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tashby

Apr 19, 2008, 9:34 AM

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Morelia neighborhoods

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We’re going to be exploring Morelia soon as a possible place to live long term. I’ve been to Morelia, but my partner has not. Even though I’ve been, it was strictly as a tourist and mostly focused on the centro historico. Obviously, choosing where to live is very different than visiting as a tourist.

Of the various neighborhoods in Morelia, which do you think are most worth having a look at? We’re two males, in our mid fourties, with a dog in tow. I’ll describe my perfect neighborhood, and see if it sounds like any of the various areas of Morelia. Ideally, it would be…

--Near the center with easy access to it, but not necessarily in it
--an older, established, attractive neighborhood
--near a park or other pleasant outdoor area
-- walkable
--would offer some variety/diversity/vitality
--convenient to daily needs/shopping
--“relatively” quiet (ha!)
--not so upscale as to be uncomfortable (to us)

That last one probably requires some explanation. For instance, I’ve heard that Santa Maria de Guido is a very desirable neighborhood, so we’ll have a look there, but wonder if maybe it’s a little too fancy for us? (I don’t know what’s given me that impression….. I could be way off base.) At any rate, we prefer a little funky, rather than overly fancy. For comparison sake, when we lived in NYC, we loved the east village but would have been miserable on the upper east side. In Los Angeles, I would choose Venice over Beverly Hills. Would rather be near the university than the country club, etc.

Does any of that make sense? Any ideas which neighborhood(s) might be a good fit?

Also, if anyone has any leads on rentals, that would be great. I’ve done a search of the boards “Morelia Rentals” and pulled the info from old posts, but any new leads/info would be great. Once again, a huge thank you to all.

jennifer rose

Apr 19, 2008, 10:57 AM

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Re: [tashby] Morelia neighborhoods

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It's patently obvious that Santa Maria de Guido is the best neighborhood in all of Morelia -- because I live there. It is a very mixed area, with some elite gated communities, some middle-class townhouses, some streets fairly upper-middle class, areas where very poor people live, a public laundry area, BMWs and donkeys fighting for a share of the street, all kinds of people. It's more than just a neighborhood -- it's one of Morelia's fourteen tenencias.

But you say "near the university." There are many universities in Morelia -- UNAM, UMich, UVAC, ITESM, UDEM, LaSalle, and the Tec de Morelia. In and around Santa Maria are the Tec de Monterrey and the Universidad de Vasco de Quiroga. Jesus del Monte, down the road from Santa Maria, is more small town and closer to nature.

Santa Maria de Guido is not "near the center." It's up on the hill overlooking Morelia.

tashby

Apr 19, 2008, 11:30 AM

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Re: [jennifer rose] Morelia neighborhoods

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Hi Jennifer,
Thanks. Santa Maria sounds great. We'll definitely have a look. I was just afraid it might be too elite, but sounds like that's not the case and that there's a nice mix.

I only mentioned the university thing as an example, as in, if I had to choose between living by the country club and living by the/a university, it would absolutely be the latter.

I was guessing it's only about 15 minutes or so from Santa Maria into the centro? (Sorry, I'm basing this on the tiny little city map in my Guia Roji, which makes it look like Santa Maria is "just beyond" the pereferico. Of course, the ring road could be quite a ways out....can't really tell.

(This post was edited by tashby on Apr 19, 2008, 11:33 AM)

jennifer rose

Apr 19, 2008, 11:43 AM

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Re: [tashby] Morelia neighborhoods

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Santa Maria is outside of the periferico or ring road. In selecting an area to live in Morelia, you really do want to be outside of the loop. Centro is a nice place to visit, but living there would be another matter entirely. And personally, I'd think it would get old. The air's cleaner and life's just better out toward the burbs. From Santa Maria to Centro is only about 15 minutes. I've even walked it. Costco and Comercial Mega are only about 5 minutes away.

You might locate the area using Google Earth, just to see some landmarks and get a sense of place.

Linda in Morelia

Apr 20, 2008, 6:49 AM

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Re: [tashby] Morelia neighborhoods

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My husband and I live in Centro and we love it. We love the fact that we can walk to 90% of our destinations, using the car or a taxi only occasionally for trips to Costco, to see friends in Santa Maria, etc. The traffic in Centro is pretty congested, but if you are walking, it's no big deal. If I had to drive to Centro, I would not come here often because I HATE being stuck in traffic. For us, being surrounded by the gorgeous colonial architecture is a big plus. There are many interesting restaurants, theaters, museums, galleries -- lots of things to do. With so many universities in this city, there are many young people out and about, which we love. A few parks. I walk in El Bosque, a large park on the east side of Centro. Many streets in Centro are noisy, but we have found a few quiet ones and when we start looking for a home to buy, we will probably knock on doors on those quiet streets.

I don't think you'll find Santa Maria too fancy at all. It's a nice mix and has a lot of offer. We decided against it simply because we love the atmosphere of Centro more.

Buena suerte,
Linda

TigerTonio

Apr 20, 2008, 7:58 AM

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Re: [Jim and Linda] Morelia neighborhoods

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I know quite a few people...Mexicans and expats alike, who love el centro. My partner and I prefer outside the loop. It's all a matter of personal preference. Like any place in Mexico (or anywhere for that matter), it's good to take some time to thoroughly check things out. Good luck tashby!

(This post was edited by Tio Toño on Apr 20, 2008, 7:59 AM)

coyote60

Jun 7, 2008, 6:21 AM

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Re: [jennifer rose] Morelia neighborhoods

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Hello Jennifer. Do you have any rental property in Morelia? Just kidding. Carol and I enjoyed meeting you in Pátzcuaro. You were with Debrah Peacock.

Dickie

jennifer rose

Jun 12, 2008, 7:31 PM

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Re: [coyote60] Morelia neighborhoods

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As a matter of fact, I do. See the listing at the http://mexconnected.com/...;;page=unread#unread