# Guadalajara or Zapopan



## Caitlin

Hello,

My boyfriend and I are relocating to Guadalajara in a few weeks, and just learned that his job is in fact in Zapopan, very close to Plaza de Guadalajara, in fact.

I see that the two cities are linked and almost one but does anyone with local knowledge know if it would make sense to live in Guadalajara while working in Zapopan? Or if Zapopan is itself a nice place to live? And any recommendations of neighbourhoods in either?

In general I prefer cities, and bigger cities over smaller cities. We'd rather be in the town centre than near a shopping mall, and nice cafes nearby are pretty much a must, cafes with courtyards are an immense bonus.

I'd love to hear about everyone's favourite neighbourhoods in Guadalajara/Zapopan!


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## RVGRINGO

Either will have a neighborhood to suit your needs. Zapopan and Guadalajara are 'fused' into one huge city within the metropolitan zone, which extends even further and incorporates other municipalities, like Tonala, Tlaquepaque, Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos, etc. The growth is phenomenal and it seems that every two lane highway is in the process of being converted to four lanes and, next, to eight!


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## mexliving

*zapopan....*

gdl is a large area.... so if your husbands job is in zapopan, then its a great idea to find a place to rent in that zone. you can make things easy by googling mexico zapopan map.... as you click the + you will eventually see the many community names on the map... you can write those down and look for your rental property. i would look at lomas del country.... but remember... there is traffic in gdl.. so based on your husbands work... you should find a place close to his work.lane:


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## Salto_jorge

My place is in Zaopoan.

Try to find a place close to the work location and make the trip during the rush hour. If possable avoid the main roads since they get backed up rather quickly.
Time the routes and limit the number of roundabouts that you must cross.

At the same time consider the families needs and children if you have any. Schools vary as much as the colonias that they are in. I expect that the family will not be spending their days inside the house.

I also suggest that you walk around in the selected colonia to make sure that it is right for you. I used to live south of the old aquiducto (spelling) at the top of the hill near UAG, its not bad. From there I walked around all the colonias in the area and found a place on calle cancer that I liked better and have repeated this once again.

Why, I have gone from an area with lots of college students to an area with greater diversity. I have also moved due to both electrical outages during the rains and the cold to one that has been better so far. I am no longer on the side of a hill. Oh yes, places for the most part are not heated air-conditioned.



........................

Work question ?

Does your husband work for a US company ?
Will he still be paid in the US and funds transferred to a US bank ?
Was it hard to get a job down here for a US company ?

I know of a US based "mobile worker" that can work from anywhere, paid in the US but live in GDL.


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## Adela

*US Based Mobile Worker*

Can you tell me more about the "US based "mobile worker" that can work from anywhere, paid in the US but live in GDL." I'll be relocating to Zapopan early next year and this sound ideal to me. 

Thank you.




Salto_jorge said:


> My place is in Zaopoan.
> 
> Try to find a place close to the work location and make the trip during the rush hour. If possable avoid the main roads since they get backed up rather quickly.
> Time the routes and limit the number of roundabouts that you must cross.
> 
> At the same time consider the families needs and children if you have any. Schools vary as much as the colonias that they are in. I expect that the family will not be spending their days inside the house.
> 
> I also suggest that you walk around in the selected colonia to make sure that it is right for you. I used to live south of the old aquiducto (spelling) at the top of the hill near UAG, its not bad. From there I walked around all the colonias in the area and found a place on calle cancer that I liked better and have repeated this once again.
> 
> Why, I have gone from an area with lots of college students to an area with greater diversity. I have also moved due to both electrical outages during the rains and the cold to one that has been better so far. I am no longer on the side of a hill. Oh yes, places for the most part are not heated air-conditioned.
> 
> 
> 
> ........................
> 
> Work question ?
> 
> Does your husband work for a US company ?
> Will he still be paid in the US and funds transferred to a US bank ?
> Was it hard to get a job down here for a US company ?
> 
> I know of a US based "mobile worker" that can work from anywhere, paid in the US but live in GDL.


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## Caitlin

Haha!

That sound ideal to all of us, Adela. Good luck with that!

Sorry, don't mean to sound bitter, just hated earning stupid money while in Mexico... grrr.


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## Salto_jorge

Thinking/dreaming about mobile/remote employees.

First find yourself a position with a company in the US and be prepared to work somewhere in the US for a few years (Legal resident of US). Qualifications are usually the key when it comes to a position that does not require supervision. In many fields you are looking at either a MS or PhD, but a BS with years of experience can make a difference. 

Once you have the position that does not require supervision or direct contact with team members, make arrangements to work at home or transfer to an office that you know will be closing within a few years, make sure that you do not have cell phone service where you live in the states and direct deposit to your US Bank in that town.

Once you are out of the office and on your own providing your on communication services on your own dime you are ready for a move. Remember that all of your contacts are either over the phone, email or mail sent to a P.O. Box in the states. 

Find a new home in a place where you want to live with internet service, VOIP support and package delivery and a VPN in some situations. Pack up your stuff over a vacation and relocate yourself and you are ready to go. If your VOIP works properly, no one will know where you are. The VPN tunnel will make it appear that you are at the other end if someone checks your IP address. Some employers provide a VPN tunnel for remote workers for access to internal systems. Many VOIP systems that require a computer will not function correctly over a VPN tunnel due to port filtering. You have to check this out before making your location correction.

Now if you are a self employed consultant, none of this makes a difference.

This should work for most educated folks that work for companies in a distributed environment with best shore teams around the globe. No matter where you live, you must be prepared to make annual trips back to the corporate office for meetings. This can be tricky but if you have made the move to your favorite place you will figure it out.


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## Caitlin

Ermmm,

That's a really detailed plan Jorge. You've obviously given this some thought. 

I would say freelance anything is something to aspire to, or if you have any bankable skill other than being American, exploit it to the max.

Otherwise, it's English teaching all the way. sigh.


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## Salto_jorge

True, I have thought about it.

Lets see, for telecommunications I use VONAGE, I have a VPN tunnel on my computer, also have direct deposit in the USA and a US address.


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## conorkilleen

*Working remote*

I have been working remotely for my company for many years...Have been with the same company for 11 years, and working remote for the last 4. I worked my way up in the company and didnt follow paths that others did. I blazed my own trail. (thats a quote from someone..cant put my finger on it.) 

Anyhow, I am a project manager, procurement agent, engineer, vendor manager, and general logistics coordinator now for my company. I have worked in many disciplines and sometimes the responsibilities stick with you when your superiors see you do it well...that and it still in your blood. That afforded me the opportunities to live in Oregon, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and my most recent quest, Monterrey Mexico in January. All of these locations I have had indirect supervision, but mostly I was self motivated.

In the last 3 years I have improved on my spanish and can conduct business transactions and speak intelligently in meetings with Spanish speaking companies. In the last 3 years as well I have been growing my companies offering to our clients for their Latin America needs. Projects in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Panama, Colombia, Puerto Rico and of course Mexico.

Although the job path explained in this thread before is quite different in form and function from mine, I just wanted to give an account of a similar situation.

I can do my job wherever I am in the world. Staying connected is the key to working abroad.


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## tanderson0o

While it may not be technically accurate according to the MX immigration, I have worked for several years delivering virtual training and other IT services remotely to companies in the US from my home in DF, and was paid in the US. Although I suspect that technically the MX authorities might have an issue with this, since I still commute back and forth to the US on a regular basis, it has never been raised as an issue as this is simply a part of my job in the US.

As with all things in Mexico, it is a matter subject to the interpretation of the person that you are dealing with. 

Strictly speaking, any work that you perform in MX, regardless of where the client was or where the payment is issued would be considered work for renumeration while in MX and would be frowned upon.


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