Ex-pat haven
 

I keep hearing that there is a particular community in Mexico known for having a large American ex-pat community. Does anyone know of this?

There are a number of areas in Mexico with large American and Canadian expat communities -- Lake Chapala is one. There are also large communities in Baja, around Guadalajara, in Merida and elsewhere.

--Lan Sluder
www.belizefirst.com

Lan is right that "large ex-pat community" could refer to many places in Mexico, but are you possibly thinking of San Miguel de Allende?

San Miguel de Allende sounds exactly right...

Monterrey and Mexico City have rather large American communities...

Many around Lake Chapala, as mentioned. However no one mentioned the major towns by the lake. I think there are two: Chapala and Ajijic.

Norm

The numbers are fluid, but there are probably 7,000 NA's and 3,000 Europeans here in SMdA full time and many more part of the year. I suspect many more now as property is still being snapped up by the aging "boomers" from NA, UK and Europe.
M

Baja is full of expats. As mentioned earlier, the communities at Lake Chapala (probably more Canadians than USA'ers) in Jalisco have concentrations, as do Vallarta (Canadians then USA'ers), San Miguel de Allende (seemingly more Europeans than USA'ers, but Texans yes), Oaxaca (USA'ers and Germans), and Cuernavaca (USA'ers and Europeans). Mexico City has a concentration of foreigners, but not as many from the USA as Europe (lots of Brits, Swiss, Germans). The number of expats in Merida is overestimated, IMO. Puerto Escondido has a concentration of foreigners, too. Acapulco has relatively few foreigners as compared to these other places.

Thank you all for these responses. They are very helpful.

Puerto Vallarta
Lake Chapala outside Guadalahara
San Miguel de Allende
the Baja peninsula

But I'm guessing Lake Chapala is the one you most likely would have heard of.

This is an interesting, sometimes funny, article on retired expats in Mexico:
http://www.aarpmagazine.org/travel/A...ag-mexico.html


Does anyone know of a GOOD website where retirees talk about the places they've chosen to retire? I've come across a few that are difficult to navigate and are overly commercial.
I'm tempted to retire in Mexico or somewhere that my retirement dollars (still several years away) will stretch further, but I worry about the stress of adapting to another culture at that time in my life.

marigold- I think many people who retire to Mexico have spent a LOT of time there prior to making the decision. For myself, I would consider Puerto Vallarta (for example) but I've been there 16 times already, probably a total of 7 months or so worth of time, have rented apartments not just stayed in hotels, so would not be making the decision blind.

If you don't speak Spanish and have never even visited Mexico, I *do* think it would be an unwise decision to try to retire there without trying it out first.

My impression has been that many people retiring to Mexico, maybe most of them, have little experience in the country other than a short vacation now and then. Living in Mexico's not for everyone, and it's a major lifestyle/culture change for most people. Many people give up and return to where they came from because they found it too difficult to adjust. Learning to communicate in Spanish and being a self-starter are two of the most important requirements, IMO.

gomexico- you said it much more clearly than i did! though i think we agree.

i am guessing the most successful adjustments to a new culture would be made by people who have a strong love for the places & people of Mexico, not those simply looking for a cheap place to retire.

sense of humor, adventurous spirit, adaptability, patience, and ast a basic level of Spanish speaking (or eagerness to learn) a plus IMO.

I'm seriously thinking of retiring to Puerto Vallarta, but I'm a single woman and a little nervous about going alone. Is there a single woman on-line who's done it and can give me advice?

I'm single female and have vacationed in Puerto Vallarta ~15 times over the past 10 years or so, probably half the trips solo. I adore the place!

Have you never visited? If you are serious about retiring there full time I strongly suggest going down for a month and getting an apartment in the old town. See what you think.

exkhan, oops I should read the entire thread before posting new replies. i am repeating much of what i already said above.

Suze, I've been there several times (stayed in hotels and rented condos) and speak passable Spanish, but I've always gone with friends. I've rented a condo in the downtown area for the entire month of January -- so I guess I'm doing all the right things. Just need some encouragement!

Perhaps you should consider the Costalegre, a relatively unspoiled Pacific beach area N of Manzanillo and S of PV.
We were in Patzcuaro, Michoacan last week and it was a wonderful Alpine (7300ft) adventure.
SMdA real estate is getting off the charts, imho.
M

for exkhan-

well it sounds like a fantastic idea to me! you'll have a better idea of how it suits you after your stay in January, i'm guessing. i speak only the tiniest bit of Spanish so you're ahead that way. if i had longer stays i would plan to include language classes as part of my daily routine.

i'm single so being solo in Vallarta, well i never gave it much thought one way or the other. i have always felt extremely safe there and easily enough found the right mix of alone time and socializing with people i met casually. living there full time i'd probably find volunteer work or social activities to meet more people. there's loads of english-speaking folks living full or part time there.

buena suerte!!!

Suze, thanks so much for the advice and encouragement. Some time when we're both in PV, we should compare notes over some guacamole at PiPi's!