# Malaga - Cultural Diversity



## Blue2000 (Jan 11, 2014)

Hello! I've been teaching English in Valencia but I've been thinking of moving to Malaga (or possibly elsewhere in Andalucia) this summer. My main question is about the culture there. Is is culturally diverse? And if so, do other cultures there actually have a presence (restaurants, festivals, etc.)? I'd like to stay in Spain for now but because of where I grew up in the U.S., I do like to be around diversity as well. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks!


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

My (Spanish) father-in-law refers to the Costa del Sol as the _territorios ocupados_ if that gives you a clue! It all depends whereabouts you are, some areas inland can be totally Spanish.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Madliz said:


> My (Spanish) father-in-law refers to the Costa del Sol as the _territorios ocupados_ if that gives you a clue! It all depends whereabouts you are, some areas inland can be totally Spanish.


Very few areas are 100% Spanish even inland as we've discovered - immigrants especially Brits turn up anywhere. People in search of the 'real Spain' who relocate to some desolate pueblo from which enterprising locals have escaped or tried to for decades forget that their very presence has diluted the ambience.

I'd say our village is 90% Spanish but cross the A7 and it's totally different.


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

I live in a rural area of Andalucia about 25 minutes from the coast and the population is split 50% Spanish and expats. Our area has become extremely busy during the past few years. By the shops and restaurants, parking is almost impossible. It is the same for the neighbouring villages.
My wife and I travel a lot through Spain and we have met Brits in isolated places in Spain, many looking like the local inhabitants. We have one relative in Malaga who you would never guess he was British. Came to Spain three years ago to work and learn the language. He doesn't earn much, but he stays because he loves the culture. He learnt Spanish very quickly, a case of having to.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Aron said:


> I live in a rural area of Andalucia about 25 minutes from the coast and the population is split 50% Spanish and expats. Our area has become extremely busy during the past few years. By the shops and restaurants, parking is almost impossible. It is the same for the neighbouring villages.
> My wife and I travel a lot through Spain and we have met Brits in isolated places in Spain, many looking like the local inhabitants. We have one relative in Malaga who you would never guess he was British. Came to Spain three years ago to work and learn the language. He doesn't earn much, but he stays because he loves the culture. He learnt Spanish very quickly, a case of having to.


I'm puzzled as to why our village has stayed as it is when we are situated where we are. The registered population is 1008 but it must be a lot more if the 'other side of the road' is taken into account.
We have around twenty shops and many small bars and restaurants. Two years ago an 'English Butcher' opened in a small tienda that had previously sold odds and ends. He lasted six months, maybe less. We forecast that when he opened and marveled that he was willing to take a risk of such magnitude when there was already a Carniceria which had been around since the Peninsular War.
We live on the fringe of the village in a street where three big houses have been sold in the past six months..to a wealthy Arab, a British family and a German couple so I guess things will change. But we hope to move into Estepona in three or four years time so hopefully any real change will be slow. Currently we are surrounded by lovely Spanish friends and neighbours...there are Germans nearby who have been in Spain for over forty years who frequently tell us Spain would be lovely..without the Spanish. Their chief complaint seems to be about noise...crowing cockerels and barking dogs - not ours- in particular as well as the very occasional all-night family wedding or birthday party.


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

mrypg9 said:


> I'm puzzled as to why our village has stayed as it is when we are situated where we are. The registered population is 1008 but it must be a lot more if the 'other side of the road' is taken into account.
> We have around twenty shops and many small bars and restaurants. Two years ago an 'English Butcher' opened in a small tienda that had previously sold odds and ends. He lasted six months, maybe less. We forecast that when he opened and marveled that he was willing to take a risk of such magnitude when there was already a Carniceria which had been around since the Peninsular War.
> We live on the fringe of the village in a street where three big houses have been sold in the past six months..to a wealthy Arab, a British family and a German couple so I guess things will change. But we hope to move into Estepona in three or four years time so hopefully any real change will be slow. Currently we are surrounded by lovely Spanish friends and neighbours...there are Germans nearby who have been in Spain for over forty years who frequently tell us Spain would be lovely..without the Spanish. Their chief complaint seems to be about noise...crowing cockerels and barking dogs - not ours- in particular as well as the very occasional all-night family wedding or birthday party.


We have a Spanish butcher who had a small shop, but he expanded into a huge shop. He has a ticketing system and some days you can wait over 30 minutes to get served. He opens 7 days a week and open on most National holidays. It is best to go early to get served. There is local construction going on and that has made the parking worse. Why it has got busy when other places haven't, I have no idea. House sales have improved it only slightly, a lot more are being let out.
We get on great with our Spanish neighbours, though some are noisy. I can tell their dog to shut up and astonishingly it does. Their kids are out in the street right now shouting, but then that's what kids do anywhere.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

I live in a town of 5,700 in the middle of nowhere, 50km from the nearest sizeable city. The immigrant population if my maths is correct is less than 1% (about 20 northern Europeans resident all year round and a few more with holiday homes, plus a handful of South Americans). I would say we have had zero cultural impact. We once had a "multicultural cake swap" for international women's day and one of the bars has a Manchester United poster up. That's about it really. 

Most of the [email protected] who had to leave the town for economic reasons remain fiercely loyal and attached to their home town. This is clear from the number of "exile" groups on Facebook and the fact that they all come back here for their holidays. Even the kids trying to find work abroad say they would want to come back home once things improve in Spain.


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## Blue2000 (Jan 11, 2014)

Thanks everybody for the info! Maybe I'll head down over spring break and check it out.


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