RickS
May 28, 2018, 1:00 PM
Post #3 of 7
(7587 views)
Shortcut
|
Re: [aholm] Comparing Ajijic to Jocotepec
|
Can't Post | Private Reply
|
I'll take a cut at discussing all but the 'living in Jocotepec' part....
Joco, for short, does indeed have far fewer of all the things you mentioned.... except maybe noise. Ajijic and Chapala have 'thousands' of US/Canadian expats living there and even more snow-birders in the winter. Joco has, I'd venture to guess, less than a hundred of said.
Most of the restaurants that expats use are either right in Ajijic proper or a couple of miles east and west. There are some in Chapala but not many. Joco on the other hand has maybe one restaurant that gringos will visit on a regular basis (someone might correct me on the 'only one' comment).
There are far more homes available and inhabited by gringos in and within say 5 miles east and west of Ajijic than even Chapala, and far more than Jocotopec. And yes, generally speaking a home in Jocotepec will be less expensive all things considered.... and probably less 'built with gringos in mind' also. But there will be far less to choose from also. Chapala would have many less-expensive-than-"Ajijic" homes available also, but probably more expensive than Joco.
In my opinion if/when one chooses Jocotepec as opposed to either the Ajijic environs or Chapala proper, they are also choosing to spend very little time doing 'expat' activities that are available Lakeside. One of the reasons for this is that, these days, the 'short' drive from Jocotepec to Ajijic has turned into a traveling nightmare due to the high number of topes (traffic calming bumps in the road) that have been installed on that drive over the years, as well as the traffic on that route caused by development along the way. One must basically come to a complete stop when crossing the topes and there are now probably north of 25 of them between the two locations.
As far as noise...... Noise is ubiquitous in Mexico! Joco will have no less than Ajijic in my opinion. It is mainly NOT caused by gringos and their life/activities but rather by the Mexican Nationals and is generally associated with one religious ceremony or another. And as far as being closer to the beaches than Ajijic, that closeness is, of course, true. BUT I personally would not make a residence decision on a 30-minute 'commute' difference unless I were going to make that commute a ton of times. I'd just choose to live 'west of Ajijic' in one of the fine 'developments' there... but that's just me I guess.
One last thing.... the general mantra is to 'first rent, then buy later' after one has lived in Mexico and better knows the ropes and decides that Mexico is actually somewhere they can live after all. Many folks come down thinking they can, only to realize a couple of years later that it is just not their cup of tea.
Good luck in what ever decisions you make.
(This post was edited by RickS on May 29, 2018, 8:23 PM)
|
Forums Index
Search Posts
Who's Online
Log In or Sign Up
