What's Bonn, Germany like for American expats?
May 10, 2017 5:10 PM Subscribe
Ms. Bassomatic is considering a job in Bonn that would require a move from the States. We'd love to know a bit more about life there for an American family of four so we can make a faster, more informed decision.
Ms. Bassomatic and I have both lived outside the States for significant periods, and we're adaptable, so living abroad isn't an issue. But what's Bonn like?
Neither of us speaks German. We have two elementary-school kids; they'd go to the Bonn International School. Is there a significant foreign population? How are Americans accepted, not just as visitors but neighbors? What are the upsides and downsides of life? What's the cost of living like? Is the climate as gray as it looks? Any and all insight welcome. Thanks!
Ms. Bassomatic and I have both lived outside the States for significant periods, and we're adaptable, so living abroad isn't an issue. But what's Bonn like?
Neither of us speaks German. We have two elementary-school kids; they'd go to the Bonn International School. Is there a significant foreign population? How are Americans accepted, not just as visitors but neighbors? What are the upsides and downsides of life? What's the cost of living like? Is the climate as gray as it looks? Any and all insight welcome. Thanks!
Also try looking/asking on this forum:
https://www.toytowngermany.com/forum/forum/143-life-in-nrw/
posted by runincircles at 10:18 PM on May 10, 2017
https://www.toytowngermany.com/forum/forum/143-life-in-nrw/
posted by runincircles at 10:18 PM on May 10, 2017
Best answer: Hi Bassomatic :) I grew up in the suburbs of Bonn and would love to answer all your questions. I have also lived around the globe (US twice, South Korea, Netherlands, Taiwan, now Berlin Germans), so I think I have a good feel for what is what.
Let me go through your points first:
Neither of us speaks German.
>> you should be fine for your daily life. Bonn is a University city and a majority of people with an academic education, so English is widely spoken. If you want to fit in with local families however, I would think you would have to start speaking German.
We have two elementary-school kids; they'd go to the Bonn International School.
>> very good school.
Is there a significant foreign population?
>> As others have mentioned: Bonn used to have a lot of diplomats which now of course has changed but there is still a bit of that cosmopolitan vibe in the city which otherwise would be too small to have that. There are also two of the largest German corporations still located in Bonn which attract some foreign professionals. And: Bonn has had a significant Turkish, Italian, Spanish and otherwise European population since decades.
How are Americans accepted, not just as visitors but neighbors?
>> I think you won't find a problem there; Bonners are often well-educated, far-travelled (many will have been to the US), interested in other cultures, and rather liberal politically (think Seattle, even though it is much bigger); so if you are a fan of Trump and / or very conservative, you might struggle; otherwise you'll feel welcome, I'm sure
What are the upsides and downsides of life?
>> Upsides: great location for families as it is rather small and very safe; large academic population (if that is what you like...), quaint inner city with large pedestrian area; the largest quarter of original turn-of-the-century houses in Germany (absolutely beautiful); suprisingly many museums and cultural events given its size (as it used to be the capitol); very nice surrounding area for hikes, biking, horse riding and other outdoor sports; rather affordable compared to larger German cities; very good educational instituations; very central location in Europe with great connections by plane and train as well as car
>> Downside: it IS rather small, so no metropolitan vibe at all; people are a lot of the same type (not very diverse; think Berlin = San Francisco, then Bonn = Pittsburgh), special interest groups are rather limited (think: I want to meet people for playing traditional Japanese Games / expressive dance meditation / making artistic cup cakes - it will be hard to find them), job opportunities are limited to a few fields in science and a few industries
What's the cost of living like?
>> compared to what? I would think that a family of four could comfortably live in a small house / large apartment for rent, eat well, pay for good education, own a car, pay their insurrances, enjoy their free time and have money to spare for saving / travel on an annual net income of 60k+ (largely depending on your standards of course!); this will be a better deal than living in Cologne (next bigger city), Frankfurt, Hamburg or Munich but a worse deal than Berlin or any of the Eastern German cities as well as the country side
Is the climate as gray as it looks?
>> not at all! Large parts of the city are absolutely beautiful as the city was spared during WWII and the surrounding areas are great too. Let me give you a few links to check out:
http://www.bonn-region.de/overv/other-places-of-interest.html
And just across the river: http://www.siebengebirge.com/index.php/wandern-radfahren
Let me know if you have any further questions! BTW: Since Bonn is so small, I would recommend moving to the suburbs as a family and I'd be happy to point out areas which I would personally consider.
posted by Fallbala at 3:03 AM on May 11, 2017 [7 favorites]
Let me go through your points first:
Neither of us speaks German.
>> you should be fine for your daily life. Bonn is a University city and a majority of people with an academic education, so English is widely spoken. If you want to fit in with local families however, I would think you would have to start speaking German.
We have two elementary-school kids; they'd go to the Bonn International School.
>> very good school.
Is there a significant foreign population?
>> As others have mentioned: Bonn used to have a lot of diplomats which now of course has changed but there is still a bit of that cosmopolitan vibe in the city which otherwise would be too small to have that. There are also two of the largest German corporations still located in Bonn which attract some foreign professionals. And: Bonn has had a significant Turkish, Italian, Spanish and otherwise European population since decades.
How are Americans accepted, not just as visitors but neighbors?
>> I think you won't find a problem there; Bonners are often well-educated, far-travelled (many will have been to the US), interested in other cultures, and rather liberal politically (think Seattle, even though it is much bigger); so if you are a fan of Trump and / or very conservative, you might struggle; otherwise you'll feel welcome, I'm sure
What are the upsides and downsides of life?
>> Upsides: great location for families as it is rather small and very safe; large academic population (if that is what you like...), quaint inner city with large pedestrian area; the largest quarter of original turn-of-the-century houses in Germany (absolutely beautiful); suprisingly many museums and cultural events given its size (as it used to be the capitol); very nice surrounding area for hikes, biking, horse riding and other outdoor sports; rather affordable compared to larger German cities; very good educational instituations; very central location in Europe with great connections by plane and train as well as car
>> Downside: it IS rather small, so no metropolitan vibe at all; people are a lot of the same type (not very diverse; think Berlin = San Francisco, then Bonn = Pittsburgh), special interest groups are rather limited (think: I want to meet people for playing traditional Japanese Games / expressive dance meditation / making artistic cup cakes - it will be hard to find them), job opportunities are limited to a few fields in science and a few industries
What's the cost of living like?
>> compared to what? I would think that a family of four could comfortably live in a small house / large apartment for rent, eat well, pay for good education, own a car, pay their insurrances, enjoy their free time and have money to spare for saving / travel on an annual net income of 60k+ (largely depending on your standards of course!); this will be a better deal than living in Cologne (next bigger city), Frankfurt, Hamburg or Munich but a worse deal than Berlin or any of the Eastern German cities as well as the country side
Is the climate as gray as it looks?
>> not at all! Large parts of the city are absolutely beautiful as the city was spared during WWII and the surrounding areas are great too. Let me give you a few links to check out:
http://www.bonn-region.de/overv/other-places-of-interest.html
And just across the river: http://www.siebengebirge.com/index.php/wandern-radfahren
Let me know if you have any further questions! BTW: Since Bonn is so small, I would recommend moving to the suburbs as a family and I'd be happy to point out areas which I would personally consider.
posted by Fallbala at 3:03 AM on May 11, 2017 [7 favorites]
Fallballa's feedback is great! I would also add that you might want to check for an 'American Expats in Germany' Facebook group or similar. There may be helpful insights from others there, too.
posted by stillmoving at 5:35 AM on May 11, 2017
posted by stillmoving at 5:35 AM on May 11, 2017
It's been ages since I was in Bonn - but my ex-inlaws lived there so back in the day I was there a lot.
Everything above rings true to me, but maybe it should be pointed out that Cologne is really close by for all of your big city dreams. We would go there almost every time we were in Bonn, it's a very progressive city and has an interesting art scene. And Kölsch
posted by mumimor at 11:25 AM on May 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
Everything above rings true to me, but maybe it should be pointed out that Cologne is really close by for all of your big city dreams. We would go there almost every time we were in Bonn, it's a very progressive city and has an interesting art scene. And Kölsch
posted by mumimor at 11:25 AM on May 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
There certainly used to be, back whenn Bonn was the capital of West Germany, but that's changed since the seat of government was moved back to Berlin.
Is the climate as gray as it looks?
As your profile says you're in New Jersey, I'd say - only slightly more than you're used to. The higher latitude means days will seem shorter in the winter-time, but summers in Germany are wonderful, lots of sunshine then.
posted by Rash at 9:10 PM on May 10, 2017