# Retiring from USA in Western Cape



## guojian53 (Nov 23, 2009)

I am planning my retirement move to the Western Cape in three years.

My desire is stay close to the ocean; places I have considered are: Fish Hoek, Saldanha, Strand, Atlantic Seaboard. I am thinking of selling my house in the US and buying there.

I would like to network with locals to learn more, get to know the area of the Western Cape, and perhaps make some new friends there.

Preface: I already know about crime. I lived in San Bernardino, just blocks away from Gang Central with the drive-by shootings and carjackings. I also taught school in inner city Detroit, the Murder Capital of America and the originator of the carjacking. So I don't want to hear a lot about crime in South Africa, because I feel pretty effective at dealing with crime. Been there, done that.

Hope to meet some good, kind folks, who can provide some information.


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## Native Texan (Apr 29, 2011)

The Western Cape is a great place. We considered moving there also but our love for the bush eventually led us to buy in a wildlife estate near Kruger park. We still like to vacation in the Western cape and love exploring the garden route. A couple of ways to network with the locals is to attend some local churches and/or visit some of the local pubs. We have found South Africans to be very friendly and accepting but you have to make the effort as they don't impose on you first, as per our experiences. Cape Town and the general area offer just about everything you would expect from a costal area and the Cape winelands are just a short drive from there. Kind of reminded me of Napa valley except not as long a drive from the coast. Give the place a visit first and you will fall in love with it but dont overlook places like the Hermanus area if you want the ocean air but not the crowds (except during high season) and the option of a quick change of climate with just an hour or so of driving. Good luck.


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## jebadad (Feb 14, 2010)

guojian53 said:


> I am planning my retirement move to the Western Cape in three years.
> 
> My desire is stay close to the ocean; places I have considered are: Fish Hoek, Saldanha, Strand, Atlantic Seaboard. I am thinking of selling my house in the US and buying there.
> 
> ...



I´ve been living in Cape Town for the last 6 years. If you have specific questions just ask them. Maybe I can help.

On another note: Last month a new immigration law was passed and now only needs to be signed by the president. I don´t know much detail, but from what I read it will become more difficult or at least more cumbersome to get a visa or permanent residence (e. g. you will have to apply in person and can not longer mandate an immigration lawyer to that for you, you can no longer change your status from within the country...). So if you are still intending to come here it might be a good idea to apply for residence before the new law kicks in.


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## stuartjohn (May 2, 2008)

*Western Cape retirement*

My inlaws are retired in a small village called Jacobs Baai about 2 hours out of Cape Town and have lived there for several years. they know the West Coast well so if you want an intro PM me and i will give you their details


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