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I am 35 yrs old, Mexican -American, fluent in spanish and english. All my life I have been in love with Puerto Rico, I have been there a few times. I come from a tropical similar climate in Mexico. I have raised a child as a single parent and have dedicated my whole life to him. Now that he is in college and I am divorced, I am considering moving. I understand that the economy is not good, I am not looking to make a fortune. I have been making descent money in the states, but I gotta say that I feel very empty and miserable. I am looking for a place with good people, good culture , good food and off course beautiful beaches. I have saved enough to live in PR for a year or two , just to get away from LA and find my purpose in life. I do not have a college degree, but that has never stopped me before. I would not mind working in the hotel industry or perhaps at a bar of coffee shop. Honestly I just want a more relax, easy going and non superficial environment. I do not know where to start and I would appreciate any suggestions as far as where to live. I know it might sound crazy, because I have had a stable accounting job for the last 14 years, but I need a change, even if its just for a year. I know my capabilities and I know that if I decide to come back to California , I can easily find a job.
I am 35 yrs old, Mexican -American, fluent in spanish and english. All my life I have been in love with Puerto Rico, I have been there a few times. I come from a tropical similar climate in Mexico. .
Since you have family and connections in Mexico, why not move there?
BTW the economy is bad yes, and that means people with university degrees are working in KMart, Walgreens, and Tourism....
I would like to stay within the US territory. Any suggestions for a nice quiet town?
Nice, quiet town and jobs don't go hand in hand unless you are willing to commute to San Juan, and the commute sucks as the road system is not good for the amount of cars that it needs to handle. Public transportation is non-existent outside of the immediate capital region.
Only 3 kinds of people move to PR: illegal immigrant Dominicans, retired Anglos, and boricuas who couldn't make it in the States
Last edited by theunbrainwashed; 06-30-2014 at 05:27 PM..
I wish you the best!
Yes, I suppose many people come here who are self-sufficent. Still, I am amazed by the number of younger Anglo people from the states who move here and run a small business or small farm.
Sure, it may be difficult to make a fortune, but you sound like the kind of man who would succeed. Most PR residents are kind, accomodating, and supportive, as you have discovered by your visits.
I would suggest that you look on the western part of the island where things go a bit more relaxed than in the San Juan area. Between Mayaguez and Ponce are many charming smaller cities and towns in various elevations. They are all unique and provide nice inexpensive places to live. Look around.
You hear so much about our economic woes, but much of PR's income is "abajo la mesa", and this keeps shops and malls quite busy.
The fact that you are bilingual is a real plus. Also, it is probably cheaper to live here than any other part of the US with plenty of free benefits from climate to natural beauty.
I think you can make it. Many come with less and do!
Cheaper to live here? In many cases no. I moved here recently from the states for the tax benefits. I have found PR to be more expensive, frustrating, and difficult to get things done. For example, free internet is much harder to find, and when you do find it, it is about 10-20% of the speed as the US. The food at the grocery stores cost about 2-3x what they do in the states. There are jailbars on most condominiums, homes, businesses to keep out thieves. That should tell you something. Maybe I need to get out of the San Juan area to find it more peaceful.
I will say that the people seem to be much more friendly, at least to me. They look at you in the eyes more seriously when they are speaking to you, something you don't find as much in the states. I don't know if it is because they are females looking at me as a male or just the way people are here.
I would not have moved here without the tax benefits from Act 20 and Act 22 of 2012. I wouldn't recommend moving here unless you have a good job lined up or sufficient savings or income to support yourself.
Cheaper to live here? In many cases no. I moved here recently from the states for the tax benefits. I have found PR to be more expensive, frustrating, and difficult to get things done. For example, free internet is much harder to find, and when you do find it, it is about 10-20% of the speed as the US. The food at the grocery stores cost about 2-3x what they do in the states. There are jailbars on most condominiums, homes, businesses to keep out thieves. That should tell you something. Maybe I need to get out of the San Juan area to find it more peaceful.
I will say that the people seem to be much more friendly, at least to me. They look at you in the eyes more seriously when they are speaking to you, something you don't find as much in the states. I don't know if it is because they are females looking at me as a male or just the way people are here.
I would not have moved here without the tax benefits from Act 20 and Act 22 of 2012. I wouldn't recommend moving here unless you have a good job lined up or sufficient savings or income to support yourself.
It's just the way we are, lol. We prefer more eye and physical contact than Americans do
If you do not like Puerto Rico, go back to someplace "better". "Better" is simply what it is that the individual rates highly in life.
I stand by my experience here. It is much cheaper than the mainland to live here when everything from housing to general.cost of living is less. For example, we may have higher utility rates, but you never have to heat a house and in many places do not need a/c.
The main question to answer is, "Do I like living here?" The rest falls into place.
I am 35 yrs old, Mexican -American, fluent in spanish and english. All my life I have been in love with Puerto Rico, I have been there a few times. I come from a tropical similar climate in Mexico. I have raised a child as a single parent and have dedicated my whole life to him. Now that he is in college and I am divorced, I am considering moving. I understand that the economy is not good, I am not looking to make a fortune. I have been making descent money in the states, but I gotta say that I feel very empty and miserable. I am looking for a place with good people, good culture , good food and off course beautiful beaches. I have saved enough to live in PR for a year or two , just to get away from LA and find my purpose in life. I do not have a college degree, but that has never stopped me before. I would not mind working in the hotel industry or perhaps at a bar of coffee shop. Honestly I just want a more relax, easy going and non superficial environment. I do not know where to start and I would appreciate any suggestions as far as where to live. I know it might sound crazy, because I have had a stable accounting job for the last 14 years, but I need a change, even if its just for a year. I know my capabilities and I know that if I decide to come back to California , I can easily find a job.
Like you, I live in SoCal.
Like you, I once dreamed of moving to Puerto Rico - my homeland.
Unlike you, given PR's current state of affairs, you couldn't pay me to go back.
It's one thing to travel there as a tourist. It's another to permanently live there.
Regardless of my personal opinions about living in PR, I do admire anyone who is willing to expand their horizons far beyond their comfort zone.
Chaco, no matter where you live there are problems. Certainly Southern California has many, as does Puerto Rico.
Our biggest problem here is unemployment. Good jobs are not so easy to come by.
Apart from that, Puerto Rico is a.great place, perhaps better than most locations anywhere in the country.
There is a tremendous amount if disinformation and unfair judgement floating around about PR. Ignorance about the island and its way of life is very common.
One reason I post here is to try to clarify. You can look at statistics, but unless you actually experience the place, these statistics are very flawed.
One example is crime. Crime is very concentrated, like anywhere but seldom affects the average person who does not live in crime-prone areas.
Standard of living us good, and we do not have the horrible slums so common in cities on the mainland. There is not the racial tensions and labeling common in the states. In most places the pace of life is more human and less hectic.
Please ask specific questions, but please do not write off PR.
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