# Where to reside in Mexico



## gary mullins (Mar 13, 2009)

Hi,

Looking for a place to dwell in Mexico for retirement. Would prefer a rural setting within 10km of a fairly large city. Security and safety are the biggest concerns. Don't want ot be caught in the crossfire of the Cartels...Just want a nice quiet place to retire to...where the few dollars will buy more consumer goods and allow me to hire locals to perform the home duties, maid, gardner...etc...where I may be able to have more free time to persue my interest.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Have you ever been to Mexico? What part of Mexico interests you, and why? 
It is a very diverse country with many climatic zones. More specific questions would help.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

gary mullins said:


> Hi,
> 
> Looking for a place to dwell in Mexico for retirement. Would prefer a rural setting within 10km of a fairly large city. Security and safety are the biggest concerns. Don't want ot be caught in the crossfire of the Cartels...Just want a nice quiet place to retire to...where the few dollars will buy more consumer goods and allow me to hire locals to perform the home duties, maid, gardner...etc...where I may be able to have more free time to persue my interest.


Xico or Coatepec in Veracruz. 10 to 15 kms from Xalapa. 90km to the port of Veracruz.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

gary mullins said:


> Hi,
> 
> Looking for a place to dwell in Mexico for retirement. Would prefer a rural setting within 10km of a fairly large city. Security and safety are the biggest concerns. Don't want ot be caught in the crossfire of the Cartels...Just want a nice quiet place to retire to...where the few dollars will buy more consumer goods and allow me to hire locals to perform the home duties, maid, gardner...etc...where I may be able to have more free time to persue my interest.


Dear Gary, Tocayo, send me a PM when you can!


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## terrybahena (Oct 3, 2011)

Mexico is huge; as was stated above, more details required. Are you comfortable with humidity? Do you like the mountains? The desert? The ocean? And along the coast again you have humidity in some places, other places are very cool....I believe that climate is a huge factor. I tried both the tropics and the desert, and found after a year and a half, that near the ocean, no humidity, cool nites and nice days...mild winter & summer, is what appeals to me.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

gary mullins said:


> Hi,
> 
> Looking for a place to dwell in Mexico for retirement. Would prefer a rural setting within 10km of a fairly large city. Security and safety are the biggest concerns. Don't want ot be caught in the crossfire of the Cartels...Just want a nice quiet place to retire to...where the few dollars will buy more consumer goods and allow me to hire locals to perform the home duties, maid, gardner...etc...where I may be able to have more free time to persue my interest.


I´m a bit confused, Gary, since you indicate that you are an expat in Spain but live in Luverne, just up the road from Dawg´s Greenville and the place I used to drive to in the 1950s to buy beer since, in those days, Greenville was a "dry" town under Alabama´s local option liquor laws following the end of prohibition. Dawg had to drive to the Crenshaw County line for beer when a teenager in those days since there were always beer joints directly on the county lines between "wet" and "Dry" counties where besotted proprietors would be more that happy to sell cases of beer to roaming teenagers "out back" who would then undertake to drive the 30 miles or so back home getting progressively loaded along the way on those backcountry two lane highways. I´m not exactly proud of having been a part of these activities but, what the hell, neither am I ashamed of my participation since I was just a young punk and, miraculousy, as fate would have it, I survived those times.

We have lived in Mexico full time for over 13 years, originally in the Ajijic delegation of the municipality of Chapala on Lake Chapala and, since 2006, in San Cristóbal de Las Casas in the Chiapas Highlands. These two places are at 1,300 and 2,000 meters respectively which makes them both cool Highland places with nice climates for the most part. Based on your original post, I would recommend that you move to the Lake Chapala área rather than Chiapas. The climate at Lake Chapala is outstanding and rarely hot or cold with day after day of incredible sunshine and rain during the summer rainy season normally occurring primarily at night and then rarely for a prolonged period of time.

You will find many amenities available in Chapala not normally found in Mexico almost anywhere else because of the relatively large and fairly prosperous foreign colony living at the lake. The huge, pleasant and culturally gifted city of Guadalajara is just up the road about 50 kilometers when you need to shop in the big city for ítems unavailable in the Chapala área. As for cost of living, you will need to shop around for reasonably priced housing but it´s there if you do your homework and avoid the real estate hustlers out to clean your pockets.

You will not be ready for places such as the Chiapas Highlands for now but Lake Chapala is as close to a perfect climate as you will find on this continent so pay no attention to the naysayers who may disparage the place primarily out of envy.


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## gary mullins (Mar 13, 2009)

Hound Dog,

I own a home in the country postal route Luverne. It is my home base of operation and I am back and forth from Spain to USA. I never stay more than 180 days in Spain because of the taxation. (180 days or more-have ot file an income tax form in Spain-on all your worldly hooldings). 

I am looking for a comfortable and affordable place to retire...without the additional taxation.
I was a military brat...went to school in Madrid. Love the country...but the taxation keeps me from doing it full time. I also spent 20 yrs in the USAF and retired in 1991.

I have checked out the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Belize. I would prefer to be near the US for family reasons...would be just a short time/distance for family emergencies. I have lived in many elevations/environments...do love the higher elevations. I do enjoy the cooler climate at higher elevations...

Expat community is not necessary because I do enjoy hanging out with the locals...however a little touch of home with some expats to hang out with makes things a little more enjoyable.

Thanks for the information.


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## sag42 (Mar 22, 2012)

Hound Dog said:


> [_QUOTE=gary mullins;3354137]Hi,
> 
> Looking for a place to dwell in Mexico for retirement. Would prefer a rural setting within 10km of a fairly large city. Security and safety are the biggest concerns. Don't want ot be caught in the crossfire of the Cartels...Just want a nice quiet place to retire to...where the few dollars will buy more consumer goods and allow me to hire locals to perform the home duties, maid, gardner...etc...where I may be able to have more free time to persue my interest._




I´m a bit confused, Gary, since you indicate that you are an expat in Spain but live in Luverne, just up the road from Dawg´s Greenville and the place I used to drive to in the 1950s to buy beer since, in those days, Greenville was a "dry" town under Alabama´s local option liquor laws following the end of prohibition. Dawg had to drive to the Crenshaw County line for beer when a teenager in those days since there were always beer joints directly on the county lines between "wet" and "Dry" counties where besotted proprietors would be more that happy to sell cases of beer to roaming teenagers "out back" who would then undertake to drive the 30 miles or so back home getting progressively loaded along the way on those backcountry two lane highways. I´m not exactly proud of having been a part of these activities but, what the hell, neither am I ashamed of my participation since I was just a young punk and, miraculousy, as fate would have it, I survived those times.

We have lived in Mexico full time for over 13 years, originally in the Ajijic delegation of the municipality of Chapala on Lake Chapala and, since 2006, in San Cristóbal de Las Casas in the Chiapas Highlands. These two places are at 1,300 and 2,000 meters respectively which makes them both cool Highland places with nice climates for the most part. Based on your original post, I would recommend that you move to the Lake Chapala área rather than Chiapas. The climate at Lake Chapala is outstanding and rarely hot or cold with day after day of incredible sunshine and rain during the summer rainy season normally occurring primarily at night and then rarely for a prolonged period of time.

You will find many amenities available in Chapala not normally found in Mexico almost anywhere else because of the relatively large and fairly prosperous foreign colony living at the lake. The huge, pleasant and culturally gifted city of Guadalajara is just up the road about 50 kilometers when you need to shop in the big city for ítems unavailable in the Chapala área. As for cost of living, you will need to shop around for reasonably priced housing but it´s there if you do your homework and avoid the real estate hustlers out to clean your pockets.

You will not be ready for places such as the Chiapas Highlands for now but Lake Chapala is as close to a perfect climate as you will find on this continent so pay no attention to the naysayers who may disparage the place primarily out of envy.[/QUOTE]


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

sag42:

I missed your point but, at one time a few years ago, we thought of moving to the Cordoba área or, actually Fortin de Las Flores between Cordoba and Orizaba. Finally settled on the Chiapas Highlands instead but that´s a nice town in a beautiful área you chose. I could live there in a minute.


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## Azuledos (Jan 21, 2010)

Afters many years of visiting and vacationing around most parts of Mexico, doing some climate research, browsing thru quite a few forums & blogs, and listening to sage advice here, from Hound Dog and others, we decided on moving to Fortín de las Flores, between Orizaba and Córdoba. 2+ hours to Puebla or 1+ hours to Veracruz City (west and est via autopista). Several degrees warmer and a bit drier than Xalapa/Coatepec/Xico which we also considered. We couldn't be happier with the choice!


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Azuledos, thanks for providing the links to your blogs. I always learn something from the experiences of others, particularly when it comes to renovations and construction. I've laid-out plans for what I think will be my retirement home in Mexico and each time I see a blog such as yours I get ideas, and also scratch-off things I didn't figure quite right. You're in a convenient location for exploring that section of the country.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

Azuledos said:


> Afters many years of visiting and vacationing around most parts of Mexico, doing some climate research, browsing thru quite a few forums & blogs, and listening to sage advice here, from Hound Dog and others, we decided on moving to Fortín de las Flores, between Orizaba and Córdoba. 2+ hours to Puebla or 1+ hours to Veracruz City (west and est via autopista). Several degrees warmer and a bit drier than Xalapa/Coatepec/Xico which we also considered. We couldn't be happier with the choice!


Fortin is a nice town characterized by many estates with splendid gardens not, as is customary in Mexico, hidden behind tall walls. When we were considering that small urban región between Orizaba and Cordoba as a place to settle, Fortin was our favorite place followed by Orizaba and then Cordoba. All nice towns but Fortin took our fancy. Now, Azudelos, whileyou may disagree with this comment, one on the things that turned us off to Fortin and the other towns around there, was the foggy chipi-chipi that seemed to haunt the área in Winter as coastal breezes blew into the región and up against the sierra accumulating cold and wet drizzly fog banks at that juncture where the Veracruz Coastal Plain met the Puebla Escarpment and the altitude rose sharply within a few kilometers. 

Not for us but for each his own.


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## Azuledos (Jan 21, 2010)

Ah, but Dawg, we moved here from the rainy Pacific Northwest, and the chipi-chipi just runs off our backs (helps to have webbed feet too!). This is NOTHING like the interminable days of cold-wet along Puget Sound. In fact, global warming may have cut back those misty days a bit since you last experienced them. I know Orizaba, up slope, gets more than Fortín as it's a little colder there, more a match for Xalapa I think. I wrote about the weather patterns in an earlier post. No complaints here after our third winter, in an unheated, but dry, house. We like San Cristobal too, reminds me a lot of the Guatemalan highlands where I spent my Peace Corps years, in the far distant past. 

Regards, Dan


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## gary mullins (Mar 13, 2009)

Thanks for the information Azuledos. I will look in to it.....I have recieved some great responses about great locations....I will have to plan my Mexican vacation to visit all the wonderful places described by expats....then have to decide which one is right for me..


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

Azuledos said:


> Ah, but Dawg, we moved here from the rainy Pacific Northwest, and the chipi-chipi just runs off our backs (helps to have webbed feet too!). This is NOTHING like the interminable days of cold-wet along Puget Sound. In fact, global warming may have cut back those misty days a bit since you last experienced them. I know Orizaba, up slope, gets more than Fortín as it's a little colder there, more a match for Xalapa I think. I wrote about the weather patterns in an earlier post. No complaints here after our third winter, in an unheated, but dry, house. We like San Cristobal too, reminds me a lot of the Guatemalan highlands where I spent my Peace Corps years, in the far distant past.
> 
> Regards, Dan


Dan:

I know what you mean about the Pacific Northwest as (as I have written before) we lived in San Francisco for many years and during part of that time I was often assigned by my employer to work in Seattle, Portland and Eugene. My colleages up there would sometimes ask me if I planned to "Californicate" the northwest after I retired by moving to their precious corner of the world and I always responded that I would be heading for the Mexican Highlands for moderate temperatures and nearly constant sunshine. That´s why we ended up at Lake Chapala which, in our judgment, has the best climate in all of North America. 

Now, I´ll admit that Seattle was a great town for assignment with lots of memorable restaurants, Portland, on the other hand, was a bit of a hick town and Eugene was Mayberry, U.S.A. - all of them nice enough places but only while one is working. When one retires, drear is not what one is seeking so my guess is all those Californians retiring up there did so for comparitively cheap housing and because Mexico never crossed their minds as a place to live out their lives. 

When we were seriously considering Fortin as a place to which we might consider moving from Lake Chapala, we had arrived in the town during some splendid weather and were quite impressed with the gardens and climate. Instead, for reasons that now escape me, we chose San Cristóbal de Las Casas at 2,000 meters as a second home site and decided to hold on to the Ajijic house because of the community´s outstanding climate and endless kilometers of beaches upon which to walk our five mutts every day - an amenity not available in San Cristóbal´s urban environment. I might add that it rains too much in the San Cristóbal área during the summer rainy season so we must return to the confines of the lake with its splendid summer to maintain our sanity or what´s left of it. 

The Orizaba-Cordoba urban zone remains one of our favorite parts of Mexico for several reasons. A good choice on your part I would say. 

Bob (Dawg)


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

I forgot to mention another thing that cements Fortin as a fond place for me and that is the fact that the main freight train line from Veracruz to Mexico City passes through that urban zone with many freight trains passing during the night with the roar of their engines and mournful, loud whistles as they cross the many Street and highway intersections on their way to commence the arduous switchback climb up the dramatic escarpment from the Veracruz coastal plain at or near sea level to the Puebla High Plain at some 2,000 meters. That always takes me back to this time I was a kid to the freight trains roaring through my South Alabama home town in the middle of the night on their way on the old L&N Line from Birmingham to New Orleans and points beyond.


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## KHESANHMIKE (Apr 9, 2014)

We justed leased a 2bdrm, 2 bath house on san quintin bay. Power, phone is there. $150.00 a month. We lucked out. San quintin is 200 miles south of t.j., and is on the pacific ocean side of baja.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

KHESANHMIKE said:


> We justed leased a 2bdrm, 2 bath house on san quintin bay. Power, phone is there. $150.00 a month. We lucked out. San quintin is 200 miles south of t.j., and is on the pacific ocean side of baja.


Do you pay rent in dollars or pesos? It seems like near the border, people use both, but I don't know if 200 miles is near the border or not.


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## KHESANHMIKE (Apr 9, 2014)

We pay in dollars


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

KHESANHMIKE said:


> We pay in dollars


Since most forum members don't live near the US border, we aren't accustomed to thinking of costs of rent or anything else in terms of dollars anymore. When mentioning money in your posts, it's always useful to mention whether $ = Mexican pesos or US dollars.


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