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For all you residents with your awesome spots: With the passage of time and the better familiarity with your location choice would you pick the same spot that you did initially or has the totality of your experience made you think you might pick a different place if you had the opportunity to do it all again?
And, yes or no, what would be the top 3-5 things that have had the most influence on these feelings....
My wife and I are just seriously getting the jones for this move. We are heading to our place in BOLA at the end of Sept for a dose of reality. I am banking time so next year we can hit our place in BOLA for up to a week, scour targeted parts of the peninsula for 10-14 days or so, back to BOLA for 5-7 days and, hopefully back NOB with a better retirement location target picked out.
La Paz sure sounds great and it doesn't sound like Todos Santos is anything to dismiss, either. Regardless, my retirement is late summer so BOLA will be a perfect place to decompress for a few months when we do go.
But, back on topic: I would love input on the initially posed question from all you people who are actually living it.
Gracias a todo.
Two years........8 days..........13 hours.........17 minutes....

I really like the area where we are at patch, as it has the most of what we want and allows me to deal with the realities of my life, as it is today. When I first moved down here to Baja I was thinking of building in the Rosarito area. Over time I realized it wasn't a good match for us and what we wanted long term which is what prompted us to begin a search.

On the first post of my construction thread I gave a list of criteria we came up with together that we used when we began our search. I think it is important to make your own list with your unique requirements/desires and keep that handy when you began to look. It will really help keep you focused and ensure that you find the perfect spot for you and your family.

If I could change anything, it would have been to have made the move here years before. We really love this location, the weather, the lifestyle and the large family of very good friends we have made here in a short time.

How good are these friends? The other night I was driving a truck out here in the middle of nowhere and the front left wheel came off. It was after 11:00 at night, the truck's hydraulic jack was no good (I then discovered), we were miles from home and there was no cell service. I didn't even have a working flashlight.

Looking around the truck I found a handheld marine radio in the glovebox and thought I'd try my luck. I found a fishing boat out of Ensenada out by San Martin Island on channel 6 who told me he had a cell signal and I gave him three different numbers of friends to call back in town.

Within 20 minutes we had three friends show up with tools, lights and one even brought a tow bar just in case. In another 30 minutes we were driving home.

The people who will become your neighbors is a factor that should be on your wish list and is often overlooked.

We have the best!

Take time to research who will be sharing your piece of paradise with you as well...


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¡ESO es lo que es!

That's what I'm talkin' about!

Sounds excellent BG.
My interest in this was piqued by a posting over on BN about a family who just purchased some land in Bahia Asuncion who have a nice blog. There last posts, granted a while ago, they were looking around Todos Santos and close by environs.
It is interesting to me how things evolve like this....it's all adventure.
Jesus, I hope I am not hi-jacking my own post.

You'll probably not encounter anyone with better advice than Sr. B. Gringo.

I believe there are really just a few major considerations for any list you may develop. Keep in mind that, just like anywhere else in the world, you might move to a place that seemingly meets all your requirements, but grow disenchanted for any number of reasons.

Fundamentally, in my opinion, the climate- cool Pacific side or hot SOC side.

What level of urbanization? City? Suburbs? Rural? And with that choice also comes the level of convenience for things such as shopping.

Last, what might your needs be for return to the states as far as frequency and convenience.

Maybe I'm doing the hijacking now.

Would I pick the same place agian?
I live in Punta Banda out near La Bufadora. the location is rural I have a too die for viev of Ensenada from across the bay.It is a rural setting with more than adequte shopping in Ensenada. From here it is a 2and 1/2 hour trip to the border.When I retired the location and convience fit my needs.I knew if I stayed in the States I could not afford to Travel and keep up a home there and travel. Here I can acomplish both very well.I need to motivate myself to travel more. Its hard to leave this place every time I do I Come back and say WHY.
Having said all that I still feel like there is more out there.For me I dont think The search is over.But in the meantime I couldnt find a bettrer place to make up my mind.
YES I would most likely choose this place agian if i had it to do over.

Soulpatch, I was going to post in response to your "For all you residents with your awesome spots: With the passage of time and the better familiarity with your location choice would you pick the same spot that you did initially or has the totality of your experience made you think you might pick a different place if you had the opportunity to do it all again?", but as I read down through the posts, I came upon a post telling you "You'll probably not encounter anyone with better advice than Sr. B. Gringo.", so I guess I'll save my typing fingers & not waste your time with my worthless drivel.

Originally Posted by longlegsinlapaz

...but as I read down through the posts, I came upon a post telling you "You'll probably not encounter anyone with better advice than Sr. B. Gringo.", so I guess I'll save my typing fingers & not waste your time with my worthless drivel.

Since when did you ever let that get in the way???

Well, there was that one time.....but you were probably just being polite!

Anyone calling your drivel worthless needs to have their head examined!
Point of interest for you: A couple of FF's on a 2500 acre fire we had today got stung by bees. One guy very allergic..his epi-pen saved his hiney.......

Originally Posted by longlegsinlapaz

Soulpatch, I was going to post in response to your "For all you residents with your awesome spots: With the passage of time and the better familiarity with your location choice would you pick the same spot that you did initially or has the totality of your experience made you think you might pick a different place if you had the opportunity to do it all again?", but as I read down through the posts, I came upon a post telling you "You'll probably not encounter anyone with better advice than Sr. B. Gringo.", so I guess I'll save my typing fingers & not waste your time with my worthless drivel.

I'd probably end up in the same area, for the same reasons I chose it initially. Since then, I've learned of places that weren't on my original short list, but none have a better combo of the criteria below than La Paz.

Affordability
Proximity to coast
Climate
Not "gringolandia" or overwhelmingly touristy
Availability of goods and services

Other factors are important (great people, laid-backness, good food), but they seem to be common to most of the country.

Thank you Soulpatch! I think my drivel is frequently priceless!

I hear you loud & clear on the epi-pen tale & I'm glad to hear your FF compadre made it successfully through a doubly dangerous day! I appreciate your concern for my.....Uhhhhh.....safety & well-being!

Patch,
Barb and I traveled a bit. From all the places we considered for retirement, like western & southern Europe, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Carribean and most of California, we ended up settling in Loreto/Nopolo about 20 years ago. Never an ounce of regret. Wouldn't change it for the world except for getting rid of Loreto Bay. We're close enough for trips to La Paz, in case we need something we can't do without. Again, IMO, the mountain scenery and the islands in the Sea of Cortez make it one of the prettiest places in all of Baja.
And we have an airport, in case of a major medical emergency. But, in my opinion, the overall medical help here is totally adquate.
And, since we have a fairly large gringo contingent here, there must be a lot of people of identical mind. Smart folks.

Thanks for all the great replies so far, private or public, they are all appreciated. We did enjoy Loreto during our visit one year.
We will have some time to figure all this out and the process will be an evolution based out of our casita at BOLA. Things aren't as far from there as they are from this side of the line and trips will be much easier.
At this point we always want to have a place in BOLA because of all the attributes of the place that make it magic for us.
As far as a place to permanently raise the kids? Well, La Paz is currently at the top of the list for all it's obvious attributes.
Plus, just dialoging about it for me brings it all that much closer so thank you all for indulging me.....selfish, aren't I!

Didn't know you had kids to raise.
Pictured you as an old guy of retirement age, at least 65 to 70.
In that case, I also would pick La Paz.

It's all perspective! My 6 year old twins view me as ancient. And I just attribute all these aches and pains to a physical lifestyle.....but, heck yeah, I am still very young....48 in 8 days.
No, I am going to take my pension, even though it could be 17% more at age 55 than 50, and go live a new life. My pension won't be worth anything as the incidence of injury rises exponentially with each year you work after the age of 50 in my profession. And if any of the bad things that can get us as FF's do get me none of it would have been worth it.....I know too many guys in their 50's right now with job related cancer, spinal degeneration, stress and cardiac issues...you name it, that have hung on to max out their retirements.
Besides, this will give me a chance to be with my family daily rather than around these 56-120 hour weeks we are now working. Kids definitely aren't for the faint at heart!

Originally Posted by edinnopolo

Didn't know you had kids to raise.
Pictured you as an old guy of retirement age, at least 65 to 70.
In that case, I also would pick La Paz.

You are very smart patch and trust me that we don't mind at all sharing in this topic with you. The decision to make the move south often involves strong, passionate feelings for this place and there are a lot of us who still carry that flame, even years after making the move south. We remember your excitement, anticipation and even impatience at times to get here.

I still get it every time I have to go north of the border for more than a day, anxious to get "back home". There is no better feeling in the world than when I make my way down the last part of that old dirt road out to our place to see Cristina with the mutts in tow come out to greet me, highlighted by the setting sun setting behind San Martin Island that fronts our beach.

It never stops feeling like magic to me...

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