Americans living in Mexico (hair, pricing, groceries, store)

[bigbiceps]

Originally Posted by sunrico90

Has anyone visit this town?

Tell us about it....

Well, it's a town which has huge amount of Agave where the make tequila from. There are breweries there and tours/tequila tasting. You can get a tour from the train station in Guadalajara called the Tequila Express and listen to Mariachi music, dance, drink and eat. They have both english language and spanish language tours. Cool town to visit.

[sunrico90]

See link to the town of Tequila....

Town of Tequila, Mexico

[Fergie]

Funny, that some people think that "typical" Americans buy in a gated community. Frankly, I wouldn't be caught dead in a gated community. I wouldn't live in one here in the States so why would I live in one there, or anywhere else for that matter.

I just bought a little place in Merida. That's the capital of the state of Yucatan. It drives me a bit batty when someone says, "Dentist in Mexico?"
Uh, yeah, there are plenty. Which state? City or town? I told my sister I bought a place in Merida. I told her that was the capital of the state of Yucatan. She said, "I thought the capital of Mexico was Mexico City?" uh...sister, sister. I think she thinks that MEXICO is just one big country without states. ehehe. That it just has cities [Acapulco, PVallarta, Cancun] and, of course, they are just the ocean front cities w/ only tourism as 'trade.' But, even those cities have grade schools for their children...so I'm just teasin.'
Mexico has, is it 31 states?, within her borders. Too bad most of us weren't taught them in geography class, eh?

Best.

[Fergie]

Do your homework. Get on line:
1. pick three states
2. criteria for them?
3. big city , small village?
4. you have lots of work to do...it's not easy, but no one can do it for you
5. otherwise, you will be sorely disappointed because other people's answers to your vague question is a crap shoot and subjective as h#$%% .
6. people are people: there are all sorts of crime in all countries

[Baja Boomer]

Originally Posted by sunrico90

Which city is the safest for a gringo to retire? Just a place to enjoy life with no crime?

Sunrico, there is no place without crime. But here are some places you should consider which are safe for gringos, already have large expat communities to help you along, are not expensive, are on the coast and HAVE NO DUST problems to irritate your bad eye.

First of all, go to this website http://www.go2mazatlan.com/ and click on the Panoramic Views 360 link at the left. You will find virtual tours of many cities in Mexico. Choose Mazatlan and Manzanillo to look at first.

Mazatlan: A large city with excellent services, including dental and hospitals; great (cheap) restaurants; friendly people; excellent grocery shopping; and it is not difficult to find a thoroughly decent apartment (fully furnished and near the beach) for under $500 a month. About 15 miles of beach for your entertainment. You don't even need a car, as public transportation is reliable and cheap.

Maz (as it's fondly called by the gringos who love it) is separated into distinct sections. Starting from the north: New Mazatlan, an area just being developed, a bit more high end; next is the Golden Zone, where most of the tourist facilities and major resorts are located; then you have El Centro/Olas Altas; and then Old Mazatlan, the Historic Zone. Gringos live everywhere within the city, according to their tastes and budget. Here is a website that explains more: http://www.allaboutmazatlan.com/allaboutmazatlan.htm

There are weekly gatherings where the "old timers" answer questions and give advice to "newbies" or potential newbies. The groups “Maz Amigos” and Maz Info boast a group of eighty or more during the winter season, and a few less during the heat of the summer. But they do gather faithfully once a week to answer questions of any that would ask. You can usually find some of them at Canuck's restaurant nearly any day of the week.

Manzanillo: Located between Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan, this laid back city has a solid expat community and is a very good (and inexpensive) place to live. It is built on hills, very scenic, and has all the services you might require. It is a tourist town, has Mexico's busiest port, and is the self-proclaimed "sailfish capital" of the world. A recently reported survey cited Manzanillo and the state of Colima as having the lowest crime rates--1.1%--in all of Mexico. Violent crime is very rare there. See http://www.gomanzanillo.com/features/safety/index.htm and http://www.tomzap.com/manzanil.html

See also http://sparks-manzanillo.blogspot.com/ (nice pictures!) I really like the "attitude" of this city a lot.

Within striking distance of Manzanillo are some other places to consider, such as Barra de Navidad along the Costa Alegre (the Happy Coast).

Keep in mind that Maz & Manzanillo (and the others further south and in the Yucatan Peninsula) are tropical. The summers are hot and humid, but you quickly learn how to deal with that.

Also, you shouldn't rule out the Baja Peninsula. Contrary to popular lore, you can live quite inexpensively in Los Cabos if you know how. North of Cabo is the wonderful (and inexpensive) city of La Paz on the Sea of Cortez, which has been overlooked by too many. La Paz is a terrific place to retire, in my opinion, and you might want to look into it. (There is not a dust problem in either of these areas, by the way). See http://www.lapaz-tourism.com/

You can get along in all of these places without knowing Spanish, though it is a good thing to pick up at least a smattering of Spanish and the locals appreciate the effort (and will graciously help you).

If you are interested, I can give you more info about these places as well as the island of Cozumel, Cancun, the Mayan Riviera, Puerto Vallarta and Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo. Send me a private message if you want, or email me at aloha@melekalikimaka.com

Don't rule out Mexico; it isn't for everyone, but it might be for you.

[jperson63]

Originally Posted by sunrico90

Is the primary reason for relocation a job? Does the cities listed above support your trait? Will the crime deter your move? Curious....

I visited Mexico a few times and color or race is a bit blind to the eye. Most of the locals are mixed from many background and mixed couples are accepted.

I grew up in Mexico City and am from Los Angeles. Perhaps to the tourist Mexico may not seem racist because they want your dollars. Straight out, the black wife is not going to fly there (D.F.) and definetly forget about Guadalajara which is even more redneckish than the capital. Secondly, don't want to put a damper on your parade, but you're not going to be any better off being a decedent of south american parents or having lived in "mexican neighborhoods" whatever that's supposed to mean. If you mean you lived among chicanos, those people barely speak spanish, are usually immigrants that couldn't cut it in Mexico and are pretty clueless as to anything mexican other than what they glimpse at the border.

Stick to Canada dude.

[barito]

I'm contemplating moving to the west coast of Mex-Puerto Vallarta area. I want to be near ocean but not close enough to get inundated by hurricanes. I'm visiting this Nov. to see if I like it. does anyone have any suggestions for where to stay that is not too pretentious and also where are the best rentals in areas where both middle class Mexicans live amongst Americans. thanks

[somwhathip]

I love the diversity of opinions here. Some people love Mexico, others can't wait to go home. Some are terrified, others recommend most towns as very safe (I have to say i was a bit reassured to hear that!). Someone posted and asked about photos or information about Lake Chapala and Aijic. This review has a great photo and a nice review with some insight into what it is like to live there:
Best Lake Chapala and Aiijic active adult retirement communities

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by barito

I'm contemplating moving to the west coast of Mex-Puerto Vallarta area. I want to be near ocean but not close enough to get inundated by hurricanes. I'm visiting this Nov. to see if I like it. does anyone have any suggestions for where to stay that is not too pretentious and also where are the best rentals in areas where both middle class Mexicans live amongst Americans. thanks

I will no longer post content on this list but I will drop you a DM with some suggestions.

[MazatlanMan]

New Member Halo...Hello All, I am researching this subject at this time. From the research done it is not easy to purchase property in Mexico, but considering it is a foreign country it is easier then most. The over cost can not be as predictable as one might like. But so far it appears to be fairly simple and cut and dry once you've learned what you need to do and you've cleared up the needed help via a qualified Mexican Attorney, which is whom handles your documents much like a Notary does here in the states. Anyway to complex to explain here but, if this is something you are interested in please email me, I plan to do so myself and I am looking for others to include, we might consider a group trip as well as combined financial services which may draw down our out of pocket expenses considerably. So if you share my dream please write I would love to share what I know and help how ever I can. I am a firm believer that if one treats others with respect and kindness everyone benefits. Thanks for reading, hope this helps a little...take care!