Expatriate Life in San Miguel: Live or Retire in Colonial Mexico
 Shannon Roxborough - American Chronicle
go to original
| | San Miguel de Allende's Downtown Church (Edo. de Guanajuato) | |
Think Mexico, and vivid images leap to mind: spicy food and cool drinks, exotic nightlife and tropical sunsets. But our neighbor south of the border has a less-familiar side: an expatriate and retiree haven.
San Miguel de Allende, 170 miles northwest of Mexico City, was founded in 1542 by Juan de San Miguel, a Franciscan friar. After initially serving as a sleepy frontier outpost, the town boomed in the 18th century on the flood of wealth from nearby silver mines.
San Miguel today is a cosmopolitan town of 80,000, popular with well-heeled vacationers from Mexico City and home to a thriving expat community of several thousand foreign retirees and vacation home owners. But unlike tourist haunts such as Cancún or Acapulco, where fast-food joints and noisy nightclubs abound, San Miguel de Allende still feels like old Mexico: well-preserved 16th- and 17th-century buildings with heavy, carved wooden doors, narrow cobblestone streets, breathtaking churches and quaint courtyards surrounded by old stone walls.
"San Miguel is extremely charming. It has great places to eat, art galleries galore and lots of places to enjoy live music," San Miguel homeowner Lynn Jantos, a Hackensack Realtor, wrote in an e-mail.
Like many American homeowners, Jantos rents out her elegant three-bedroom and 3˝-bath, custom-built Spanish colonial-style house on a hilltop outside of town.
"My home is in a lovely area with properties that range from $650,000 to $1.5 million, but the upkeep is low," she said. "My property taxes are $250 a year, and I pay my gardener $30 a month."
Many full- and part-time expatriate residents are creative types — writers, painters, sculptures, photographers and musicians. They are attracted by the same things that drew Jantos to this charming town: traditional Mexican heritage in a beautiful, historic setting, spiced with a subtle Yankee flavor.
In and around the hillside enclave, there are single-family houses in all price ranges, starting at around $75,000 for dwellings in need of renovation to well into the millions for large haciendas (ranches) with substantial acreage outside of town.
For potential second home owners, Jantos summed up San Miguel nicely: "Anyone seeking near-perfect weather, easy living and an authentic slice of Mexico, there is no better place."
Perks
San Miguel combines Latin American warmth with the familiar comforts of home. U.S. cable TV networks, golf courses, tennis courts, a large library (with English-language titles) and American-owned eateries and bars are nearby. There's even a Walmart and Costco within comfortable driving distance.
Drawbacks
With the influx of American, Canadian and European second homebuyers and pensioners, the prices for everything from a simple meal to a humble home are going up.
The costs
Buyers on a budget will be pleased to know it is possible to find a modest home in move-in condition for $150,000 to $250,000 (or $100,000 or less for something in need of TLC).
Where to stay
Casa de Liza is a bed-and-breakfast made up of six houses and an apartment (Bajada de Chorro 7, 011-52-415-152-6144; casaliza.com). Owned by an American who has lived in San Miguel for well over a decade, its suites are furnished with antiques, religious paintings and the works by local artists. $100 and up.
Lynn Jantos´ well-appointed vacation rental sleeps up to eight and has every modern convenience. (Property: O-17, Casa Puesta Del Sol, Agent: Gwendoline VanHamme, 011-52-415-152-6752; myrentalinsanmiguel.com; elm@unisono.net.mx). It rents for $1,200 to $1,440 per week, depending on the season.
Must see
The town center, which feels like a tiny Spanish village, is sprinkled with cantinas, shops and art studios.
For more information
A comprehensive online guide to San Miguel de Allende is available at sanmiguelguide.com. |
Vallarta Weddings
Puerto Vallarta Real Estate | March 2009 
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us