Morelia Travel Forum

My husband and I are very interested in moving to Morelia. We are retired teachers and know some Spanish. We both prefer to live in an area that is not overrun with fellow Americans from the U.S. Can anyone who has lived/traveled extensively in this part of colonial Mexico tell us what it's like? What are other cities in the area (besides San Miguel de Allende) that we might check out?
Thanks so much,
Nancy Bell

Morelia is a great choice. Querretaro or Leon might be alternatives if you are interested in cities which are even less impacted by tourism but are still large enough for a variety of cultural activiites. Querretaro, Querretaro may be the cleanest city in Mexico. Leon is famous for its shoe manufactures. I would avoid living in cities San Miguel and Guanajuanto because of the relative high tourist-expatriates to size ratio. Smaller towns will be quieter and have less going on, but you will have a much better chance to know your neighbors and become part of a Mexican community. A smaller town will be cheaper especially if you do not intend to bring all your comfots of home, but you will be more dependent on your Spanish. If you do not want a larger city, you will just have to travel around and find the type and size town you like.
Once there, one way you might want to connect is by trying to teach English. In larger cities there are usually language institutes who love to hire native English speakers (pay is very low). In a small town you might have to just offer your own class. Another thing to consider is to forgo American appliance conveniences and hire maids and other workers for those jobs we use machines to do in the US. Of course, hiring people can be a hassle and has a few risks, but you can not practice your Spanish with a washing machine or learn to cook good Mexcan food by going to a restaurant. Good luck, Bob

there are many options to live in mexico, some states have US expats, but all depend the kind of life do you want in mexico

pedro

Morelia may have quite a few Americans but they are very spread out, so you don't see too many. There is a lot to see there and other things are close by, like the Monarch Butterflies and some Indian ruins. Some of the streets are very narrow and in certain areas there is a lot of traffic. But, taxi work good. I've driven around town many times and it usually doesn't bother me. I would really like to live there. There also is Patzcuaro, about an hour away that is a little slower paced. So, it depends on what you like. The whether is a little cooler than some areas around there, but I've never been there when it actually felt cold. A sweater was fine. It might be a little colder at night during certain times of the year. I really like it there and there is always something to do.