Hello,
As some know from a previous thread, I am looking to retire in Mexico within a couple years, and so I have begun checking out locations. I just came back from my first expedition (lol), which included Mexico City, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Dolores Hidalgo, and Zacatecas. Now I am planning my 2nd expedition and am looking for suggestions. So far, based on recommendations here (and there), I am planning on checking out Tlaxcala, Puebla, Morelia, and Patzcuaro. I will also check out Tepic someday,but that is more because it is where my great-grandmother was born, and Mazatlan (because my grandmother was born there) rather than as retirement sites. I am have sort of mixed emotions about the ocean anyway - tourists a plenty and that whole shipping falling off the edge of the earth being clearly in view.
Some have said that I might as well head out to Lake Chapala and check that area out too, and then fly back to the US via Guadalajara on an "open jaw" ticket, which is sort of what I did last time around (GSO to MEX and BJX to GSO).
I am not 100% sure what I am looking for, but I really did enjoy the colonial vibe of Guanajuato and Zacatecas -plus all the activity that was going on. I am not very fond of humidity (it is already too humid for me here in the Greensboro/Winston area), and I am not a fan of super hot places (Arizona for me was like an oven, for example). So there you have that. Also, I am not sure I want a place with an overwhelming expat community - overwhelming to the point that it is hard to get to speak Spanish, particularly in the learning phase. I suppose that is another negative in regard to the Lake Chapala area. I should add that I am far from loaded, so I would be a Social Security+State Pension retiree who is not going to have money to rush in and plop down on a house anywhere. I am a renter even now.
Anyway, so there you have some of my parameters, so if you have any suggestions, I'd appreciate it. If the spots sound good and don't fit geographically in the next expedition, then maybe they will in the third one.
Suggestions for Potential Retirement Spots in Mexico to Check Out?
Well, even though the Chapala area has a plethora of expats, there is no shortage of native Spanish speakers to converse with. All your choices sound interesting. Since you seem not to be proficient in the language, however, you really may want to start the journey in a community with an expat infrastructure. There are huge advantages in doing so, not the least being that there is a support mechanism as you adjust. Since you're renting, take a place for 3-6 months in Ajijic or San Miguel and just try it out. And think about transportation, too. Do you want to live in a walkable town with no need for private transport? I am finding that Lakeside is a good spot for my new-to-Mexico adjustment reaction and acclimation process. I'm renting for 6 months and will see if it's a good match. Just get down here and start the journey. No place is going to be perfect, but you're eventually find the spot that's perfect for you!
Thanks, RStephenB, good points. And I am looking for a place to start from (once I retire), so what you said makes sense. In answer to your question, I do hope to not have to have a car. I really don't like driving, and rather enjoy being among the masses on the bus and just strolling around. Everywhere I went on this last trip seemed fine in that respect. How about the Lake Chapala area? Also, from what I see online, rents and whatnot seem rather steep there (in LC). Are there reasonable spots as well if you look around?
Yeah, I rather like the idea of finding the perfect place through time. No need to find it first crack - if so, I might not realize it is perfect! 
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