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Ola from Mike from Fort Smith, Arkansas. I'm going to be stopping in Mazatlan September 9th as part of a cruise. I would be interested in meeting/buying lunch with an American expat to discuss life in Mazatlan. We are at retirement age and thinking about moving to Mexico.

Hola Mike & welcome! Excellent plan to meet & talk with people who have already made the move & live in the area you're interested in moving to to gather unique facts, details & information for that specific area. But Mike, I gotta tell ya, Mazatlan isn't in Baja, it's on the wrong side of the Sea of Cortez....it's in mainland Mexico.

What made you pick Mazatlan? Have you done online research about it? Have you done any online research about several different areas to narrow your search down to areas that have the services you'll need or want? What type of environment do you want to live in? Drunken rowdy party town? A major tourist vacation destination? A sleepy little fishing village? something in between? On grid? Off grid? Do you have any specific medical/medicine requirements? How important to you is it to you that there be a large hospital in the area? Is it important to you be to near an international airport? Do you have any special dietary requirements? How well do you & your wife tolerate heat? Do you want a fairly large gringo population in the area, or do you plan to immerse yourselves into the local lifestyle? What are your social requirements? Are culture & the arts important to you? Do you speak Spanish? Will you require reliable/and/or frequent mail delivery between the states & your new location? What's your lifestyle? What can you live without? Cockroaches are the scourge of the earth....geckos are our friends!

The list of questions goes on & on & on! But in my personal experience, the people that I've met who have come the La Paz area only to end up disillusioned & who didn't like it were the people who forgot to leave their standards & gringo expectations at the border! It came as a huge shock to them that this truly is a foreign culture, climate; things evolve differently here! Also, for many it's hard to lose the "vacation mentality" long enough to see the difference in a 2-week vacation somewhere versus living at that same place permanently. So the more research you do in advance, the more you & your wife discuss your individual needs & expectations for what each of you hope to find from whatever area you eventually decide to call home, the better prepared you'll both be for the eventual surprises that will undoubtedly arise, no matter how much research you do in advance! For most, it's a life-altering move....plan it well, wisely & knowledgeably!

Research, research, research! And did I mention.... Next question? Feel free to ask!

Great advice legz. I also like to tell folks to make sure they know what the weather is like in their "dream" Mexican retirement location. Mazatlan in November through April is quite different than the summer months. If you like very hot, humid summers than maybe it won't bother you. I personally don't handle it all that well for more than a couple of days at a time...

Unfortunately, spending a day ashore off a cruise ship won't allow for much exploration. And, legs, great advice, with the exception that Mazatlan is not on the wrong side of the Sea of Cortez. It's on the other side. I'm guessing that since Mike is from Arkansas, he views mainland Mexico as closer to his roots and family and friends. There are many factors to consider when making such a life-altering decision, and I'd add to leg's advice about research, is to take it slow.

Like this forum and Baja Nomad, there should be plenty of information on some Mazatlan forums. You should be able to find them easily if you Google them.
I do recall getting some information on one of them, but too long ago to fish it out of my old brain.

MeXscape - Mazatlan Forum - Index

Just found this one.

Originally Posted by Bajahowodd

....with the exception that Mazatlan is not on the wrong side of the Sea of Cortez. It's on the other side.

It's on the right side as opposed to the left side, if you happen to be way south looking north, but what I meant was it's on the wrong side of the Sea of Cortez to be in Baja....but you probably knew what I meant!

Legs- Actually no. I thought you were making a value judgement. And actually, I wasn't trying to be negative, because I know for so many folks, myself included, Baja represents the best of Mexico. That being said, while there are a number of places on the mainland that I might consider for permanent residence, Mazatlan is not one of them. I'm going to make a wild guess here and suggest that our friend Mike, by virtue of the numbers of cruise itineraries, is going to be on the one that hits Puerto Vallarta and Cabo. Cabo aside, if anyone gets to spend some time in PV, I can't imagine them willing to settle for Mazatlan. Except maybe for the cost.

Mazatlan is the home of one of the world's finest beers: PACIFICO

A tour of the brewery may be the best thing to do there... Perhaps dinner at EL SHRIMP BUCKET is next (if that place is still in business)?

Thanks for the comments. Actually, I was on another website for expats a couple of minutes prior so the post should have been on that site. That said, you are correct in that the cruise will dock in PV and Cabo. Having been an Air Force brat and in the USAF myself, I have lived in a few other countries and my roots are in Tampico, so I do know a bit about Mexico but haven't been to the Baja Peninsula. I will review the websites you listed. Thanks again. I'll keep following everyone's comments.

We welcome your participation mike and hope you make it over to our side of the sea one day...

Originally Posted by mike

Ola from Mike from Fort Smith, Arkansas. I'm going to be stopping in Mazatlan September 9th as part of a cruise. I would be interested in meeting/buying lunch with an American expat to discuss life in Mazatlan. We are at retirement age and thinking about moving to Mexico.

Welcome Mike,
Great info from other members on this forum. You'll have at least 5-6 hours in Mazatlan...so I would take a city tour which hopefully would include the area 8-10 miles north...just to get the lay of the land. If Mazatlan "feels right".... I would return for at least 2 weeks. If you"re still interested..return again for at least a month. While you're in Mazatlan,pick up a copy of the Pacific Pearl newspaper...which is geared toward tourists and retirees. It's available at most hotels.They also have an online version. You can find rentals at mazrental.com. I' ve spent 2 weeks a year in Mazatlan since 1984(going again in January). It takes more than a few weeks to really know what's going on. Best of luck....Ralph

Welcome Mike!
Hope you enjoy the forum. The others have given you very good advice. I would simply add, since I grew up a military brat too, that most people I've met with that childhood experieince are very adaptable to all sorts of living conditions. They have an ability to "roll with the punches". Don't discount that quality in yourself...the worst part of venturing to retire in Mexico is that there are too many choices!
Buena Suerte!