# Towns in Mexico with english speaking communities??



## edenmayne

My husband to be lives in a border town.... and I in UK.



My question is

Where in Mexico do you get English speaking communities??

My Spanish is limited BUT I am learning 

Thanks

A x


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## chicois8

All the big tourist towns........


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## FHBOY

Except in small towns, you can use pidgen english and had gestures to get what you need, and if you have a basic knowledge of Latin based language (French etc) you should be OK on the street in any major city, someone always seems to know some english.

It depends on what you want and how you want to live. We just finished our 2nd exploratory visit for retirement in 2013. In Puerto Vallarta, you will find most places speak English - it only has one major industry: tourism so it it in their best interest.

We then visited Ajijic on Lake Chapala, and were lead around by Don & Linda Wright - [look them up if you are looking to re-locate - good people]. There are 40-50,000 North American expats there. It seems you can get by there with even less Spanish than in PV. Also the year round environment is better.

We are going to go to Ajijic to enjoy our retirement...it is like permanent over night camp for adults - freer living style, small community feeling, just great weather.

So there, in too many words, is an answer.


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## circle110

Lake Chapala area - very big community
San Miguel de Allende - very big also
Puerto Vallarta - decent sized but many don't live there year round
Cancun - similar to PV

Smaller communities I know of:
Oaxaca
Guanajuato
Xalapa


I'm sure there are more of the smaller communities that I haven't come across yet.


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## chicois8

I would also include Merida,Yucatan...they like SMA have an English library....


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## maryellen1952

You will find the towns with many foreigners have higher prices so if you need to do research about that. Being a FLUENT Spanish speaker will save you a lot of $$$ and avoid getting ripped off because you are a foreigner.



edenmayne said:


> My husband to be lives in a border town.... and I in UK.
> 
> 
> 
> My question is
> 
> Where in Mexico do you get English speaking communities??
> 
> My Spanish is limited BUT I am learning
> 
> Thanks
> 
> A x


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## Hound Dog

edenmayne said:


> My husband to be lives in a border town.... and I in UK.
> 
> 
> 
> My question is
> 
> Where in Mexico do you get English speaking communities??
> 
> My Spanish is limited BUT I am learning
> 
> Thanks
> 
> A x


Do you really mean that you are learning Spanish? Most posters who say that on the forum are jiving. Here is what I suggest to you:

Avoid the places in Mexico with large English speaking colonies - especially the area on Lake Chapala known as "Lakeside" and San Miguel d´Allende. U.S. ******* colonies with great climates but most local Mexicans in those towns will never tolerate your puttering about in "Spanglish" and will order you to get to the point in English so, after a while, you will simply speak English rather that horrify your Spanish speaking listeners with your dreadful Spanish.

Here is what I know as one who lives in the English speaking colony of Ajijic, Jalisco and also the absolutely non-English speaking city of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas. If you are serious about learning Spanish, avoid those Engish speaking colonies like the plague.

If you are serious, send me the other criteria you seek to fulfill in Mexico including climate, services desired, regions and more and I´ll tell you whre I think you should move but forget those U.S. and Canadian reiree colonies that are just death if you really want to adjust to the language and the culture.


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## La Osita

edenmayne--

I have to say that what hound dog is saying makes sense. As I mentioned in my msg to you regarding getting married, I am living with my fiance just outside of Tequisquiapan, Queretaro in the village of El Sauz. Tequisquiapan is a lovely old resort town but is frequented more by vacationers from Mexico City than international tourists and ex-pats.
In the five months I've been there I've met three Mexicans who spoke any English, only one fluently. I've bumped into a couple of Americans who told me that they live in one of the 'closed gate' ex-pat communities nearby. One has lived in Mexico for 8 yrs, the other 3yrs and neither of them speak Spanish at all. The reason they said is because they spend all their time with other Americans and don't have Mexican friends. 

It's my personal opinion that they are missing out on the very best part of Mexico. I love the people, the culture, the traditions, the food and the language. Get invited to a big family birthday party with live music, barbacoa and liters of pulque flowing and you'll know what I mean. There's nothing like it! I stand out in a crowd, being the only white person living in El Sauz and I think my Spanish is still horrible but my fiance says otherwise and loves that everyday I learn a little bit more. He's now taken to sending me off on my own to buy feed for the sheep or purchase some widget at the hardware store. The more I force myself to get out there, the better it gets. I've had some very funny conversations in Spanish, I certainly can make people laugh, and just about everyone loves and marvels that the American lady wants to be a Mexican! It's a wonderful adventure I wouldn't trade for anything.


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## Hound Dog

Well said, Itnavell. 

This is such an important point that I thank you for your input and repeat that I know from personal experience that, if you want to learn not just a language but a culture, you must avoid those NOB enclaves like the plague.

Two reminiscenses:

When I was a young man in my 20s back in the 1960s, I moved to Paris and lived and sold the New York Times on the Champs Elysees for a year or so and then moved back to Alabama to my home town of Mobile and, there, in 1970 met a Parisienne who was on a one year work visa teaching French in a local private school. Well, we got married in 1971 and I have returned with her to visit her family on many occasions over the past 40 years and many of them speak no English and I found that, although I had lived in Paris and Nice for over a year, I knew nothing of France or the French family culture until I married into a French family.

We retired to Mexico in 1971 to Ajijic, Jalisco which is a town with many American and Canadian artists and retireees so English is widely spoken. In 2006 we bought a second home in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas where almost on one speaks any English. We live in Ajijic about half of every year and in Chiapas the other half. When we return to Ajijic every year about this time, our Spanish speaking friends always remark as to how my rudimentary Spanish has improved but within two months of being back in largely English speaking Ajijic, when it comes to Spanish, I´m once again dumb as a post.


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## edenmayne

I do agree with all that has been said by previous two posters.... I am all for when in Rome and the adventure etc... Where my fiance and I are based - I have heard many tales about this place and not all very nice... That together with the fact that Mexico is all very new to me just kinda made me a little nervous..... I think I would feel alot better if where we were at was safer or had a better reputation.... (Piedras Negras)


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## EricRayMoss

*Puerto Vallarta*

I lived in Puerto Vallarta for a year, and despite my efforts, I didn't learn very much Spanish because almost everyone that I dealt with on a daily basis and my Mexican friends spoke English. Beware however that outside of the "tourist hotspots" PV is like any other Mexican town and you will have to know SOME Spanish to get around and shop.


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## conklinwh

I'm really bad as I have a real problem with languages and have spent most of the last 30 years overseas. I tried real hard to learn Mandarin in Beijing, hired a tudor, and spent all my spare times riding my bike through the hutongs practicing with every kid I could. Interesting that they almost universally wanted to practice English. In fact, I've survived in 30+ plus countries muddling through. Only real problem was Paris as they abhor bad French. Nice on the other hand was great.
We now live in town with about 4000 Mexicans and some 20+ expats where 80-90% of the tourists are Mexican. Not great but we get through so not that big an issue.
Key to me is to try and not get frustrated as everyone wants to help.


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## joelpb

*san carlos*

san carlos is a good choice. it has a large expat population and it is about four hours from az. it is a very nice place. it does get hot in the summer.


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## tezalan47

edenmayne said:


> My husband to be lives in a border town.... and I in UK.
> 
> 
> 
> My question is
> 
> Where in Mexico do you get English speaking communities??
> 
> My Spanish is limited BUT I am learning
> 
> Thanks
> 
> A x


I moved to Spain in 1996 & NEVER knew any Spanish & runing my own business NEVER had time , Never went to Spanish classes BUT the Spanish are ver helpfull IF they know YOU wish to understand they WILL help you . I still have problems with the verba & some masculin 6 femanin DIFFERENCES with SPANSIH & ENGLISH , but do´nt worry this helps break down the barriers , GO FOR IT youu´ll feel a lot bet & if you mix with the local people rathr than the "SPANGLISH" you will be accepted a lot quicker .


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