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Beside the higher altitude SMA seems to have other serious issues


lakeside7

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I hope you will not miss all the great ethic restaurants that Detroit and environs have..or have they also disappeared?

Detroiters take crime in stride. Most of the great restaurants are in protected areas. The only kinds of food I have not found in SMA are good Greek and Lebanese food. Detroit has some of the finest Greek and Lebanese restaurants in the world. But I do still have family back there so I will indulge my cravings on my return trips.

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People change and places change. The best anyone can hope for is to be in the right place at the right time.

When I came to Mexico in January of '96 to check it out for retirement, I started in Ajijic but spent four days in San Miguel. While in San Miguel I rented an apartment to begin May 1st. and never looked back.

I loved the history, vibrancy, things to do, places to go, restaurants to try and general ambience of San Miguel and lived there very happily for nine years. Miniature dogs are precious...San Miguel is not.

Then came the west coast adventure for six years.

And now we're back where I started. Ajijic is now a better fit for us than it was 18 years ago.

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Ferret said it very well.

We moved to SMA in 2004, left, and moved to Ajijic in 2007. Our love affair with SMA ended. This is "home".

However, we made some great friends while we lived in SMA. It's a beautiful town that deserves it's "puebla magica" designation. There's a kind of magic in the central plaza when the real church bells are rung by real people. They even had "doggie weddings" for some of the miniature doggies in costume, and the old time hippies sunned themselves on the benches in the plaza waiting for the return of their 60's heroes. They have wonderful parades that put the local ones here to shame and they have hundreds and hundreds of visitors every weekend from Mexico city (and everywhere else) to liven things up and keep the shops and eateries alive. Visiting is a great experience. Living there? Depends. It is "precious". (chuckle) :unsure:

I'd enjoy hearing from our OP on this thread after they've been in San Miguel for a few years. I hope their dream endures. If not.......we still welcome newbies here.

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  • 4 weeks later...

SMA mayor his stepped down to run for Federal politics. While his tenure has many pros and cons one can definitely see changes. A PEMEX opened in past few months and another under construction; many new homes and hundreds more approved; a new level 3 hospital is under construction bringing to 3 in total; new industrial park already has major investments by employers; a new mall with movie theaters and Office Max etc is about to start construction; Burger King is building creating good jobs with benefits; two major roads in the city limits were totally reconstructed and two of the major entrance roadways in to SMA dramatically improved with flowers, shrubs, trees, walkways, fountains, gym equipment, etc; at least 30 city fountains being revitalized; new convention center and hotel; many festivals have returned with huge attendance by Mexicans; several new restaurants; large influx of tourists with majority from within Mexico; police vetted, pay increased and well over 100 security cameras plus several neighborhood watch programs; several outlying communities now have water and much more.

It is still rather small with a city population of ~77000. Plus employment is being created and those who so frequently go to Queretaro and Celaya etc for shopping may shop locally. And having 3 hospitals including a new state of the art Level 3 is a huge plus along with better roads and infrastructure are huge pluses. There are many places in Mexico wishing to have many of these pluses all being added outside centro, an industrial park 10 km away and improved policing. Many areas of similar population have no hospitals. SMA remains an UNESCO World Heritage City.

Sonia

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And, sadly, the beautiful pueblo of SMA ceases to exist, and a BIG city takes it's place. What a loss ! :(

Well,at least they're getting a Burger King..
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Hookem, when was the last time you were in SMA? The addition of a BK does not transform it into a urban center.

I did go to the new convention center as a part of Cubafest. It is very nice. The attached hotel (not finished) looks to be first rate.

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