Lake Chapala Retirement in Mexico
 Lake Chapala, Mexico
By Valerie Marchant,
Monday, Dec. 11, 2000
Retirees searching for an instant circle of friends need
look no farther than the northern shore of Mexico's Lake
Chapala, where tens of thousands of American and Canadian
retirees form what is probably the largest English-language
expatriate community in the world. Mary Alice Sargent, who
lives with her husband Erick in the popular lakeside village
Ajijic, appreciates that the community will rally around anyone
in need.
Expats moving there will not find themselves in a gringo
ghetto. Whether in bustling, arty Chapala or tranquil villages
like Ajijic and Jocotepec, foreigners are gently interspersed
among the 100,000 people who live on the shores of Mexico's
largest lake. The mountains that encircle Lake Chapala protect
its villages, many of them 500 years old and still
cobblestoned, from winds, helping to create a perfect
climate.
For 50 years expats like the Sargents have flocked to this
area, known as the Land of Eternal Spring. The Mexican
government requires only an FM-3 visa, easy to obtain for those
with an annual income of about $12,000. Mexico's second largest
city, Guadalajara--which offers shopping, a lively night life,
first-rate medical care and an airport with easy access to the
U.S.--is just 45 minutes away.
English is spoken everywhere. Internet access is
inexpensive, and Americans can e-mail their families at home or
fellow expats via Mexico Connect (www.mexconnect.com) There are
so many recreational activities--tennis, golf, riding, boating,
fishing and biking, plus so many English-language clubs and
charitable organizations--that no one could ever be lonely or
bored.
Mary Alice's role as president of the Lake Chapala Society
keeps her as busy as when she and her husband were teachers in
New Hampshire. The society runs a lending library, plays host
to many social events and reaches out to the Mexican community,
offering English classes and supporting 18 scholarship
students.
Despite their popularity, Ajijic and the other villages on
the lake are quite affordable. A two-bedroom house with a
garden rents for about $600 a month and could be built for less
than $200,000.
A couple can live very nicely on $1,500 to $2,000 a month
once housing is paid. Some, says Mary Alice, "live on Social
Security--others on Social Security plus a small pension--and
they live quite well." Many families, including the Sargents,
hire a maid or gardener for about $1.60 an hour. The Sargents
pay as they go for inexpensive medical care (although they
could buy Mexican insurance for an annual $390 a couple) and
owe no taxes in Mexico.
"We can afford to go to the theater, opera and sporting
events that we'd probably miss out on at home," says Mary
Alice. Erick, who once coached basketball and football, has
discovered soccer. He loves to go to Guadalajara's Jalisco
Stadium, where he joins thousands of fans wildly cheering on
the favorite local team, the Chivas.
--Reported by Ronald Buchanan/Mexico City
Source:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,998760,00.html
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Casa Preciosa Side Bar Notes:
If you are wondering if a Mexico retirement is
really that comfortable, check out our story of moving to
Mexico and retirement
in Lake Chapala.
Also, research where Lake Chapala is by clicking on the
Guadalajara Chapala Maps link.
Ajijic-Chapala ccommodatiuons provides many options but the
most popular and comfortable, is to lodge in homes
for Vacation Rentals
Ajijic Mexico.
Casa Preciosa, Ajijic Vacation
Villa provides the comforts of home while you are
visiting Ajijic, Mexico.
Also...
Weather for retirement is one of the big draws to to
Lake Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico.
Do an internet search for “top weather in
the world for retirement” and see what comes up.
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