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CG
Junior Nomad
Posts: 68
Registered: 1-1-2006
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Where to move to?
Hello!
We've been in Tijuana for the 7 years or so and I'm ready to move...
I'm taking baby steps to one day retire in mainland Mexico somewhere near Guadalajara.
For this next step I'd like to move to La Paz or Guaymas/San Carlos. I like the water and off-roading and my family wants to still be in or near all
the city services.
Anybody have any thoughts about living in these two cities? and good deals on housing available? I don't need to live in the American style
communities right at the beach for 200 to 300K...I'd be happy a few blocks up the hill in the 80 to 150K range.
Any information on the two cities? I know we don't hear much about Sonora on this forum but I'm maybe someone has friends there???
Thanks for any help!
Chris
[Edited on 4-15-2009 by CG]
When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle. Edmund Burke
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comitan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4177
Registered: 3-27-2004
Location: La Paz
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Mood: mellow
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Chris
You move to La Paz you'll never leave!!!!!!!
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9274
Registered: 12-15-2008
Location: Disneyland Adjacent and anywhere in Baja
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For starters, both places are extremely hot in the summer, which you have not had to deal with in TJ. Greater La Paz has about 2X the 100,000
population of Guaymas. La Paz has more American amenties such as the big box stores. La Paz has more cultural opportunities, and more gringos living
there. Depending on how often, if at all you'll want to head back to the states, I believe, unless things have changed, you can only fly to Tucson
from Guaymas, non-stop. However, there is a well-maintained toll road from Nogales to Guaymas that beats the heck out of trying to drive from La Paz
to San Diego. That being said, since you initially indictated the ultimate goal of relocating to the Guadalajara area, I personally think La Paz has a
more similar feel than does Guaymas. Just my opinion.
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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Rent and live for a while in each of the places you have in mind. Don't listen to anybody but yourself.
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Fred
Senior Nomad
Posts: 500
Registered: 3-15-2007
Location: Las Vegas
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Mood: Laid Back
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Nice little town near Guadalajara called Tequila. I am with Dennis........rent first.
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CG
Junior Nomad
Posts: 68
Registered: 1-1-2006
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My wife is from Tepatitlan, Jalisco and like the area around Lake Chapala. I've always thought Manzanillo would be a great place to live...
We will go visit both La Paz and Guaymas to see which one feels best, then we will probably rent a place for a year and look at houses for sale.
That's how we found our place here in Soler.
I'm looking for good schools for the kids (7 & 12) and my wife is a Mary Kay director so she wants a social network available. Our oldest boy is
17 and will be going off to college soon so I don't think he'll be there much. I know La Paz has some universities but I don't know where he wants to
go.
I like sailing and might pick up a small sailboat to put around in, I guess both cities would be good for that...
Let me know if anyone has any more thoughts about the two...
When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle. Edmund Burke
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9011
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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Your wife wants a social network; she wont find one as well developed as San Carlos until you reach the Lake Chapala area. It is a gringo network, if
she is a gringo. I see lots of business opportunities in San Carlos; just dont want to work anymore.
By the end of August we expects to have paid about 60k US for a 20x45 shade structure with concrete pad, a septic, a cistern attached to city water, a
20x22 bedroom/bathroom/laundry room/bodega, a 32x38 garage/workshop, city elec., telephone, DSL, a secondary full hookup 50 amp EWS pad for a visiting
RV and clearing and fencing on a 25x52 meter lot. Trash pickup twice a week, too. Lot cost 25k.
We have no kids, so cant comment on the schools. We are in our 40 and 50s and are younger than the average retiree down here (and, yes, it is mostly a
retirement community). But the hip Canadians keep us entertained over the conservative retirees from the inter-mountain regions of the US. They are
only here about 5-6 months a year, anyway, thank God.
We were pretty sure we would like SC in retirement; it has many times surpassed our dreams in our first year. Unbelieveable social network! We are
still pinching ourselves.
La Paz is WAY too big for our tastes. Actually, Guaymas is too, but it sure is nice having it 15 minutes away with no suburban sprawl in between.
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Mango
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Location: Alta California &/or Mexicali
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If your wife is from Jalisco, you should do pretty well in any of the places you mentioned.
I didn't really like Guaymas too much, too hot/dusty little truckstop/fishing village. It's OK.. but.. well that was about all for me. San Carlos
(as I flew over in the air in a turboprop from Phoenix to Guaymas) seemed opulent, green, well kept, barricaded off, and way out of place. Not my cup
of tea either; but, it may be perfect for others.
I do love the area around Guadalajara; and if that is where you want to go.. maybe give it a try.. There are several nice towns with plenty of
gringos around Guadalajara. Guadalajara has good transportation, schools, and shopping.
or even think of Puerto Vallarta which is not too far away and has a little of everything.
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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
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Frankly, after reading all the responses, I'm at a loss to understand why you don't just go to the GDL area in the first place. Second biggest city in
MX. Universities, culture. Easy long weekend drive to Puerto Vallarta. Abundant international flights at GDL. Your wife is Mexican. Don't know if
that's good or bad if looking around Chapala, since that's a big time gringo area. Frankly never understood the idea of moving to a foreign country
and putting up a wall to to keep the locals out. Just me.
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fishbuck
Banned
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La Paz is sort of a smaller version of Tijuana with a better beach. It's a very busy port city and everything that goes with it. And the city extends
miles back from the beach.
The malecon is really the only thing La Paz has that is unique. I ran the entire length in cool weather. There is good fishing close by but you need
to get away from the city.
It does get hot. Alot of people I met have a summer home. somewhere cooler.
I don't know anything about GDL but I think there might be beautiful women there. And a little town named Tequilla near. 
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." J. A. Shedd.
A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. – Albert Einstein
"Life's a Beach... and then you Fly!" Fishbuck
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stanburn
Nomad
Posts: 145
Registered: 10-4-2007
Location: Santiago, Colima, MX
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Well you have mentioned some towns that are very different from each other.
If you want to live in Mexico with all of the advantages of living in the US, then San Carlos is a good choice for you. I call it Tucson south as it
is so close to the border people don't think twice about hopping to the US when it is convenient for them, like for a jar of peanut butter.
I like LaPaz. I think one could easily live either within the foreigh community if you wanted to, or completely ignore it and live as a local without
any trouble. If you are interested in boating then it is a great place, but it does seem to get popped by a hurricane every couple of years.
Manzanillo, well as I live there I have to say I love it. During the summer there is not a large foreign population and even during the winter when
all of the foreign tourists show up the foreign community is not that developed. Unlike Ajijic, Manzanillo does not have a bunch of gringo activities
so you have to be self motivated, or learn that their is life without book clubs, green growth groups, Meditation parties, etc. Manzanillo is
primarily a working port city as it is the busiest port in Mexico. There is quite a bit of tourism, but not like PV or Acapulco. Winter brings
foreigners and summer brings National tourists. However if the tourism disappeared Manzanillo would recover in a very short period of time as that is
not the primary industry here.
Since Hook mentioned his living costs in SC, I will tell you what I paid in Santiago. I bought a 440 square meter lot with 150 square meters of
construction in a Mexican neighborhood 5 blocks from the beach without a view of anything. It was a fixer upper, but I am retired and needed work to
replace the work I did on our boat (we lived aboard a sailboat for 5 years 2 of which were cruising in Mexico). In August of 2007 I paid $694,000
pesos for that, which at that time was about $62,000 USD.
Mexico is a huge country with lots of different areas. You need to decide what you are looking for and focus on those areas that provide what you are
looking for.
Good luck and if you want more info on Manzanillo just holler.
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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9274
Registered: 12-15-2008
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Keeping in mind that one must research any area when thinking about relocation, one very big issue comes to my mind when thinking about an otherwise
very nice town-Manzanillo. There is a huge CFE power plant that spews smoke, which can be a constant problem to a rather wide downwind area of town.
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Keeping in mind that one must research any area when thinking about relocation, one very big issue comes to my mind when thinking about an otherwise
very nice town-Manzanillo. There is a huge CFE power plant that spews smoke, which can be a constant problem to a rather wide downwind area of town.
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Just like Rosarito?
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CaboRon
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3401
Registered: 3-24-2007
Location: The Valley of the Moon
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Keeping in mind that one must research any area when thinking about relocation, one very big issue comes to my mind when thinking about an otherwise
very nice town-Manzanillo. There is a huge CFE power plant that spews smoke, which can be a constant problem to a rather wide downwind area of town.
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Just like Rosarito? |
Yes, it is Rosarito's dominate feature .... really pretty and terribly stinky
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9011
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Frankly, after reading all the responses, I'm at a loss to understand why you don't just go to the GDL area in the first place. Second biggest city in
MX. Universities, culture. Easy long weekend drive to Puerto Vallarta. Abundant international flights at GDL. Your wife is Mexican. Don't know if
that's good or bad if looking around Chapala, since that's a big time gringo area. Frankly never understood the idea of moving to a foreign country
and putting up a wall to to keep the locals out. Just me. |
How far is GDL from the ocean? I cant be away from the ocean to save my life.
San Carlos does have it's share of gate-guarded enclaves..........but there are far more neighborhoods without them. We live in one of them; the
Ranchitos.
I have to concur about Guaymas; not a place I'd want to live. But it's waterfront is going through a major redevelopment. Most all the rusty shrimpers
are gone. Still, any concentration of Mexican vehicles creates a hellacious smog. Too many cars that dont change their oil enough means lots of piston
blowby. It really adds up.
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
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I'm gonna stick with the USA! Hunting, fishing, and everything in between. You can be assured that you actually own your property and don't get
blindsided by some off-the-wall bureaucrat or individual that says otherwise. Baja is a fine place to visit. Love the wild country, the people, and
climate,but there's plenty of wild country north of the border.
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CaboRon
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3401
Registered: 3-24-2007
Location: The Valley of the Moon
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Cypress
I'm gonna stick with the USA! Hunting, fishing, and everything in between. You can be assured that you actually own your property and don't get
blindsided by some off-the-wall bureaucrat or individual that says otherwise. Baja is a fine place to visit. Love the wild country, the people, and
climate,but there's plenty of wild country north of the border.
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.......................................... 
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comitan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4177
Registered: 3-27-2004
Location: La Paz
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Mood: mellow
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Ron
Do we get a countdown to cast off.
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9274
Registered: 12-15-2008
Location: Disneyland Adjacent and anywhere in Baja
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Actually, I seem to recall that the plant in Manzanillo was bigger than the Rosarito one. And for the life of me, it seemed to really belch smoke that
drifted over a good portion of town.
What has surprised me in this thread is that it doesn't appear that any La Paz folks took any sort of issue with fishbuck's characterization of La Paz
being a smaller version of Tijuana with a better beach. IMHO the only thing similar is that the signs are in Spanish.
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tripledigitken
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4848
Registered: 9-27-2006
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Today's a day I wouldn't mind paying to play here.
I hope Doug didn't read that.
[Edited on 4-16-2009 by tripledigitken]
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