# Querétaro neighborhood ideas, please



## wanghaozhi

Querétaro is now at the top of my wife's and my short list for checking out as retirement candidates. It's a city; my wife wonders if she could take living in a small place such as Ajijic or Chapla. It's clean, safe and the climate is very similar to Lake Chapala's. And many other etc's.

Please give me your suggestions for our ideal neighborhood:
1) We can have a separate house. Our ideal would allow us to have natural light from all four sides.
2) We can have a lot of about 400m2 (4000 ft2) or so for a vegetable garden.
3) There are places to walk or bike. Hills would be a plus.
4) We live at a walking distance for our daily needs and shopping.
5) Not right next to a producer of loud sounds, such as a cathedral or bars.

In my previous posts, I've gotten really good responses. Thanks in advance.


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## Stevenjb

Jerry Brown Travels on YouTube just did two vids on a location tour with his wife considering moving from Lake Chapala to Querétaro.


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## wanghaozhi

Thanks, Stevenjb for pointing out the videos. My wife and I already saw them. It seems they really liked Queretaro, but would miss their friends too much. Fortunately, since we don't yet live in Mexico, that doesn't apply to us.


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## TundraGreen

wanghaozhi said:


> Querétaro is now at the top of my wife's and my short list for checking out as retirement candidates. It's a city; my wife wonders if she could take living in a small place such as Ajijic or Chapla. It's clean, safe and the climate is very similar to Lake Chapala's. And many other etc's.
> 
> Please give me your suggestions for our ideal neighborhood:
> 1) We can have a separate house. Our ideal would allow us to have natural light from all four sides.
> 2) We can have a lot of about 400m2 (4000 ft2) or so for a vegetable garden.
> 3) There are places to walk or bike. Hills would be a plus.
> 4) We live at a walking distance for our daily needs and shopping.
> 5) Not right next to a producer of loud sounds, such as a cathedral or bars.
> 
> In my previous posts, I've gotten really good responses. Thanks in advance.


I like cities. In fact, I live in the middle of one of the largest cities in Mexico. However, the traffic in cities (all cities it would seem, but certainly Mexican ones) is horrendous. And my experience living in Qro for three months a decade ago, and visiting it once a year, is that traffic in Qro is as bad as anywhere. Consequently, I would advise anyone thinking of living there to make sure they pick a place where they can walk (or bicycle) to everything needed on a regular basis. You mention walking for daily needs, so clearly you have thought about it. I would just like to emphasize that it should be -need-to-have- , not just a -nice-to-have. This may not apply to the suburbs around Qro. I don't know them well. But it certainly applies to the central part of town, say bounded by Universidad, Zaragoza, Tecnologico and Damián Carmona.


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## TundraGreen

I guess I have one more comment. You mention wanting to be able to walk for daily needs, and also having 400 m**2 for gardening. These two criteria might conflict. City centers provide lots of options for shopping within walking distance, but gardening space can be limited. Suburbs provide lots (pun intended) of land for gardening, but walkable shopping might be limited to a little corner grocery store, or a single supermarket if you pick a place near one, or the weekly roving mercado. The suburbs won't have hundreds of tiny shop selling everything you can imagine all within walking distance like a city can.

Maybe one can find local centers around a city like Qro that provide space while still having a healthy central shopping district within walking distance. Personally, if I were to live in Qro, I would start by looking in the area around Mercado Merced. The Market would provide everything needed regularly, and it is only a 10 or 15 minute walk to Jardin Zenea and the real heart of the city. But it is really dependent on the individual. I tend to do all my daily food shopping in a mercado and only occasionally make a trip to one of the big chain stores (Soriana, Mega Comercial).


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## wanghaozhi

TundraGreen said:


> I would just like to emphasize that it should be -need-to-have- , not just a -nice-to-have.


 I agree. My wife and I use every opportunity to walk: to the grocery store, to the library, just in the neighborhood.

Thanks bunches, Tundra Green. It's too bad I can give you only 1 thumbs up per message.

My wife and I have been discussing the topic of Where since I posted my question. I think that the 400m2 garden would be nice, but it's not necessary; we didn't have a garden for 25 years in Taipei. Your references about little shops everywhere reminds me of Taipei. It's quite inconvenient to park there, but really convenient to get your shoes or your dress repaired, or find a mom and pop eatery.

Also, both the books 'brain rules for living well' and 'blue zones' emphasize the importance of social interaction to keep our brains going as we age. I think that shifts the odds toward 'in town'.

Again, thanks, Tundra Green.


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## TundraGreen

wanghaozhi said:


> I agree. My wife and I use every opportunity to walk: to the grocery store, to the library, just in the neighborhood.
> 
> Thanks bunches, Tundra Green. It's too bad I can give you only 1 thumbs up per message.
> 
> My wife and I have been discussing the topic of Where since I posted my question. I think that the 400m2 garden would be nice, but it's not necessary; we didn't have a garden for 25 years in Taipei. Your references about little shops everywhere reminds me of Taipei. It's quite inconvenient to park there, but really convenient to get your shoes or your dress repaired, or find a mom and pop eatery.
> 
> Also, both the books 'brain rules for living well' and 'blue zones' emphasize the importance of social interaction to keep our brains going as we age. I think that shifts the odds toward 'in town'.
> 
> Again, thanks, Tundra Green.


In that case, if I were looking at Qro I would definitely stay in the area south of the river between the plazas and Mercado Merced. And definitely leave a car parked for most of the time. I stayed with a friend on Ocampo last year and the traffic getting into his house was really awful. In fact the only way I was successful is because I was on a motorcycle and I cut through a pedestrian walkway at one point.


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