# Xalapa - Jalapa - Huh-lapa Weather



## The Largisimo (Mar 30, 2009)

So I really want to go check out this city and in anticipation I have programmed it into the weather app of my phone so I could keep up to date on the weather. I did this over a month ago and check it daily and have yet to see anything other than clouds and rain. According to the iphone app the sun has not been seen in Xalapa in the last month. How close to reality is this from someone actually there?

Thanks.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

This is not true. Yesterday, there was a brief opening the clouds. It rained last night and will do so today and probably for the entire month of July, which is the wettest month.

Actually, it only rains in the late afternoon and at night.


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## Azuledos (Jan 21, 2010)

We have also monitored the weather on the net, comparing it with what is actually happening outside the window. Most of the apps are wrong in the details (when there are some clouds > therefore it's cloudy all day, ditto the reports for rain), but we have found that_ http:forecast.io_ is the best of the bunch, and great for viewing minute-by-minute graphs. 

As joaquinx reports, most of the rain falls late in the day or perhaps only at night -- great for the crops and flowers, and for us folks that are home before dark. Here in Fortin (western Veracruz, but south of Xalapa and 400 meters lower in elevation -- hence a few degrees warmer/drier each day) we can count on one hand how many days of non-stop rains we've had in the past 3.5 years here. No complaints - come on down!


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

Well, Largisimo; the nice thing about Mexico is that, unlike the Pacific Northwest (and Northern Coastal California where we lived for many years), the rainy season for most of the country comes during the summer months and, thus, the rain and overcast when upon us are more pleasant than the chilly and often incessant rains and "chipi-chipi" of the Northwestern United States. Xalapa is famous (or infamous), however, for its "chipi-chipi" (annoying overcast and drizzle) and I would say, after years of overnighting in Fortin de Las Flores on my way between Lake Chapala and San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, that western section of Veracruz State is also subject to "chipi-chipi" and overcast which is why the "flores" love it there. 

We think Fortin de Las Flores is a quite attractive town which we visited repeatedly when looking for a second home away from Lake Chapala and came close to buyng a home there but, after several visits, we chose Highland Chiapas (at 7,000 feet) instead some eight years ago but, in hindsight, I might look askance at any región in Mexico subject to the variances in weather brought on by the nearby Gulf of Mexico and that includes both Veracruz State and Chiapas and I speak as one who was born and raised near the Gulf in the Southern United States but also one who has lived in the Chiapas Highlands part time for eight years. It doesn´t just rain in some of these places influenced by the Gulf - it inundates. As we used to say back in South Alabama; _don´t you be buying yosef no bottom land, y´hear?_ 

That reminds me of what I have heard about the founding of San Cristóbal de Las Casas in the Jovel Valley in the Chiapas Highlands. Before the Spanish came to the Jovel Valley fleeing the unimpressed and highly irritated indigenous antagonists they had invaded along the Grijalva River near today´s¨Chiapa de Corzo, they found the local indigenous people living up in the hills above the valley more than happy to allow the Spanish and their vassals to settle in the valley which they knew from countless years of experience, was always subject to serious flooding. 

Xalapa has a lot going for it despite the "chipi-chipi". It´s the state capital of Veracruz, has a fine university system and many very good restaurants and cultural activities. It´s very close to the Gulf beaches and, going in the opposite direction, beautiful Alpine-like Green mountains, valleys and villages. I, personally, wouldn´t live in that overcrowded city with horrendous traffic but can think of several small towns in the vicinity that are attractive which, in my opinión. would be fun places to live a less hectic existence in attractive surroundings among interesting people if one understands and speaks passable Spanish.


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## The Largisimo (Mar 30, 2009)

Thanks everyone. I am thinking of Xalapa as a possible starting point and then explore from there. I moved to the PNW from Atlanta and never want to again live in a hot and humid environment. My El Dorado would be "no a/c required" ever. But I would like it to include some sunshine too. I also think a larger city with a high walkability factor would be nice until I get to the point of feeling comfortable owning and driving a car. And for me, and no offense intended, the fewer gringos the better. Any other suggestions on cities/areas would be welcomed but I am interested in a proper city instead of a small town or village at this point. I don't want to be the town ******. Would like to try and blend in a more urban setting.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I do not know about Jalapa but what happens in our area is that we see rain everyday what really happens is the morning MAY start with clouds it turns sunny around 9 or 10 them it may rain around 3 or 4 then it maybe dry but very cool so we have a lot of different type of weather within a day and the weather just do not go into the detail so you get the impression it rains all day every day when it is not what is happening.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

The Largisimo said:


> Thanks everyone. I am thinking of Xalapa as a possible starting point and then explore from there. I moved to the PNW from Atlanta and never want to again live in a hot and humid environment. My El Dorado would be "no a/c required" ever. But I would like it to include some sunshine too. I also think a larger city with a high walkability factor would be nice until I get to the point of feeling comfortable owning and driving a car. And for me, and no offense intended, the fewer gringos the better. Any other suggestions on cities/areas would be welcomed but I am interested in a proper city instead of a small town or village at this point. I don't want to be the town ******. Would like to try and blend in a more urban setting.


You could consider Mexico City: we enjoy plenty of sunshine for most of the year (though not this summer, unfortunately) with AC never needed; it's a large (to say the least) city with lots of walkability (and bikeability too); and while there are gringos living here, they're not concentrated in any one area.


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## Azuledos (Jan 21, 2010)

We moved here from the Pacific Northwest, and don't regret the decision. Initially looked at Xalapa area too, but are glad we found our place midway between Orizaba (same climate as Xalapa) and Córdoba (warmer, drier), both cities big enough to perhaps be urban enough for your tastes. You can travel between these two cities in less than 30 minutes. Traffic in Orizaba is a probably a match for Xalapa (due to its narrow old streets) but Córdoba is blessed with lots of wider new roads. You can travel by local bus easily, but if you contemplate driving a car Córdoba is much easier to navigate than either of the other mentioned cities. In your explorations we suggest you check out this area, it might suit you to a T, as it did for us.


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## The Largisimo (Mar 30, 2009)

Mexico City is high on my list of where I imagine to be a good place to live. I wish COL info was easier to come by. I know you (Isla) live comfortably there on about what I hope to spend per month but it seems like it would be more of a challenge to set myself up there with my current level of Spanish. Definitely worth a trip though. I may fly in there and have a look around before busing over to Xalapa. The flights into VC aren't nearly as convenient for the time I hope to come as I originally thought. Thanks for your input.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

[_QUOTE=The Largisimo;4474865]Thanks everyone. I am thinking of Xalapa as a possible starting point and then explore from there. I moved to the PNW from Atlanta and never want to again live in a hot and humid environment. My El Dorado would be "no a/c required" ever. But I would like it to include some sunshine too. I also think a larger city with a high walkability factor would be nice until I get to the point of feeling comfortable owning and driving a car. And for me, and no offense intended, the fewer gringos the better. Any other suggestions on cities/areas would be welcomed but I am interested in a proper city instead of a small town or village at this point. I don't want to be the town ******. Would like to try and blend in a more urban setting.[/QUOTE]_

Largisimo:

An interesting take on things. My wife ((Citlali) was raised in Paris and I in South Alabama, both nice places but now that I know you are from Atlanta and moved to the Pacific Northwest to escape the heat and (hopefully) to live without the cold artificial air of an A/C system, I can give you some advice based on personal experience. In Mexico as to where I woold go if I were you and looking for fresh, clean air and moderate temperatures year round in a beautiful environment at (in Mexico) the perfect altitude which I consider to be between 4,000 and 6,000 feet, here are my suggestions after having explored much of central and southern Mexico looking for those precise standards. 

Criteria:
* No Air conditioning - ever. Ceiling fans - absolutely. Lots of big Windows open to the outside, preferably open to a garden surrounded by stone walls or the like - essential if possible. If not possible, seek sun and fresh air and light. 
* Only moderate and limited use of propane wall heaters in winter to take the edge off of the night chill in your home after the cool to cold night air. This light use of propane Wall heating, by the way, is not normally used by most Mexicans we have met here - they simply dress warmly in their homes so, if you are so inclined, forget heating altogether. If you find it uncomfortable living in the slight chill, installing propane heat sufficient to warm your house in a short time period in Mexico is easy and inexpensive. 
* A home, whether rented or owned, near a public bus line and/or in an área with inexpensive and available taxis. The neighborhood or town can be surrounded by beautiful and spectacular mountains or lakes but the town itself should be, within the área you will be inhabiting and negotiating for normal shopping and urban entertainments, relatively flat for strolling about and acquiring groceries or other services. This strolling about business will become more and more important as you age and become less nimble. Don´t underestimate the importance of that feature. We immigrated to Mexico in our 50s and are now in our 60s and 70s. Think ahead. Those magnificent, hilly but hard to negotiate on foot, streets of places such as San Miguel De Allende may be more formidable 20 years from when you first fell in love with the place and leave you stranded in that castle which has then become a prison. 
* Always keep in in that that town or rural área that is so appealing during the month you are there may present a different and less appealing face for other months during the years you live there as a retiree. Mexico is not the land of eternal sunshine and 70F degree temperature delight you may presume it to be. It is also a land where it may be damned difficult to unload a house on short order if at all. 

If I were qualified to rate places in Mexico by climate using the criteria of moderate temperatures and prevailing sunshine but with sufficient rain and topographical features to make the place a green pradise at least part of the year with never any need for air conditioning or rarely heat and fresh. clean air in abundance with the windows almost always open to nature, I would choose, in importance:
* Lake Chapala (and believe me, you can live here without any innterraction with expats whatsoever - I know I do) 
* Guadalajara
* Cuernavaca
* Comitan, Chiapas
* Oaxaca City (and surroundings)

I could name a few more but I have run out of steam.


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## The Largisimo (Mar 30, 2009)

HD. Thank you for taking the time to write this. Very helpful.


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## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

Puebla is one of Mexico's largest cities that's very walkable in it's centro. It often contends with Oaxaca as having the best cuisine in Mexico. It's at 7000' so highly unlikely to need AC. It has one of the world's largest VW plants as well as the country's only Lamborghini dealership, if that's any indication of the breadth of it's cosmopolitan nature. 

Another option, and one sure to be argued about here, is Toluca. It's Mexico's highest large city if I remember right, has a pleasant twin city next door called Metepec, and is close enough to Mexico City for easy daytrips. What's attractive to me is not only does Spirit Airlines fly into Toluca's airport for quick and cheap flights home, but some Mexican discount airlines like Interjet do also. Would be very easy to set up base there for awhile and fly to different areas to check them out. Mexico is a big country, bussing long distances can get tiring.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

vantexan said:


> Another option, and one sure to be argued about here, is Toluca. It's Mexico's highest large city if I remember right, has a pleasant twin city next door called Metepec, and is close enough to Mexico City for easy daytrips. What's attractive to me is not only does Spirit Airlines fly into Toluca's airport for quick and cheap flights home, but some Mexican discount airlines like Interjet do also. Would be very easy to set up base there for awhile and fly to different areas to check them out. Mexico is a big country, bussing long distances can get tiring.


Toluca gets really cold in the winter. Metepec is not a city, but formerly a pleasant typical pueblo (renowned for its beautiful ceramic "árboles de la vida"), now a mere suburb of Toluca.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Toluca is cold and ugly as hell, Metepec has nicer houses, but the area also is so very stressed about security...


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## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

Isla Verde said:


> Toluca gets really cold in the winter. Metepec is not a city, but formerly a pleasant typical pueblo (renowned for its beautiful ceramic "árboles de la vida"), now a mere suburb of Toluca.


And from what I've read here Metepec is the place to live in that area. Thought I'd mention the Toluca area to start as a base to explore various cities, using the airport with it's cheap connections. I understand that Mexico City has a bus station at it's airport where one can ride in from numerous locations. For example the main bus station in Puebla has busses that go directly to Mexico City's airport, which might alleviate some stress for those looking to fly back to the States.


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## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

GARYJ65 said:


> Toluca is cold and ugly as hell, Metepec has nicer houses, but the area also is so very stressed about security...


I've read here and elsewhere that Toluca has a fantastic centro. I know for a fact it has multiple multiplex theaters so I'm assuming it has good shopping too. Read years ago that it has a huge open air market. And it's an easy distance to Mexico City and other interesting towns. Surely it can't be all bad?


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## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

Isla Verde said:


> Toluca gets really cold in the winter. Metepec is not a city, but formerly a pleasant typical pueblo (renowned for its beautiful ceramic "árboles de la vida"), now a mere suburb of Toluca.


According to Wikipedia Metepec is a seperate municipality with Metepec being the seat. 2005 census puts the municipality at 206,000, the city 180 something thousand. A very big pueblo!


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

vantexan said:


> I've read here and elsewhere that Toluca has a fantastic centro. I know for a fact it has multiple multiplex theaters so I'm assuming it has good shopping too. Read years ago that it has a huge open air market. And it's an easy distance to Mexico City and other interesting towns. Surely it can't be all bad?


Reading about places is one thing, but most of the time would not reflect the reality.

Toluca is ugly, cold, crowded.


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

GARYJ65 said:


> Reading about places is one thing, but most of the time would not reflect the reality.
> 
> Toluca is ugly, cold, crowded.


How is the security situation in the Toluca/Metepec area?


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

coondawg said:


> How is the security situation in the Toluca/Metepec area?


Police is as corrupt as they can be.
Policemen in Estado de México are famous for that

Too much traffic, hence, too much bribing

Being a high population place, there are many thieves

Metepec is a more residential area, but they are way too suspicious about anyone.
Mainly enclosed fraccionamientos


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

vantexan said:


> According to Wikipedia Metepec is a seperate municipality with Metepec being the seat. 2005 census puts the municipality at 206,000, the city 180 something thousand. A very big pueblo!


I visited there some 30 years ago, when it was a charming pueblo. Too bad it's changed so much.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

GARYJ65 said:


> Reading about places is one thing, but most of the time would not reflect the reality.


Agreed, Gary.


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## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

GARYJ65 said:


> Reading about places is one thing, but most of the time would not reflect the reality.
> 
> Toluca is ugly, cold, crowded.


Well, you stated your opinion which we are reading. Others have stated their opinions here and elsewhere that are positive. It's all subjective, right? But what can't be denied is that Toluca has an excellent airport with flights to cities all over Mexico. And a number of cities in the U.S.. It would make an excellent base to explore Mexico further.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

vantexan said:


> Well, you stated your opinion which we are reading. Others have stated their opinions here and elsewhere that are positive. It's all subjective, right? But what can't be denied is that Toluca has an excellent airport with flights to cities all over Mexico. And a number of cities in the U.S.. It would make an excellent base to explore Mexico further.


I stated my opinion, because I know Metepec and Toluca, do you?


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

vantexan said:


> Well, you stated your opinion which we are reading. Others have stated their opinions here and elsewhere that are positive. It's all subjective, right? But what can't be denied is that Toluca has an excellent airport with flights to cities all over Mexico. And a number of cities in the U.S.. It would make an excellent base to explore Mexico further.


Anyone I know who has lived in Toluca (both Mexicans and foreigners) had but one goal in life, to get out of there any way they could! Perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit, but not by much. Choosing to live somewhere because it has a good airport seems an odd thing to do. So when will you be moving to this wonderful city, vantexan?


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## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

Isla Verde said:


> Agreed, Gary.


You told me that Metepec was a little pueblo, a suburb of Toluca, not an actual city. But that's not the case. I knew different from READING about what it is currently. Nothing beats investigating in person, but things change over time, especially over 30 years. I don't know when was the last time Gary was in Toluca, whether he explored the whole city, whether he had negative experiences there that formed his opinion. But others who've been greatly enjoyed Toluca, especially it's centro. So as I'm reading multiple opinions, I have to weigh what everyone says, not just take one opinion above all others, and decide if it's worthwhile for me to visit. I've been in 44 states in the U.S., but that doesn't qualify me as an expert just because I drove through a place. Toluca may not be a lot of things, but it has two things going for it most other cities in Mexico can't say: a central location and an airport with flights throughout the country. For someone without a car, who doesn't want to spend countless hours on a bus, but wants to see various places, Toluca would be excellent for that.


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## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

Isla Verde said:


> Anyone I know who has lived in Toluca (both Mexicans and foreigners) had but one goal in life, to get out of there any way they could! Perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit, but not by much. Choosing to live somewhere because it has a good airport seems an odd thing to do. So when will you be moving to this wonderful city, vantexan?


I very much like Arequipa, Peru. But flights to and from the U.S. are expensive. Another issue is almost all U.S. movies there are dubbed, not in English with subtitles as they often are in Mexico. We like going to the movies enough to where I always check on the local availability. My wife wants to get back to the States as quickly as possible when she travels to see her kids. So yes, I'm considering Toluca or something nearby. You once told me Toluca is a very conservative city. I can imagine why those with a liberal bent would want to leave. But I'm just a carpetbagger, using an affordable locale while paying off a mortgage back home, making back home a little more affordable.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

vantexan said:


> I very much like Arequipa, Peru. But flights to and from the U.S. are expensive. Another issue is almost all U.S. movies there are dubbed, not in English with subtitles as they often are in Mexico. We like going to the movies enough to where I always check on the local availability. My wife wants to get back to the States as quickly as possible when she travels to see her kids. So yes, I'm considering Toluca or something nearby. You once told me Toluca is a very conservative city. I can imagine why those with a liberal bent would want to leave. But I'm just a carpetbagger, using an affordable locale while paying off a mortgage back home, making back home a little more affordable.


So your wife has agreed to move to Mexico after all - great news, vantexan! Mexico, in general, is a conservative country, especially outside of the capital. The people I mentioned who were anxious to leave Toluca were not particularly politically liberal (however you define that) but were anxious to get out of there because it was dreadfully boring and the locals were not particularly friendly, especially not to outsiders. Before picking up and relocating to a city that many of us long-time expats plus Gary, a Mexican citizen who knows what he's talking about, have advised against moving to, I hope you're planning on coming down for an extended visit to see for yourself what kind of place it is.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Isla Verde said:


> Anyone I know who has lived in Toluca (both Mexicans and foreigners) had but one goal in life, to get out of there any way they could! Perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit, but not by much. Choosing to live somewhere because it has a good airport seems an odd thing to do. So when will you be moving to this wonderful city, vantexan?


The importance of an airport is a strong function of how often you fly. If you only fly once a year or less, a couple of hours to get to the nearest airport is not a big deal. When I was working I flew several times a month and would not have wanted to live where the airport was distant or required a connection to get everywhere. I don't know how often VanTexan plans to travel but I could see an airport being on the check list if a retiree wanted to travel very much.

I actually find the Guadalajara airport a nuisance because there are no direct international flights to anywhere except the US. But I don't fly often enough now to live in Mexico City just for the good flight connections.


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## gringotim (Jan 5, 2011)

:nonoon't believe 100%, any weather forecast or current temperature you see on your phone or on line. This last Tuesday at about 3:00pm, my phone app said the current temp was 19 celcius (about 66 Fahrenheit) where I live on Vancouver Island about 45 minutes north of Victoria BC, when it was actually 30c, (86f). :flame:and that's not just on both of my digital thermometers in the shade, about 10ft away from the house, but also in both our cars, and every one of the thermometers buildings in town have on there signs, some even said 32. It didn't cool down to 19c until about 11pm that night.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Vantexan..I cannot wait to her your opinion of Metepec or Toluca when you go ther. I have only stayed in hoteles in the winter and you can have that weather it is really cold , plu the altitude gets to me after a while and I live at 7200 feet...


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

If your wife did not like Queretaro I can promise yu she will hate Toluca and Metepec. The area around there has some nice sites but the cities are not pretty and I include Metepec in the description. I would live in Mexico city 100 times before i would live in Toluca or Metepec.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

citlali said:


> If your wife did not like Queretaro I can promise yu she will hate Toluca and Metepec. The area around there has some nice sites but the cities are not pretty and I include Metepec in the description. I would live in Mexico city 100 times before i would live in Toluca or Metepec.


I think vantexan's wife didn't like San Miguel (after just 5 days), not Querétaro, but your comments hold true anyway.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

She did not care for Queretaro either from what I remember.


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## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

citlali said:


> She did not care for Queretaro either from what I remember.


She liked Queretaro ok, but neither of us liked the horrendous traffic. We won't be taking her car down when we go, but that's several years away. I'm getting back on with FedEx, and will work until 55, or possibly a little longer if my dogs are still alive. They'll be 15 and 16 in 3 years. If Toluca is as bad as everyone says I think we'll look at Puebla.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

vantexan said:


> You told me that Metepec was a little pueblo, a suburb of Toluca, not an actual city. But that's not the case. I knew different from READING about what it is currently. Nothing beats investigating in person, but things change over time, especially over 30 years. I don't know when was the last time Gary was in Toluca, whether he explored the whole city, whether he had negative experiences there that formed his opinion. But others who've been greatly enjoyed Toluca, especially it's centro. So as I'm reading multiple opinions, I have to weigh what everyone says, not just take one opinion above all others, and decide if it's worthwhile for me to visit. I've been in 44 states in the U.S., but that doesn't qualify me as an expert just because I drove through a place. Toluca may not be a lot of things, but it has two things going for it most other cities in Mexico can't say: a central location and an airport with flights throughout the country. For someone without a car, who doesn't want to spend countless hours on a bus, but wants to see various places, Toluca would be excellent for that.


We considered so many cities in Mexico in which to settle, mostly in central or souhern Mexico but cold, uncomfortable, insanely crowded,and, for the most part, unattractive Toluca at 2,667 Meters (8,750 Feet) was never on any list we compiled. About 820,000 people in the city and 1,600,000 people in the metropolitan zone which has overwhelmed at least 12 other smaller municipalities including Metepec . With all those people are living in an annoyingly cold environment with a noticeable lack of oxygen and, my guess is, maybe no more than 12 heaters in the entire metropolitan region where one can be miserably cold while just attempting to eat out at a restaurant; how anyone could even thinking of moving there is beyond my imagination. Now, if one knows where to look between Mexico City and Toluca, there is some beautiful countryside around there but forget the city itself and look for beautiful rural alpine áreas in which to settle. 

As Dave Gardner, the southern comedian used to say about the north in the U.S. in the 1960s, "Yáll know the only reason people live up there is ´cause they have Jobs there." The same is doubtless true of Toluca the capital of Mexico State - a state reputed to have among the most corrupt cops in Mexico and that is a signal accomplishment in this country. We have friendeswho live in a village in Oaxaca who make rugs and drive up with those rugs to Lake Chapala (among other places) to sell them. Back before the completion of the Arco Norte freeway bypassing Mexico City and most of Mexico State, when we taraeled to or from Oaxaca together, they would go way out of their way to avoid Mexico State altogether to avoid the inevitable shakedown by the Mexico State cops. 

To each his own but Mexico State has its down side and Toluca is the coldest urban metrolpois there. Re-think this.


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## Anonimo (Apr 8, 2012)

The Largisimo said:


> Thanks everyone. I am thinking of Xalapa as a possible starting point and then explore from there. I moved to the PNW from Atlanta and never want to again live in a hot and humid environment. My El Dorado would be "no a/c required" ever. But I would like it to include some sunshine too. I also think a larger city with a high walkability factor would be nice until I get to the point of feeling comfortable owning and driving a car. And for me, and no offense intended, the fewer gringos the better. Any other suggestions on cities/areas would be welcomed but I am interested in a proper city instead of a small town or village at this point. I don't want to be the town ******. Would like to try and blend in a more urban setting.


We live in the Pátzcuaro Michoacán area and require no AC. But this summer has had an unusual amount of rain. Winters usually have nighttime temps near or just below freezing. Nothing is perfect.

Separately, we are the only gringos living in our village, although we had a few expat friends here in past years. You may, after a few years, come to wish for a social life conducted in English as well as Spanish.

(It just started to rain again, but late afternoon is the "normal" time for this.)


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

_


Anonimo said:



We live in the Pátzcuaro Michoacán area and require no AC. But this summer has had an unusual amount of rain. Winters usually have nighttime temps near or just below freezing. Nothing is perfect.

Separately, we are the only gringos living in our village, although we had a few expat friends here in past years. You may, after a few years, come to wish for a social life conducted in English as well as Spanish.

(It just started to rain again, but late afternoon is the "normal" time for this.)

Click to expand...

_Interesting observation, Anonimo, about Patzcuaro (at 2,170 Meters or 7,020 feet) which may or may not be your elevation since I know you have, according to your posts, moved to a rural área near Patzcurao and, if I am not mistaken, have lived there for a few years.. I believe you have enjoyed living there just as we have enjoyed living for the past eight years part time in San Cristóbal de Las Casas. Both towns and environs are attractive and unique but both are at about 2,000 Meters more or less and can get quite chilly and very damp at times. I can´t speak for Pátzcuaro, a town we considered as our residence at one time back in the early 2000s but I can tell you that the summers in San Cristóbal can be intimidating with afternoon rains that are overwhelming inundations often causing serious flooding in low lying áreas and, because of the altitude and bone-chilling rains , the town becomes more uncomfortable as a place to live during the summer rainy season (May to, perhaps, September) than the brisk but normally spectacularly sunny and dry winters. We can´t grow the tropical plants we grow at Lake Chapala at 5,000 feet because of the frosts in Highland Chiapas so we grow different types of plants in our garden down in Chiapas than at more northerly but more temperate Lake Chapala. Variety is the spice of life, I say, so annual changes in environments and cultural values have kept us going so far.

I must say that I admire the way you both have adapted to life as expats in your rural town in Michoacan where few if any other expats can be found and more power to you. We know that is a rewarding experience from our years in Highland Chiapas with its huge and interesting (if complex) indigenous communities and endemic corruption everywhere which boggles the mind. Every place is good and bad. I always liked the old saying; "May you live in interesting times." Human experiece on the planet is always good and always bad eveywhere- so just live in a place that is fun and challenging.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Hound Dog said:


> Every place is good and bad. I always liked the old saying; "May you live in interesting times." Human experiece on the planet is always good and always bad eveywhere- so just live in a place that is fun and challenging.


"May you live in interesting times" is a pseudo-Chinese saying that is a bit more sinister than Hound Dog has implied in his post: May you live in interesting times


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Isla Verde said:


> "May you live in interesting times" is a pseudo-Chinese saying that is a bit more sinister than Hound Dog has implied in his post: May you live in interesting times


That is supposed to be a Chinese curse!


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

GARYJ65 said:


> That is supposed to be a Chinese curse!


I found several online sources that said that it's not Chinese at all. Click on the link I so kindly provided for more details.


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## YoRay (Jun 26, 2014)

The Largisimo said:


> Thanks everyone. I am thinking of Xalapa as a possible starting point and then explore from there. I moved to the PNW from Atlanta and never want to again live in a hot and humid environment. My El Dorado would be "no a/c required" ever. But I would like it to include some sunshine too. I also think a larger city with a high walkability factor would be nice until I get to the point of feeling comfortable owning and driving a car. And for me, and no offense intended, the fewer gringos the better. Any other suggestions on cities/areas would be welcomed but I am interested in a proper city instead of a small town or village at this point. I don't want to be the town ******. Would like to try and blend in a more urban setting.


Hey, there is nothing wrong being the village ******! I love it! You get to be very popular. Everyone wants to talk to you, same questions over and over but, that´s ok gives you a lot of opportunity to practice your Spanish. I especially like all the younger kid reaction, some look at you like you are from another world and others talk your arm off. Some call me Don Ray and others grandfather. They are always wanting to learn new words in English so I have started a class teaching them. They think it is really strange that grandpaw likes to play basketball so, when I go to the court there is always someone wanting to play. The people are friendly and always greet you in passing on the Street. But, everyone likes different things, and after years of driving a semi-truck in the states and all the traffic, I like the peace and feel of a small village.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

The Largisimo said:


> Thanks everyone. I am thinking of Xalapa as a possible starting point and then explore from there. I moved to the PNW from Atlanta and never want to again live in a hot and humid environment. My El Dorado would be "no a/c required" ever. But I would like it to include some sunshine too. I also think a larger city with a high walkability factor would be nice until I get to the point of feeling comfortable owning and driving a car. And for me, and no offense intended, the fewer gringos the better. Any other suggestions on cities/areas would be welcomed but I am interested in a proper city instead of a small town or village at this point. I don't want to be the town ******. Would like to try and blend in a more urban setting.


It sounds to me like you are describing my neighborhood. My adobe house is cooler than outdoors during the warmest month, May, and warmer than outdoors during the coolest month, January. It is always comfortable. I don't have any source of air conditioning or heating and never even use a fan. The humidity varies from 36% in the driest month, April, to 77% in the wettest month, September.

The sun shines for all or part of every day except when occasional Pacific storms produce a few cloudy days in a row. 

Everything I need is within a short walk: food, restaurants, bars, cinema, theater, hardware, hair cutting, hospital, library. There are half a dozen bus routes within a block (but none go down my street so it is quiet). 

However, I am the neighborhood foreigner. I see another foreigner near the house maybe once or twice a year. 

And I am not getting any kickback from the Guadalajara convention and visitors bureau.


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