When I look at Pattaya, and put things into a pro and con for the place, there are a lot of points in the Pro section (as in FOR, not as in Professionals...i.e., whores) column. Good butchers shops and western nosh in abundance in the super markets; lots of Golf to be played; sea breezes as opposed to the filth that here in Bangkok we call air; Limited need to ever actually have to speak to or deal with Thais; a 10 minute drive and you are into the country side; the best Cider importer in the land (going to their warehouse is my idea of heaven)... simply loads and loads.
The negatives don't concern me unduly as I am not a huge fan of the hooker scene so don't suppose the russians, lack of taxi's, kiddy fiddler germans, and various nefarious scammers along the yellow brick road that leads to walking street will seldom cross my path. However, when I glance at the local rags and see the pages upon pages of crime it is this that bothers me.
So the question is, on the basis that most of what I read there can be classed as death / injury by stupidity of the people involved, does crime actually impact those who live there but stay clear of the vice areas? If so, how does it affect you? For example, if you lived outside of the main mix up by the reservoir or somewhere a bit further out and seldom ventured into whorezone, would life still have the element of danger to it, or is it simply like living in a seaside town where down the road there are some grotty housing estates that are crime ridden which as you never go there does not affect you?