I know, there’s a steady stream of potential Mexico retirees who come to this forum seeking advice and I am yet another. My wife and I would like to retire to Mexico in 2.5-3 years. Here are our “statistics:”

I am 100% gringo, speak some Spanish, and am continually learning.
She is 3rd generation Mexican-American and is reasonably fluent.
We would like to get along on about $2000 a month.
We would be renters.
Local foods are fine; we don’t require many “American groceries”
General lifestyle requirements are modest, but we would want TV, Internet, and a car.
We would like to travel around a little and see other parts of Mexico.
We’re pretty flexible and adaptable.
Our ages will be 62 & 64.

After a few years of study and vacationing in Mexico, the Lake Chapala area is emerging as a logical location for us, and we’ll be visiting there this fall to have a look around.

There are many questions to ask, but I’d like to start with climate: Unlike most, we would be moving down substantially in elevation. Our current home in the Colorado Rockies is at 7500 feet. While I don’t think we’ll miss the winter snow, we love our cool summers. Our average temps in July are about the same as Chapala in January. We know we’ll have to make adjustments, but we’re not very fond of hot weather.

With that in mind, would we be crazy to consider Tapalpa and Mazamitla? Small towns, I know, but both of them are twice as big as the town we live in now. Are there any expats at all living in those places? Other slightly cooler alternatives anybody can suggest?

Any advice would be much appreciated!