# Living in Puebla



## sandraoaxaca (Oct 9, 2010)

Any tips on living in Puebla? We want to move there from Oaxaca.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

sandraoaxaca said:


> Any tips on living in Puebla? We want to move there from Oaxaca.


Sandra:

I´m just asking this question out of curiosity and want you to know that we live at Lake Chapala and in San Cristóbal de Las Casas and have some very good friends living in the environs of Oaxaca City. Because we travel between Lake Chapala and Chiapas several times a year, we pass through Puebla with some regularity and sometimes stay and dine there although we usually stay in Fortin de Las Flores or Orizaba, Veracruz. 

Puebla City and Oaxaca City strike us as very different places and that is not meant to be a value judgement but just to be fundamental. Here is a shallow value judgement. Oaxaca City strikes us as rather anarchic and rustic and perhaps a bit out of control but a splendid place and we we really like it there although, clearly, when the time of decision came we chose Chiapas even though we visit Oaxaca often when down there. Puebla City, on the other hand, seems to us to be a bit formal and conservative in religious and political terms. A well laid out city especially in centro but, it seems to us, not particularly fond of 
strangers. Puebla is the bride all decked out in her finery and Oaxaca is the party crasher who has ingested too much mezcal. Perhaps our take on both cities is superficial and unworthy of discourse but here you are exchanging one urban center for another very different one so we are simply curious as to what you wish to achieve by leaving Oaxaca for Puebla?


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## grieger-lods (Sep 11, 2011)

*Love Puebla!*



sandraoaxaca said:


> Any tips on living in Puebla? We want to move there from Oaxaca.


We moved to Puebla over one year ago and we are very happy here. We are retired educators and we recently had a birthday party for my husband at our home. Over 60 new firends and neighbors attended. Our social life is fuller than it ever was and our friends are all ages, literally 9-70. We have a weekly intercambio of idiomas (exchange of languages) at our house and I volunteer to teach swimming to children once a week and English at the local IMSS clinic, too. Our life is very full. Puebla is a big city with plenty of room for many different styles. Good luck!


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## gaab (May 23, 2011)

I moved to Puebla for work 3 months ago and I really like it. It is clean,safe and there is always something to do. There is alot of foreigner here with all the foreign enterprise around. The blog all about Puebla is really nice too.


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## dogtags (Apr 24, 2011)

We, too, are considering Puebla (after our year in Ajijíc), mainly because of the cooler climate (we're from San Francisco and even Lakeside will seem scorching at times). Our friends are aghast that we didnt choose to live on the beach, but for me, Puebla's 7,000 ft elevation sounds fantastic.


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## DNP (May 3, 2011)

gaab said:


> I moved to Puebla for work 3 months ago and I really like it. It is clean,safe and there is always something to do. There is alot of foreigner here with all the foreign enterprise around. The blog all about Puebla is really nice too.


I'm interested too. What's the blog?

WashDC/SMA


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## gaab (May 23, 2011)

All About Puebla
As for the weather, it is never burning hot here, always between 18 and 30 Celsius as for now it is raining often since its the season but other than that its really a perfect weather.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

I've always planned on visiting Puebla but now, it is too late. My COPD interferes with breathing and I can't go to higher elevations any more. So, I'll have to read the blogs of others and look at their pictures.


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## PinkChili2 (Sep 19, 2011)

I've only been in Puebla for 10 weeks...here's what I know so far...

-it's VERY safe
-it's VERY conservative
-expect to dress conservatively...no shorts or sandals, no tank tops, no cleavage showing...or stand out like a sore thumb
-you will need to learn spanish
-people are very friendly and helpful
-you've got Walmart, Sam's Club, Costco and all the usual NOB fast food joints...if that's your thing
-the best ice cream on the planet is here!!!
-it is on the expensive side, but, México City is close for shopping and stuff is cheap there

If you want to know anything specific feel free to msg me!!!

I'd live in Puebla but the altitude does not agree with me, so it's just my home base while I look for my forever home!


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

PinkChili2 said:


> ...
> -expect to dress conservatively...no shorts or sandals, no tank tops, no cleavage showing...or stand out like a sore thumb
> ...


Sounds like Puebla is in a different country than Guadalajara, maybe a different planet. Actually, there are several different generations and styles in Gdl. The older people tend to dress very conservatively. For most women under the age of 50, it is a different story. Tight to extremely tight clothes, spaghetti strap tops on everyone from 12 to 49 and from 40 kg (90 lb) to 140 kg (300 lb). Then there are the business types, and the tatoo-piercings-spiked hair types. There is room for everyone here.


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## PinkChili2 (Sep 19, 2011)

Ah yes, the skin tight clothing is rampant in Puebla too but people tend to stay pretty much covered up. The locals, men and women, simply do not wear shorts or flip flops(sandals)...most women wear very high heels all over the city and I have no idea how they do it with all the crazy uneven surfaces. I even saw a woman climbing a pyramid at Teotihuacan in heels...LOL!!!

There are all walks of life here too...the tattoo/piercing crowd, hippie/busker types, rockers etc...they all keep it covered up though.


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## canyankerocha (Sep 14, 2011)

Here's the blog:
http://www.puebla-mexico.com/10-things-every-traveler-should-know-about-puebla/
An amazing city. Every city doesn't have to be beachwear friendly! Great place to shake out the sweater and jeans you don't need on the coast. Also lots of knitters and yarn shops not to mention book stores in Puebla.


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## grieger-lods (Sep 11, 2011)

*Moved to Puebla and Happy*



dogtags said:


> We, too, are considering Puebla (after our year in Ajijíc), mainly because of the cooler climate (we're from San Francisco and even Lakeside will seem scorching at times). Our friends are aghast that we didnt choose to live on the beach, but for me, Puebla's 7,000 ft elevation sounds fantastic.


It is fantastic. We are from San Franccisco Bay Area, too. We had been visiting Puebla for four years when we finally moved here just over one year ago. We are not beach people either--books, culture, exercise, people, friendliness, beauty are more our thing. We have studied Spanish and continue to do so and that has helped us get along extremely well. We rented a home (online) last July, bought a used car (same online site) last August, and attend an ex-pat group called All About Puebla several times per year. We love the weather. Sunny every day without the heat! Remember all of the cold summers in San Francisco? Forgetaboutit!


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