just that and came to the states for a vacation. However, it doesn’t matter how much money one has, we were not allowed to stay more than 180 days in a calendar year. We saw an American attorney, in London, close to the American Embassy and he explained the criteria and gave us lots of helpful information. It was $100 fee at the time and money well spent.

We came to the Tampa area and checked out businesses. We looked at pet stores, bookshops, bars, restaurants, gyms, and the list went on. The only trouble was most were selling because they were not making a profit. We had to find a business that would support us and create jobs for Americans.

We found one restaurant that we loved and got turned down. Then we found Susie’s restaurant, my name, and knew we just had to purchase it. We made an offer and collected all the reverent information for the American Embassy. We sent it to our attorney in England and were turned down. It was not making enough profit we were informed. We decided to take on the adjoining unit and increase the seating capacity from 64 seats to 90. The restaurant had 9 members of staff and we reckoned we would need another 4 making a total of 13.

We were turned down again. The restaurant was open for breakfast and lunch so we did another business plan incorporating a dinner menu for the evenings. We finally got a 2-year business visa. We did everything the Embassy asked of us. (more…)

National Hispanic Heritage Month, observed each year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, is a time when students and others learn about the history of and contributions made by Hispanics in the United States. This year’s theme is Making a Positive Impact on American Society.    Latinos, in fact, have long been an active part of American society.   Today’s image of the Latino dispels the perception that all Hispanics are foreigners and new arrivals to America.

  

Along with the obvious impact Hispanics continue to make in population growth (more than 800 million nationwide), and their growing presence in politics, fashion, music, television and literature, the perception of Latinos as an elusive and undefined group has finally begun to fade before the eyes of the public and the media.
  
Corporate America is now embracing the hard facts that show Hispanic Americans dominating in the marketplace.
  
Carrying the strong social habits of American culture, the Hispanic consumer has drawn the attention of Madison Ave. with the commercial buying power of close to $1 trillion.
  
While many first-generation immigrant Hispanics work hard to become American citizens, the youthful, second- and third- generation Latinos have emerged as fluent English-speakers with one foot in mainstream America and the other in their Hispanic culture.
  
That’s why, for instance, the Hispanic American youth market has become the hottest target for marketers and advertisers. (more…)

Here is some historical information on the evolution of the American Flag. Winners of the 2009 Green Card lottery will have to take a naturalization test once in America, there are many questions on this test in regards to the flag. This post will you give you a head start to the correct answers!

The American Flag is the emblem of unity, liberty and strength of the United States. The nation takes pride in its most popular symbol. The history of rise of America as a nation is engraved in the tale of American Flag history.

The Early American Flag History

The early flags adopted by the first colonizers tell the story of their struggles with the alien wild world. Beaver, pine tree, snake and other symbols were attached to different banners with adages like ‘Hope’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Appeal to Heaven’ or ‘Don’t Tread on Me’.

Boston Liberty flag with 9 alternate red and white horizontal stripes flew over the Liberty Tree in the Hanover Square of Boston where the sons of liberty met. (more…)

Being in a safe community is one of the most important factors that buyers consider when purchasing a home, condo or any other type of real estate. So where are America’s most secure places to live? The Farmers Insurance Group of Companies has released its third annual ranking of top 20 ‘Most Secure U.S. Places to Live’.

Bert Sperling, a database expert with http://bestplaces.net, compiled the Farmers rankings based on data from 379 U.S. municipalities. Factors such as crime statistics, unemployment rates and risks of environmental hazards, terrorism threats, natural disasters and extreme weather conditions, were taken into consideration.

The communities were divided into three groups – large metropolitan areas (above 500,000 residents), mid-size cities (between 150,000 and 500,000 residents), and small towns (fewer than 150,000 residents).

According to the survey, the most secure community to live in the U.S. among large metropolitan areas are the adjacent communities of Boise City and Nampa (both in Idaho), which topped all large metro areas. Located among the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the area has one of the lowest unemployment rates and enjoys a wonderful climate.

Among the Mid-size cities, those with a population between 150,000 and 500,000, the safest community to live is Las Cruces, New Mexico. Las Cruces was the first among mid-size cities in low unemployment rate and favorable climate categories.

St. George in Utah topped all small cities with populations of 150,000 or fewer in the survey. The city has 110,515 residents who enjoy a mild climate, clean air and low annual precipitation. It also has the lowest crime rates of all the 379 communities surveyed. St. George stands first in employment rate among the 138 small towns in the Farmers study.

The following are top 20 communities of America’s most secure places to live among large metropolitan areas, mid-size cities and small towns:

The top 20 safest communities to live among the large metro areas are:

1. Boise City-Nampa, Idaho 2. Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, Maine 3. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nevada 4. Honolulu, Hawaii 5. Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, California (more…)

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