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tashby

Jan 9, 2008, 3:59 PM

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Living in Morelia vs. Guanajuato City / Pros & Cons

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In a few months, my partner and I will begin the process of moving to Mexico. Two of the cities that are interesting to us, at least initially, are Morelia and Guanajuato. (I've visited both, but only briefly.) We're thinking of using one or the other as a homebase, maybe renting for a year or so, to see if we want to stay there. But we'll also be using it as a base to explore other possibilities in Central Mexico.

Anybody want to offer their thoughts on pros and cons of either?

Of course, I realize they are very different, Morelia being much bigger, etc. In either case, we'd likely want to live not right in the center of either city, but just outside, within easy reach.

Morelia seems a bit advantageous given its location, smack in between M.C. and Guadalajara. But, given that we're allowing ourselves time to explore different places, that's only a slight advantage.

Would love to hear anybody's thoughts if you care to offer them.

Thanks!

Linda in Morelia

Jan 9, 2008, 4:28 PM

Post #2 of 13 (956 views)

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Re: [tashby] Living in Morelia vs. Guanajuato City / Pros & Cons

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One thing you might consider, whether you land in Morelia or in Guanajuato as a homebase to explore, is to limit your rental commitment to three months or less. I don't know if you plan to rent a furnished home/apartment or bring furniture with you, which might influence your length of an initial commitment.

I say this because my husband and I did the same thing, but in Guadalajara. We rented a furnished apartment to see if we would want to live in Guad and as a homebase to explore other areas. After being here for 6 weeks, we're almost positive we don't want to live in Guad -- the traffic, noise and air quality is more than we want to take on. We rented an apartment for 6 months, but with the option to terminate it after 3 months, which we plan to do. At that point, we will head to either Morelia or Ajijic or maybe somewhere else not yet on our radar.

If you decide that wherever you land initially is definitely not for you, it might be more convenient to move to another possible destination to test and from which to explore.

All the best in your search. We have found the process to be a wonderful adventure.

Linda

esperanza / Moderator

Jan 9, 2008, 4:53 PM

Post #3 of 13 (951 views)

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Re: [tashby] Living in Morelia vs. Guanajuato City / Pros & Cons

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The biggest difference other than those that you've mentioned, and perhaps the most important one, is that Morelia is essentially laid out on the flat and Guanajuato is essentially not. As we age, mobility can become a challenge. A flat challenge, IMHO, is way easier than a hilly challenge.

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caroljruby

Jan 9, 2008, 7:05 PM

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Re: [esperanza] Living in Morelia vs. Guanajuato City / Pros & Cons

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I agree with Esperanza. The steep hills of Guanajuato gave me a feeling of claustrophia and they are difficult to navigate. I prefer Morelia and I hope to move there this year. Carol

jennifer rose

Jan 9, 2008, 8:10 PM

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Re: [esperanza] Living in Morelia vs. Guanajuato City / Pros & Cons

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Funny, I don't think of Morelia as the flatlands. I think of it as a valley rimmed by gentle mountains, but then I live at the top of the hill. Over to the east are the canyons of Tres Marias. It's easy to live a full and complete life in Morelia without ever having to venture to the Centro Historico, and a nice life could be carved out likewise in Guanajuato if you live at the outskirts.

Morelia has infinitely better shopping opportunities than Guanajuato (Costco, Sam's, Walmart, Comercial Mega, Superama, major shopping centers, and the soon-to-open Paseo Morelia), movie theaters, and a much more verdant climate. Our architectural isn't as dramatic as Guanajuato's, and our politics are light worlds away. Its size makes it a far different venue than Guanajuato. It's an apples and oranges comparison.

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tashby

Jan 11, 2008, 3:26 PM

Post #6 of 13 (863 views)

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Re: [tashby] Living in Morelia vs. Guanajuato City / Pros & Cons

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Thanks for all the replies.

Jim and Linda, that's a great point. We plan on storing our stuff NOB for the very reason we want to remain flexbile. The 3-month option is great, if it's at all doable.

And yes, Esperanza, I remember the hills in Guanajuato. I specifically remember seeking out one posada as a possible place to stay - TWICE - and giving up because I decided I'd either need a mule or a sherpa to get myself up there. I also remember feeling a bit claustrophic, Carol, and I used that exact word when describing it to others. But that was mostly in the centro historico. The La Presa area felt a lot more livable (to me), and is just a short ways from the center.

But Jennifer, I like apples AND oranges. 8-)

You mention the shopping, and even though I am very much NOT a shopper, I realize we'll probably need those places. You also mention the politics being "light years" different, and I'm curious what you mean? I'm guessing, wild guess at that, you mean that Guanajuato is more progressive/liberal? (Sorry, don't want to start up a fist-fight, so feel free to ignore that quesiton if you like. I doubt the local political climate would have much impact on our lives anyway, especially since as non-citizens we can't be involved. But I'm sensitive to such differences, and what they tend to represent even beyond hard politics.) Lastly, you're other point is well-taken. One of the reasons I'm currently leaning toward Morelia is the outstanding physical beauty of the surrounding area, outside the city and into Michoacan.

¡mil gracias!

thfarrell

Jan 11, 2008, 6:03 PM

Post #7 of 13 (848 views)

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Re: [tashby] Living in Morelia vs. Guanajuato City / Pros & Cons

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Hi...

-----
You also mention the politics being "light years" different, and I'm curious what you mean?
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I'd very much like to hear more about this, as well.

Tom
---
"Beauty is in the i of the Beholder"
(Julia Mandelbrot)

jennifer rose

Jan 11, 2008, 6:18 PM

Post #8 of 13 (846 views)

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Re: [thfarrell] Living in Morelia vs. Guanajuato City / Pros & Cons

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Guanajuato is politically more conservative than Michoacan.

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thfarrell

Jan 22, 2008, 5:41 AM

Post #9 of 13 (758 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] Living in Morelia vs. Guanajuato City / Pros & Cons

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Hi again...

How about the availability and/or frequency of "cultural" events (meaning snooty stuff like classical music, theatre, small concerts, poetry) and cultural events (meaning fiestas, desfiles, traditional celebrations) in the two cities/areas?

Tom
---
"Beauty is in the i of the Beholder"
(Julia Mandelbrot)

jennifer rose

Jan 22, 2008, 9:22 AM

Post #10 of 13 (739 views)

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Re: [thfarrell] Living in Morelia vs. Guanajuato City / Pros & Cons

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I'd call it a draw. No, let me modify my answer. Guanajuato has the Cervantino, which alone gets it a whopping amount of publicity. But the Cervantino has extensions reaching all the way to Apatzingan. Morelia has some cultural pow-wow scheduled practically every week, ranging from the multiple film festivals, the organ festivals, one music thing after another (even thought we have the Conservatory of the Roses, music just doesn't make a big impression on me), the gastronomy events, the international poetry congress (again, who really likes poetry anyway?), and even a lentil festival. Both cities have universities and strong cultural agendas. Simply because Morelia is larger, it naturally has more going on in the cultural arena than Guanajuato, but that doesn't mean that the people of Guanajuato are culturally starved. There's an ample platter of cultural doings to sate the appetite of culture vultures in both cities.

Because Morelia is the home base for Cinepolis, it does have more film-oriented activities. Morelia's proximity to the traditional communities surrounding Patzcuaro and even off in the Meseta Purepecha means that does offer more folk art celebrations.

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jennifer rose

Jan 23, 2008, 10:43 AM

Post #11 of 13 (698 views)

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Re: [thfarrell] Living in Morelia vs. Guanajuato City / Pros & Cons

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Morelia is also home of the International Chess Festival. See http://ajedrezmorelialinares.com.mx/

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whistler

Jan 24, 2008, 2:18 PM

Post #12 of 13 (661 views)

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Morelia Cultural Activites are Kept Secret...

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It is clear that Morelia has much to offer in terms of cultural events. How does one find out about the scheduled events such as symphonies, theater, etc? I look at the web sites for the theaters here and they typically don't list there schedules events. Very strange and frustrating. Is one of the local newspapers, perhaps the Friday edition, the place to look?

jennifer rose

Jan 24, 2008, 2:24 PM

Post #13 of 13 (657 views)

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Re: [whistler] Morelia Cultural Activites are Kept Secret...

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If we told you, we'd have to kill you. <g>

http://mimorelia.com is one source. The dead-tree versions of La Voz de Michoacan, Provincia, El Sol de Morelia, and Cambio de Michoacan are others. The Yahoo group MoreliaConnect is another.

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