# Querétaro or Aguascalientes?



## AnneSummers

Just joined and cannot figure out how to post a question.


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## SirRon

AnneSummers said:


> Just joined and cannot figure out how to post a question.


you made your first step you posted here, just do a little more reading, you will understand, if not there are lots of helpful people here


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## AnneSummers

Iḿ planning on retiring in Mexico within a year and have been doing extensive internet searches, which is how I found this site. I have narrowed it down to Queretaro and Aguascalientes. I´ve read that they are very industrial and "ugly" because of it. Is this true?
Iḿ looking for somewhere not quite in town (I guess) but not far out either. Iḿ 62 and feel I need to be somewhat close to things. I speak marginal Spanish from my college days and have purchased several computer programs to refresh and learn more. I´d like to become fluent. If anyone has been to either cities, I wonder which one you would think was the prettiest. I don´t mean the touristy things, but just overall attractiveness like trees and folliage, etc. Weather info can be notoriously inacurate online so "how´s the weather¨ in either place, really. I´m afraid I posted this in the wrong place,
I can´t seem to find a general post link. If I did, sorry. Thanks, Anne


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## Longford

If I had narrowed-down the possibilities to two, the two you cite ... Aguasclientes would be my choice, without a doubt. If Zacatecas were on the list, if it were expanded to three ... it would be No. 1 on my list.


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## AlanMexicali

Querétaro would me my choice. I know both places quite well. Aguascaliente is smaller and more of a dress making iindustry place with Nissan having 2 plants there and several other industries but has a similar climate. The center is quite small with one plaza and one church and a couple of other colonial buildings and a some parks close by. You could walk aroung it in 20 minutes and see everything except the mercados and stores.

Querétaro is much larger and has numberous industries and the center is much larger and more attractive and full of things to see. Outdoor patios for a row of restuarants on the plaza beside the main plaza to sit and people watch, cultural events, a music school and much more in the way of shopping and malls etc. More green areas etc.... everything is more there.

It is also closer to many other interesting cities and natual wonders than Aguascaliente.

To call either ugly because they are industrial is a stretch.

Aguacalientes is sort of a hick town compared to Queretaro. IMO


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## vantexan

Have you considered San Luis Potosí? 3rd largest colonial centro in the country with more pedestrian only streets than anywhere else.


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## Longford

The decision will have to be made by the OP, and relying on preferences by others is likely a prescription for disappointment. But I understand it's helpful to do as much research as possible before making a familiarization trip or two to each possibility before making a choice. Also, too, it's probably best to rent someplace to live instead of buying ... until a year or so has passed and there's the opportunity/time to get to know a city/colonia better before planting firmer roots.

Regarding the Queretaro / Aguascalientes question, people unfamiliar with those communities often make the mistake of mischaracterizing them. i believe Aguascalientes is the larger of the two cities, but because its historic center is or seems less hectic/busy than Queretaro's historic center - it's easy to mistake Aguascalientes as the smaller of the two. However, relatively few people live in either city's historic center, compared to the other parts of those communities - and judging a city by relatively small sections is probably not the smart thing to do. 

Obviously, most if not all of us will use criteria different from one another when it comes to assessing the likelihood of our enjoying living someplace. Some like large cities, others mid-sized or small towns. Some like the Central Highlands, others like the coastal areas. Some want to locate where there's an existing expat community they can join-in, and others are more independent and self-sufficient.

Here's some additional information about the two (if someone has a correction/update (such as recent Census date, please provide):

*Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes*

Population of city: 940,000 (approx.)
Population of metropolitan area: 1,250,000 (approx.)
Wikipedia Description: Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

*Queretaro, Queretaro*

Population of city: 825,000 (approx.)
Population of metropolitan area: 1,250,000 (approx.)
Wikipedia Description: Querétaro, Querétaro - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## AlanMexicali

Longford said:


> Regarding the Queretaro / Aguascalientes question, people unfamiliar with those communities often make the mistake of mischaracterizing them. i believe Aguascalientes is the larger of the two cities, but because its historic center is or seems less hectic/busy than Queretaro's historic center - it's easy to mistake Aguascalientes as the smaller of the two.


SEEMS less hectic or busy? It is tiny compared to Queretaro and unattractive in comparision. Have you seen either in person? It reminds me of the historic center área of the small city of San Juan de los Lagos, not a large bustling city in Central Mexico as Querétaro is.


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## Longford

AlanMexicali said:


> Have you seen either in person?


Yes, I have. I suspect you haven't.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which is understandable. However, I find your characterization of Aguascalientes a bit _off the wall_.


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## Hound Dog

AnneSummers said:


> Iḿ planning on retiring in Mexico within a year and have been doing extensive internet searches, which is how I found this site. I have narrowed it down to Queretaro and Aguascalientes. I´ve read that they are very industrial and "ugly" because of it. Is this true?
> Iḿ looking for somewhere not quite in town (I guess) but not far out either. Iḿ 62 and feel I need to be somewhat close to things. I speak marginal Spanish from my college days and have purchased several computer programs to refresh and learn more. I´d like to become fluent. If anyone has been to either cities, I wonder which one you would think was the prettiest. I don´t mean the touristy things, but just overall attractiveness like trees and folliage, etc. Weather info can be notoriously inacurate online so "how´s the weather¨ in either place, really. I´m afraid I posted this in the wrong place,
> I can´t seem to find a general post link. If I did, sorry. Thanks, Anne


Good luck Anne. I have not been to Agascalientes but have spent a bit of time in Querretaro. We live in Jalisco and Chiapas and, a number of years ago experienced the same quandary you now face. We chose Lake Chapala for its spendid climate and that large lake with endless wide deserted beaches upon which to run our huge mutts but later moved as well to more urbanized San Crostóbal de Las Casas in the Chiapas Highlands for for its historic interest and marvelous archictecture in the city´s historic center. To each his/her own but I am just curious as to why you narrowed down your choices to Querretaro and Aguascalientes -the first being a rather expensive place to live, an attractive city in the somewhat raw highlands. a bit crowded and largely lacking in foliage but with a robust economy , the latter, largely discounted as a place to settle by foreigners migratibng here. Both towns largely unheralded by most expats or Mexicans for that matter but that is not an adequate gauge of the worthiness of a town as a place to live since expats moving to Mexico from afar and most Mexicans seem to know nothing about any place 15 kilometers down the road.

I say, pick your place and expect no enlightenment from any of us posting hereabouts,


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## vantexan

Aguascalientes does have the country's largest fair, with festivities lasting close to a month.


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## travelinhobo

I lived in Ags. for a year about 9 years ago. At that time (meaning before the drug cartels entered the picture), it was a quiet city, not much going on, and as described above, just a small downtown plaza. Throw in a few museums for cultural effect and you get the picture. When I was there, it was considered to be the city with the highest quality of living in MX and had minimal crime. A few years ago, I heard that had changed (due to the cartels).

As for weather, hot summers and cold winters! I couldn't believe that MX could get so cold. Bring your winter jacket and some gloves for those late nights or early mornings out. Seriously. Christmas feels more like Xmas there, just without the snow. In the hot season, it gets sweatingly hot. The rains don't really make a difference because once they end, the sun comes back out and heats things up.

Queretaro is probably more foreign-friendly, but I only had one instance on the street during my time in Ags. when I was discriminated against because I was from the north. The majority of illegals who go to the U.S. come from the Zacatecas/Ags/fill in your central or northern state here, so they're more open to Americans. If you are one. Of course this all was 10 years ago.


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## Longford

travelinhobo said:


> When I was there, it was considered to be the city with the highest quality of living in MX and had minimal crime. A few years ago, I heard that had changed (due to the cartels).


I think the city still ranks amongst the highest quality of living. We don't often see reports of cartel troubles in Aguascalientes state, not as we do for Zacatecas state - not that I'm recalling. There is a major military or police checkpoint either between Aguascalientes and GDL, or Aguascalientes and Zacatecas (I'm not recallling clearly at the moment). Trucks and busses are most often stopped and special x-ray or large censors scan the vehicles looking primarly for narcotics.



travelinhobo said:


> As for weather, hot summers and cold winters! I couldn't believe that MX could get so cold. Bring your winter jacket and some gloves for those late nights or early mornings out. Seriously.


I think I could live in the city of Aguascalientes and be happy there but in that region Zacatecas (city) would win-out. However, the cold winters would be something I'd have to think long and hard about. I can't see myself moving again from the USA to Mexico and choose a spot in Mexico that had those extremes in temperatures. But, maybe it would work okay - because whatever I'd encounter in Aguascalientes or Zacatecas would be less than the Midwestern USA Winter weather.



travelinhobo said:


> Queretaro is probably more foreign-friendly ...


Without a doubt, though Aguascalientes is the larger of the two cities, but the Metro populations are similar ... the international business presence in QRO has drawn a much larger expat community there than will be found in Aguascalientes. I found Aguascalientes to be friendly - but I've never lived there. I think QRO is the more industrial of the two, and that's a turn-off for me ... though I like the historic central area of the city. If I were going to choose an industrial or large city to reside in again in Mexico I'd move back to the D.F. Nothing beats the D.F. for someone who seeks the Mexican urban environment, IMO.


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## AlanMexicali

travelinhobo said:


> I lived in Ags. for a year about 9 years ago. At that time (meaning before the drug cartels entered the picture), it was a quiet city, not much going on, and as described above, just a small downtown plaza. Throw in a few museums for cultural effect and you get the picture. When I was there, it was considered to be the city with the highest quality of living in MX and had minimal crime. A few years ago, I heard that had changed (due to the cartels).
> 
> As for weather, hot summers and cold winters! I couldn't believe that MX could get so cold. Bring your winter jacket and some gloves for those late nights or early mornings out. Seriously. Christmas feels more like Xmas there, just without the snow. In the hot season, it gets sweatingly hot. The rains don't really make a difference because once they end, the sun comes back out and heats things up.
> 
> Queretaro is probably more foreign-friendly, but I only had one instance on the street during my time in Ags. when I was discriminated against because I was from the north. The majority of illegals who go to the U.S. come from the Zacatecas/Ags/fill in your central or northern state here, so they're more open to Americans. If you are one. Of course this all was 10 years ago.



Aguascalientes is still the same boring colonial center as when you lived there and compared to Queretaro´s historic center is tiny and only someone not familiar with both cities could possibly see it as an equal or even remotely close.

The downtown is still mostly wedding /graduation/baptism/ quinceañera dress stores and they are still there. They do have a newer bus station and malls that probably weren´t there 9 years ago and some chain hotels on highways into town. The INFONAVIT tracts of small houses viewed from the highway into town from the south... there are more now.


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## AnneSummers

Thanks all for your insight. I really don´t want a place where the winters get too cold or where the summers have high humidity. I guess I´m now looking at GDL. Or near by. Thanks


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## coondawg

AnneSummers said:


> Thanks all for your insight. I really don´t want a place where the winters get too cold or where the summers have high humidity. I guess I´m now looking at GDL. Or near by. Thanks


A trip for a week or so to a place that you are considering might offer you lots of insight, but renting and living there for 6 months or a year will offer many more; plus, the ease of moving somewhere else, if you discover, as some do, that that location is not your dream place. Good luck.


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## AnneSummers

Does anyone live in or know anything about Tecoman, Colima? I can´t find anything about it on the net. Manzanillo, yes, but not Tecoman. Thanks


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## TundraGreen

AnneSummers said:


> Does anyone live in or know anything about Tecoman, Colima? I can´t find anything about it on the net. Manzanillo, yes, but not Tecoman. Thanks


You mentioned not liking humidity earlier. I would think that would rule out Tecoman. Summers there are pretty warm and humid. It is too low, less than 100 m elevation. Even Colima at around 500 m is still pretty warm and humid. By the time you get up to Ciudad Guzman at 1600 m, you lose the heat and humidity.


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## Longford

AnneSummers said:


> Does anyone live in or know anything about Tecoman, Colima? I can´t find anything about it on the net. Manzanillo, yes, but not Tecoman. Thanks


Info. about Tecoman (from a Google search )

Map - Tecoman

Wikipedia - Tecoman

Photos - Tecoman

News - Tecoman

There's a somewhat inactive Trip Advisor Forum for Tecoman, which won't be of much help.

And, last but not least ... here's a link to a long dormant discussion about Colima in which there might be some pearls of wisdom:

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/mexico-expat-forum-expats-living-mexico/870-colima-colima.html


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## PatrickMurtha

I'm writing about my Queretaro plans in a separate thread. (I've never been to Aguascalientes.) Based on my first trip to Queretaro, I have to echo what AlanMexicali has written about the charms of the Centro Historico. I was blown away and can't wait to make my relocation.


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