Where Do I want to live?

Rainy and cold in the dry season? Well, cold or at least chilly - 54 sounds chilly - is sort of ok (except for lack of heat in the houses, but I would never have thought that to be a problem in Veracruz), but rain? The whole world is going strange and if weather is important to one's choice of living place, it can be a real quandary!

Can't depend on the past.

Yep, things are shifting in many ways - We are leaving a very uncertain world to the young ones!

The world has been uncertain since before the day I was born, I think.  I doubt that will change.

Gudgrief,did you find anywhere that came close to meeting your criteria in either central,western or northern México?.

Gudgrief, that is true - but our generation has done nothing to better things! IMO - Stinky boy, I await that answer, but I imagine that if he had found it, he would be there!: ) I imagine that Coatepec was "good enough."

jeanfinney, depends a lot on what you measure.  A lot more people, expecially here in Mexico, but elsewhere in the world, are living a lot better than they did 75 years ago.  There may be less danger of a nuclear holocaust than there was in 1955.  Maybe.

Stinkyboy1,  The Pacific coast from what I've seen lately, is too humid, places at higher altitudes tend to be pricier unless a really small town far from a city suits.  I really don't have a list of names.  Zamora, Michoacan is a pretty nice medium sized city, big enough to have Walmart and Sam's Club.  Gets pretty hot in summer and higher in altitude than I wanted.  The state of Michoacan is a trove of natural and historical attractions.

Im thinking of visiting Michocan,Jalisco area.I found Zacatecas too small and too high,Im a runner the altitude was killing me.So far I have visited the states of Veracruz,Oaxaca,Chiapas,Zacatecas and Durango.Guess i will just keep moving on.

There's no hurry.
The Guadalajara area including Ajiijic and Chapala are beautiful.  Getting into Guadalajara for shopping can be time consuming.Oaxaca has its attractions too.

Yes indeed,Guadalajara sounds interesting,And Oaxaca is beautiful.My girlfriend is from Chahuites great place to visit especially if you like mango.Chiapas has some nice beaches around the Ariaga area on the pacific coast.

Oaxaca is very nice and cultural; the city is at a good altitude for climate, and Chiapas is fab. But poor, so services/commodities are less. Depends on what you need. I like the idea of being near a border and those two states could be good for someone needing to do those six month runs. The places to be in beautiful Michoacan are Morelia and Patzcuaro. I love Patz but the cold and damp are hard on my health. Too bad! GUA is just a big modern city with lots of traffic but there is a lovely area nearby called Tlaquepaque that is artsy and agreable. However, it can get hot and sticky. Sigh...finding the right place is not easy!

Tlaquepaque still agreeable.

The last time I was there, it was quaint and a great place to pick up handcrafts cheap., that was 30 years ago, except for the bus station.

Just about everywhere in Mexico can get hot and damp or cold and damp anymore.  I'm almost dreading Spring here.  It's damp enough already.  We'll see.  Maybe climate change will make it dry.

Maybe Vera Cruz is not for you? Maybe you need a more desert like environment? I am reading suffering...

Trouble is desert is not dry anymore, Saltillo can feel like a swamp.  All desert is above 5000'.

I may be forced to move or take vacation to cooler climes.  A/C at home would be too expensive.

Wet deserts? Sounds miraculous but it might not be for you! Sorry about the inconvenience and discomfort.

I grew up on Long Island before AC.  I learned to survive summer nights at 90+ degrees 100% humidity and not a stir in the air.  I'll do it again.  There are aspects of living here that make it worthwhile.

Good luck! Get a good fan! or two!

I have a good fan, thanks.  And a shower that doesn't lack for water.

for the damp and mould I advise a trip to home depot for some space saver bags or vacum bags,any items you dont use or wear on a regular basis need to be vacum packed and put inside plastic storage bins.Dehumidifiers work well also.

Thanks for the input Jean,Oaxaca and Chiapas are nice to visit but i have no interest in living there,the climate of coastal Oaxaca is perfect for me though.Looking forward to visiting Michocan.Tlaxcala is another place of interest,I drove through it and it looked clean and well maintained.

Tlaxcala is a nice town but the people in that area are famous for being a bit fierce and unfrinedly. And that was my experience. I would not consider living there. If you like coastal Oaxaca then you like hot ahd humid. So the Yucatan Peninsula might be a possibility too. Mold is a big problem in mild damp places, and I suffer from it. It can be dangerous to the health. Airing well is imperative and a dehumidifier can be very useful.

Thats interesting about lack of friendlyness.Im from Alabama and found the people of southern veracruz are on a par with dixie when it comes to shooting the breeze.Zacatecas and Durango I was lucky to get a hello.              To be honest I dont like the food in Oaxaca,Chiapas and I know the yucatan.The fried bananas,black beans,mamelas,panuches etc and prefer a more european influenced society.For that reason Im thinking more of Northern México.

A more European influneced vulture - might not be Mexico. I am currently traveling in Colombia, there is Europe aplenty. But if you want Europe - go to Europe! Why go for derivative, although the mixing can fascinating. But I like the indigenous presence - and I love tamales! Nothing like Chiapas tamales! However, I mostly fix my own food. Well, have you tried Guanajuato, Queretaro, or the area around Mexico City?

Going to Europe may be budget busting.  Buenos Aires is supposed to be the most European city in the Americas.  Well, if you are talking about 19th Century government buildings and monuments or the German and Italian ethnic enclaves, mostly true,  Outside of those it's totally Hispanic and very attractive.  But it the first time in my life I got stuck with counterfeit.  Two 50 peso bills from a taxi driver.  Learned my lesson and never changed bills larger than 50 pesos except in large or reputable businesses.

By European I meant less indígenas,I have only passed through the areas around Mexico city and have visited Guanajuato but not the city itself.I had a lot of friends back home from el Estado de México y Hidalgo and i must say i really enjoyed the food they prepared as well as the food from the taco houses.The fruit and fish are excelent in veracruz.I think your idea of somewhere outside of Mexico city might be a good one.

I see them in the stores checking for counterfeit all the time,wonder is there much in circulation.I had a first myself here yesterday,paid off a tránsito $150 for no seat belt.

I can't imagine Long Island before without air conditioning. Live in Japan for 18 years, 11 of those in hot and hopelessly humid Osaka. Most of my shoes lasted a year due to mold, and I was sick all the time until it turned winter again. New Jersey level of humid is about as much as I can take. Of course, NC, where I am now, is pretty humid too, but I survive of a fashion. When in Mexico, I think I'll be seeking out the drier climes, though there are some spots in the humid areas, I'd like to visit. This upcoming trip will be Mexico City, Guanajuato (SMA and Dolores Hidalgo), and Zacatecas.  Next exploratory adventure in Mexico. . .  I am still working on. lol

So, Stinkyboy, you didn't find the folks in Zacatecas friendly? Or just not as chatty?

I haven't had any trouble here in 7 years.  Big bills I only get from the ATM's.  20's and 50's are probably not counterfeited.

They are nice friendly people in Zacatecas but not likely to engage in conversation as say the folks in Veracruz.Upon meeting my neighbor for the first time for example,He aproached me with great gusto and a broad smile,asked me what I thought about the cold weather We were having.As soon as he Heard my accent it was over.There are no Foreigners living in Zacatecas that may have something to do with it.But they are certainly not unfriendly folks.Have been to Dolores Hidalgo,beautiful weather lovely town

To each his own.  I had great interactions with the locals, keeping it businesslike or just kidding around.
There may be 6 Americans living in Zacatecas but they are all independent types and loners.  You might run into one by accident, but only by accident, like picking the same restaurant at the same time.

On the bus from Durango to Zacatecas a lady Sat beside me and we chatted like long lost friends for the entire trip.I did meet a man from Ohio who was in town visiting his daughter,first American I have spoken to in my year and three months in México,so that was nice.

The conversation continues lively! Being near Mexico City you can take advantage of all it has to offer. The City itself is too city for me, plus it is very expensive. Sometimes i see reasonable rents  (for small places) in the south of the city, near the buses that go down to Cuernavaca and Tepoztlan, a lovely place, very angels and artsy. The landscape is great there. Have you explored that area?

I had a long conversation with a Zacatecas hair stylist on the bus from Reynosa.  I had forgotten about till I ran into her on the street.  I made an appointment to get a haircut.  And...

Young ladies who had waited on me at INM would stop me on the street and we'd bat the breeze for a while.  Restaurants at which I was a regular treated me as a long lost relative.  Different people have different experiences.

I haven't spent more than 3 nights in el DF in 7 years.  I really should do some exploring.

I was present once when, in a street market, a counterfeit bill was discerned. A way to lose your money! i assume the bills are ok when they come from the ATM - it is the ones that are given for change that can be problematic, I imagine. What to do? Learn to check them, I guess. Not in our habits but not a bad one to pick up!

I think I've gotten confused. I thought at first we were talking about counterfeit bills in Argentina, but in Mexico too? Which denominations should one watch out for and. . . how can you tell?

Do you mean you had to pay off a traffic cop to not have to pay a non-seatbelt violation, Stinkyboy?

More or less Nik,they start of by giving you some astronomical figure and tell you We will have to go to this office or that office.They have no intention of giving you a formal ticket.They persist in telling you about all the various fines they are about to slap on you until you finally ask him how much he wants.You haggle then he gets into the car with you so nobody can see the cash changing hands.

Oh my! I'm such a bad haggler that I'd have quite the time of it. Well, I don't plan on driving when I'm there, so that should help keep me out of that particular problem area, I guess.

By the way, since all of you chatting here have lived or visited Zacatecas, I was wondering if any of you also visited Jerez, Nochistlan and/or Pinos.