Anonymous
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A new Mexican migration
http://springfield.news-leader.com/business/today/1020-AnewM...
Life south of the border beckons to more U.S. retirees
October 20, 2004
By Seth Sutel
Associated Press
Robert Fulton traveled to Mexico many times during his career in manufacturing and as a contractor, but never thought of it as a place to retire.
Nonetheless, he and his wife settled in a little village on the shores of Lake Chapala called Mirasol, where they found a thriving community of
retirees, many from the United States.
After two years, "it's going wonderfully," said Fulton, a 69-year-old native of DeKalb, Ill.
Fulton said he chose to spend his retirement in Mexico because life there is less expensive and less complicated than back home. "I never found
another place where I was as comfortable," he said.
The Fultons are part of what some demographers believe could be a growing trend in migration. While the United States is usually seen as a magnet for
young migrants seeking opportunity, Latin American countries could become an increasingly popular destination for Americans in coming years as an
attractive place to retire.
Part of the reason is lifestyle ? beaches, warm weather ? but another part is economics. Many of the more than 70 million baby boomers approaching
retirement age don't have enough money saved for a comfortable retirement in the United States, but they might be able to move south of the border.
Fulton and his wife bought a house with an indoor pool for far less than it would cost back home, and live less than an hour from good medical care
and other services in Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city. And while some villagers still get into town on horseback, they can do their shopping
at a nearby Wal-Mart.
The areas around Lake Chapala, along with Baja California and the scenic town of San Miguel de Allende north of Mexico City, have been popular with
U.S. retirees in the past, as have some areas in Central America. But migration experts say this trend may be accelerating, especially as modern
communications and transportation make it easier to stay in touch and come home for visits.
"This is a different type of migration, and there is not much track of it," said Viviana Rojas, an assistant professor of communications at the
University of Texas at San Antonio who is studying the movement of U.S. retirees to Mexico. "Usually economic migrations come from a less developed
society in search of social mobility and a better life, but in this case people go there for the amenities and the weather."
In Ajijic, a town on the shore of Lake Chapala where Rojas collected data on U.S. retirees, longtime resident Cristina Potters conducts weekly
seminars for people who are considering moving there. Potters, who speaks fluent Spanish, cautions prospective residents that not having a language
ability can be one of several challenges for a newcomer.
"Most of the retirees who come here have little or no Spanish," Potters said. "It's an issue, because you can't read the road signs, you can't tell
what the clerk is telling you. It has become two communities here, living side by side with very little interaction."
It's hard to say exactly how many people have moved from the United States to Mexico and other Latin American countries for retirement, as the U.S.
government does not keep close track of how many people leave the country.
But in one indication that more Americans are moving overseas for retirement, according to figures from the Social Security Administration, the number
of retired workers receiving Social Security benefit checks in other countries has been rising steadily over the past decade, reaching 242,000 in
2002, up from 188,000 in 1992.
Don Bradley, a sociologist at East Carolina University, predicts migrants will have an increasing impact on the places they move to, just as U.S.
cities are being reshaped by growing populations of people from Latin America.
"There will be pioneers who go first, who have facility in the language and continue to work down there. Then, the places will eventually become more
hospitable to newcomers," Bradley said. "Some areas in Mexico have morphed such that retirees can have all their needs met and can be very
comfortable. ... The foreign-ness of Mexico isn't so foreign any more."
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jrbaja
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There goes the neighborhood !
And, if Baja is any example, those inexpensive prices he is referring to, are a thing of the past!
That's because of the american realtors who got here first.
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Bruce R Leech
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Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
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Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
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I second that
I second that
Bruce r Leech in Mulege Baja
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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jrbaja
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And that's Ahboo to yoo
[Edited on 10/20/2004 by jrbaja]
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