carolynpatten
Apr 26, 2009, 1:15 PM
Post #12 of 12
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Re: [cbeltran57] Moving to Matzatlan in 1 yr
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Cheryl -- I too am seriously considering a move to Mazatlan. I hadn't been there in almost 40 years when I started hearing lots of wonderful things about the centro historico, the lovely weather (though hellish humidity in summer), the low cost of living, the friendly people, etc. I went for a two-week visit in December and had spent about six months researching, from looking at stuff on the net to talking to people here in Portland who spend half the year there.
My first impression was -- omigod, there is graffiti everywhere and a lot of chaotic, dirty stuff on the way from the airport into town. The first day on the beach I was greeted by a little street dog, dead as can be. And yet...the people I had made contact with before I came down were absolutely wonderful, eager to introduce me around and tell me about their lives. I have never been a convenience food person, so can't speak to the cost of NOB stuff, but lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, good meats, etc. The public market is great early in the morning, a crazyland by noon. A couple of gigantic food-etc. stores round out food shopping.
The almost complete lack of pretension is wonderful, though you can certainly find a bit of that in the gated communities. In the expat community it seems as if you are much more than what you have, what you wear, etc. There is a strong volunteer ethic and lots of good things being done at the orphanages, animal shelter, wildlife refuge, and in the poor neighborhoods. Because most expats are retired, they have a lot of time to get involved with the community.
Health care is excellent and inexpensive. Be sure to get recommendations from local, though. Housing is super-cheapl compared to other beach locations. You can rent a lovely one-bedroom furnished for around $500, or go all the way up the scale to a 2-3-bedroom in a gated place for around $1200.
The centro historico is without doubt the very best place to get the feel for Mazatlan, and it has very little graffiti! I'll be spending a couple of months there this winter, and getting more of a feel for what it would be like to live there. At first, I was determined to buy a place right away, but fortunately the economy has made it a bad move to sell my Portland house right now. Fortunately, because I have realized that Mexico has so many wonderful places, I might spend a year or two just moving around and investigating.
If you want to read an article I just did on Maz, and published in The Oregonian, check out this link:
http://www.oregonlive.com/northwest-life/index.ssf/international-travel/
Good luck on your search!
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