San Miguel or Queretaro for a Writer

tessgabriel wrote:

Looking to explore Queretaro where my son is moving with his family or the more expat scene of San Miguel.  I need cafes to write in, a welcome place for my labradoodle and can afford about $1000- $1200 for rent for two bedrooms and at least a small yard for my dog- park nearby would also be great.  I want to be able to walk to cafes to work ( I'm a retired academic but still writing).  All suggestions welcome !

I know both cities quite well. SMA has more locals speaking passable English if you do not speak any Spanish. Short term furnished rentals will likely be fewer and cost much more than Querétaro. Both have an abundance of coffee houses/restaurants/public plazas with free WIFI.

In Querétaro not that many locals speak English but more every year. Being close to your son and his family is a bonus also. The short term furnished rentals there will have more selection and much cheaper possibly and probably in pesos not in USDs as in SMD. Querétaro is over 1.5 million and has everything but SMA has very little in comparision. To me it would depend on my Spanish abilities and what I want to do in terms of seeing different things all of the time. In SMD this is very limited. Both have a large cultural scene but in Querétaro mostly in Spanish and in SMD many are in English. Querétaro has an international airport. SMD you have to drive to the Bajio international airport about 1 hour away.

Your rent budget is high for Queretaro but not that high for a nice place in SMD so you would likely get a much nicer place in Querétaro for your expected rent you will be willing to pay. Traffic congestion in Queretaro is bad. SMD has many hills and walking is streneous.

Many thanks for your helpful reoly.  I sense you think that Queretaro is better value and there are still many
cafes, restaurants, etc. and of course more amenities.  Since I am Canadian ( we learn French, not Spanish, in school!), I have little Spanish and will be learning from
the basics, but I plan to do so.  Partly, I think its a good idea to be independent from my family and this way I can still see them once a week.  I can also move from St. Miguel to Q after a couple of years when everyone settled.  I am getting a bit worried about an uptick in crime in St. Miguel.  I dont want to live in a gated community, but in the centre and be able  to walk around safely!    Think I will travel in the Fall to get the lay of the land and be glad to take anyone out to lunch or coffee for tips on a productive, creative life in St Miguel, especially where to live with a dog!!!

Thanks again!

We are also planning on moving from the US to Queretaro. Being in the city with all the cultural advantages is a big draw. So let's keep in touch as we traverse this new adventure.

I am traveling to Querétaro on July 16 to spend a week exploring it as a place to relocate from Oregon. Does anyone know of expats from the US who live there I might contact to get some advice?

We just returned from Queretaro and looked at rentals through a realtor, who was very helpful. The city is growing by 10% per year and there is a lot of building going on. And rents are cheaper than SMA. Many businesses are moving to that area.
The homes we looked at do not typically have yards, but have very small patios instead.
We looked in the neighborhoods of Juriquilla nd El Refugio, which were recommended to us by several folks we met along the way.
We liked Q but are concerned that it will be harder to find other retirees to develop friendships with since it is so large.
We will head back that way this fall to explore further.

Queretero is our destination. Coming in mid October to visit and explore rentals. May I ask who your realtor is? From what I understand there are many expats in QU and there is a lovely group of retirees. LEt's keep in touch and share info.

P

Great idea!
Realtor is Marcela V***. She is Mexican and lived in Texas for quite a few years before moving back, so she is very fluent in English. We looked at rentals that were unfurnished and she can help you with renting or buying furniture.

She is a font of information and generous with her time. She even took us to the bus terminal to get our tickets to Puebla, since the online site would not accept any of my credit cards.

***

My name is Bonnie McCombs

Dear Bonnie, Thanks for the realtor's name. Always useful to have contacts. Are you thinking of retiring in Queretero? or San Miguel...after much research we decided to try QU as a starting point. Be part of a vibrant city and see ... planning on the move in Spring 2019...lots to do make the move. How about you?

My email is ***Please email me and hopefully we can be there as a resource for one another.

Patricia

Both are beautiful, but in Queretaro you could certainly find a place in Centro, or just on the edge of Centro. For your budget you should be able to find something quite nice. There are a few parks where you can take your dog and plenty of cafes, both in centro and in the neighborhood just on the edge of Centro called Bosques del Acueducto. This neighborhood has a small park some nice cafes and restaurants, a new french bakery, and is next to the historic centre. Carretas has a bigger park and is about a 20 minute walk to Centro.

As someone else noted, Queretaro is a big city, driving is a trial. But if you live in Centro it is quite peaceful and everything is walkable.  I take Cabify or Uber the times when I have to go to Costco or such.

A lovely expat couple who come for the winter hold Mexican history classes in English here in the Centro and you can meet the local English-speaking community - which keeps growing!!  The other day, for the first time, I even saw a new cultural centre advertising a creative writing workshop in English...  Quite a few locals, especially in the cafes,  also speak some English, are lovely, friendly and very accomodating, but yes, still not as much English as you would find in San Miguel.

Enjoy your time in Mexico wherever you choose!

Thank you for your recommendations.  Appreciate any help we can get as we navigate our living situation. We are visiting for 2 weeks 9/22-10/7 and hope to find an area or areas we can explore for renting a place. Any suggestions are so very helpful. Thanks again, Patricia