Should I Move to Guadalajara?

[HombreEPGDL]

I am nearing retirement(May) and I have always wanted to move to GDL. I already have an apt there and have just returned from being there for 3 weeks. My doubts about living there 24/7 come from the current insecurity in Mexico. I realize that most of the violence is in the northern/border areas however I wonder if it will spread to GDL. Another factor is the contamination which caused my allergies to flare up and cause me to stay indoors most of the 3 weeks I was there. I realize no one can make this decision for me but I would like input as to how life is there year round as I only go down there every 2 months and for only 2weeks at a time.
Thanks for any information!

[RVGRINGO]

Pollution is worse during the winter in Guadalajara, due to the inversion. If you want cleaner air, you might consider Chapala, on the other side of the mountains, yet only an hour from Guadalajara Centro or half an hour from the airport.

[Rodrigo84]

The city is pretty polluted and there's been talk of adopting a hoy no circula system similar to what we have in Mexico City (I hope not).

[joco69]

Guadalajara is great for visiting or spending a night, however as pointed out by RVGRINGO, Chapala and environnement is a much better place to live. We got all the conveniences here, cultural and otherwise, even got a new Wal-Mart, Internet service is great, you like charity you got it, you like joining whatever group fancies you, we got it. And the very best is the climate, they call it paradise and I agree it is.

[Hound Dog]

Forget the naysayers. Move to Guadalajara, not the Lake Chapala area. Furthermore, move into the city in one of the centrally located colonias where you have excellent public transportation and access to the city´s cultural and entertainment/restaurant scene. While Lake Chapala is only about a 45 minute drive from Guadalajara, it is light years away culturally. There is a very large American and Canadian retirement community on the north shore of the lake which is an insufferable imitation of everything some of us dread about retirement communities in the U.S. If you move to the lake you will someday regret in all likelihood if you have even a modicum of an adventurous spirit.

The pollution as a distraction in nicer parts of the city is greatly exaggerated unless you suffer from some sort of ongoing and severe respiratory distress. Try Colonias such as Providencia or Chapalita. All-in-all, a beautiful and vibrant city easily negotiated in your private vehicle with many splendid parks and good restaurants.

By the way, while you see that I list Chiapas as my home state, we also maintain a home in the Chapala municipality near the lake. We have maintained that home for some eight years now and are not strangers to "lakeside". I am not saying "lakeside" is a bad place, just that, if living in a large, diverse and exciting city is your goal, "lakeside" may bore you to tears and you will find that occasional forays into the big city from Lake Chapala for its many nightime attractions are more of an arduous undertaking than you may think at first.

As for urban violence, there are fewer cities on earth where I have felt more secure than Guadalajara and I have lived in many large urban areas the world over. Any drug related violence that might occur in the city s unlikely to effect you one way or the other. Concerning your allergy problems,that could be a problem almost anywhere in Mexico during certain times of the year. You´ll need to consult with your physician on such a personal matter.

[pedro]

as one who suffers from allergies i can tell you that every time i venture into guad i show my symptoms which is not to the delight of anyone around me and me specifically.
the same happens to me in any large city prone to inversions.
when i get over the mountain from chapala i can see the brown dome over guad.
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[synthia]

While you may find the presence of a large expat retirement community 'insufferable', for many people that is the ideal. As I have mentioned before, most people who retire overseas are not actually there to try and assimilate into the local culture, but to live a comfortable and affordable life in a good climate. To an extent, they want to be tourists with a home.

[Hound Dog]

[Synthia has a good point. I was responding to the original poster´s query about living in Guadalajara after which he was advised by some to pick "lakeside" as an alternative which it is in some ways but in no way provides a like urban experience. We moved to the lake in 2001 instead of Guadalajara and have long regretted that decision. I am simply pointing out my experience.

By the way, there is a substantial expat community in Guadalajara as well as at lakeside so if opportunities for associating with other expats is a new expat´s goal, Guadalajara also provides those opportunities but with the added advantage that it is a large and diverse city so that the expat community does not significantly modify the city´s character except to enrich the urban experience. The same cannot be said for the lakeside area centered in the Chapala municipality.

As for air pollution; both Guadalajara and Lake Chapala suffer from airborne impurities in spades compared to the splendid high-mountain purity of both air and light we enjoy in beautiful, colonial, non-industrial San Cristóbal de Las Casas at 7,000 feet which is the reason we live here part of the year but at Lake Chapala during the summer rainy season when pollutants are minimal. When I find the environment that is perfect in every aspect, I´ll pass on that information to the rest of you.

[Intercasa]

They both are good spots. I'm getting a bit bored here in Chapala as it is almost all old ex pats and working class Mexicans and I'm young and a working professional. Guadalajara offers alot and it depends where you live in the city, some areas seem to have worse air quality than others. There is alot to do in the city with places to go and activities.

[sigler311]

If I can put my two cents in...I am 26, been living in Guadalajara for 3 months. The air quality is horrible here, my allergies are going crazy everyday and I can taste the pollution if it isnt windy. as far as crime, I had my cellphone stolen out of my hands one day in centro, i have personally seen attempted purse snatching on two different occasions and someone tried to rape an acquintance of mine near Plaza Del Sol(but it was a bad neighborhood).

Upsides, the climate here cannot be beat(its technically winter and its 75 and beautiful). i have been to Chapala several times and think it is very beautiful and shares the weather with Guadalajara but not the petty crime, loud noise or heavy pollution. Its just 20 minutes drive to Zapopan also, so i would definetely say ccheck out Chapala. If i had to do it again I would have gone to Chapala