Most Scenic Mountain Towns...

[vantexan]

...that are popular with expats? I read on Mexico Connect about terrific scenery in Veracruz State. Just wondering what towns you all consider to have the most spectacular scenery in Mexico with the caveat that these are places you'd enjoy living in? I know there are mountain views over most of the country but what places make you go wow when you go outside? Thanks!

[TundraGreen]

Originally Posted by vantexan

...that are popular with expats? I read on Mexico Connect about terrific scenery in Veracruz State. Just wondering what towns you all consider to have the most spectacular scenery in Mexico with the caveat that these are places you'd enjoy living in? I know there are mountain views over most of the country but what places make you go wow when you go outside? Thanks!

You might look at the list of pueblos magicos. Just google pueblo magico mexico for a list Many of them are mountain towns. Guanajuato is the only one that I know has a substantial number of foreigners. For others, I don't know if there are many foreigners living in them.

[vantexan]

Originally Posted by TundraGreen

You might look at the list of pueblos magicos. Just google pueblo magico mexico for a list Many of them are mountain towns. Guanajuato is the only one that I know has a substantial number of foreigners. For others, I don't know if there are many foreigners living in them.

Thanks for the info. I've been looking at places in the Andes, some of which have pretty spectacular settings. Banos, Ecuador, Huaraz, Peru and La Paz, Bolivia to name a few. Obviously the Andes are bigger mountains but the mountains don't have to be huge to have a fantastic setting. Bisbee, AZ comes to mind. Jerome, AZ too. Something like them, affordable, and reasonably close to a bigger town with good markets. I'll check out the Pueblos Magicos. I stumbled across one while reading last night called Tepoztlan that sounds interesting. Thanks again!

[sparks]

Tepoztlan is in a pretty setting but not a lot of room to escape the tourist crowds that arrive from Mexico City and Cuernavaca. Interesting to visit but wouldn't want to live there.

The Patzcuaro area has lots of scenery and room to move around. Check out Lake Zirahuen

If you are in a tight little valley like Tepoztlan the sun goes down early

[vantexan]

Thanks Sparks, good to know. I think I'll settle on Oaxaca and just visit other places. May eventually find something that'll make me want to relocate.

[conklinwh]

Not sure if you are talking Oaxaca state or city. We love Oaxaca City but not sure that I would call scenic mountain town. In fact, if Oaxaca weren't so far from the Texas border, we seriously would have considered moving there. Even with the Norte around Mexico it is at least day & 1/2 to the border. Granted there was earlier post by person that did Puebla to Laredo in one day. If distance to the border not an issue, there are any number of places of interest in the state of Oaxaca.

[vantexan]

Originally Posted by conklinwh

Not sure if you are talking Oaxaca state or city. We love Oaxaca City but not sure that I would call scenic mountain town. In fact, if Oaxaca weren't so far from the Texas border, we seriously would have considered moving there. Even with the Norte around Mexico it is at least day & 1/2 to the border. Granted there was earlier post by person that did Puebla to Laredo in one day. If distance to the border not an issue, there are any number of places of interest in the state of Oaxaca.

Defintely the city. I was just curious if such a mountain town existed that had alot of expats. A place close enough to a larger place with good amenities, but exceptionally nice on it's own. Oaxaca has a nice suburb at 6000' called San Felipe del Agua. I think that will do but hey, if retired and can make a choice, why not something exceptional if it exists?

[conklinwh]

Scenic & mountain are sort of in the eye of the beholder. Because of the distance restraint, our focus was the bajio which goes from about 5K to 11K feet. We also wanted some expats but not as many as San Miguel or Lake Chapala. We ended up in one of the "ghost mining towns of the bajio" at some 7k feet. It had 50-70k people 1910 when miners included and now about 4K people with 50 expats and some 300 abandoned mines. We are about 45min from both San Miguel & Queretaro. I don't think where we live is for everybody but for us it really works.

[vantexan]

Originally Posted by conklinwh

Scenic & mountain are sort of in the eye of the beholder. Because of the distance restraint, our focus was the bajio which goes from about 5K to 11K feet. We also wanted some expats but not as many as San Miguel or Lake Chapala. We ended up in one of the "ghost mining towns of the bajio" at some 7k feet. It had 50-70k people 1910 when miners included and now about 4K people with 50 expats and some 300 abandoned mines. We are about 45min from both San Miguel & Queretaro. I don't think where we live is for everybody but for us it really works.

That sounds very nice. I like Real de Catorce but at 9000' the winters are pretty intense on driving to Matehuala on that long cobbled road would get old.

[conklinwh]

You are right on two counts-Real de Catorce is great but too remote and too cold which is why we aren't there but it is another of the ghost towns of the bajio.
As I said, we are a more manageable 7000 ft and pretty easy access to most of Mexico.