Puerto Rico alternative?

I lived and worked in Puerto Rico 2001-2003.  The people are warm and welcoming for the most part - but I would not go back to live there even though the experience was a once-in-a-lifetime thing that I treasure.  As a memory, thank goodness.

It's an overcrowded little island with almost 4 million people when we were there (less now since so many have migrated to the US mainland) and over 2.5 million vehicles of all types.  Traffic jams in San Juan the capital where almost half the population lives are horrendous.  Once you get away from the San Juan metro area things are much nicer, but good jobs are much fewer.

Even then milk was $4/gallon.  It's an island and produces very little, many if not most things are imported so prices are high.  At that time fully 30% of the people who had jobs, worked for government at one level or another - meaning they produced nothing.  There are at least 26 holidays per year with some cities having additional holidays.  Although it's a US Territory it is a Latin country - they don't really celebrate the 4th of July much at all, certainly not like we do here, and it looks and feels Latin not US American.  The "blend" is not really noticeable.  Their history and heritage is almost completely Latin. Their land was acquired as a result of the Spanish-American War and US influence in culture and many other areas makes only a small dent.  For instance baseball and not soccer is the biggest sport there.  But also salsa and other Latin music is prevalent and popular and not English-language pop music from the US.  Their holidays apart from the Federal ones are mostly all from Latin culture.  Food is influenced more by Caribbean tastes and that is one of the good points!

Many professional speak English with varying proficiency.  But many people speak only Spanish.  Many of those who do speak English and even many who don't have migrated to the US since they are US Citizens and can move here freely - this is because of massive unemployment there and lack of good jobs.  There used to be many jobs with pharmaceutical and other companies who located there because of tax breaks but that era has ended.

Puerto Rico is very far in debt because of socialist spending programs that convinced people voting for them for years that they could get something for nothing.  But the bills are coming due with no way to pay down the over $70 billion in debt or even meet the interest payments.

Do searches for:

puerto rico economy

puerto rico unemployment

puerto rico debt

puerto rico pharmaceutical

And ask yourself why there are abandoned farms and properties one can acquire cheaply and why so many are leaving.  I'm not saying it's like Detroit where houses selling for $1 don't sell, but it's on the same road just much further south...