So What's Wrong With San Miguel de Allende?

I could have loved San Miguel de Allende. I would have loved it, but I don't do unrequited.
San Miguel has a couple of big issues that I describe in this video, and that prevent it from loving me back.
I admit that the last time I strolled through the park and saw old men playing basketball, a dog walker with 5 extremely different dogs, and a dog trainer helping a lady with her rambunctious pup, I was charmed by the city.
Yes, it's beautiful and charming (in a too perfect way), but there's a tension in the air.
It's good for a visit. I just don't want to live there.

"As I found out when I chose another beautiful town that was popular with expats, there's a big difference between visiting a place and living there. When you live there you come to realize that expenses rise based on nothing more than the ability to pay for it ... which means in places that cater to the wealthy those prices quickly exceed anyone except the wealthy's ability to pay. That includes local families who are quickly priced out of parts of town their families lived in for generations ... whose ancestral lands quickly get gobbled up by foreigners with far more money than they have.
Foreigners take over the economy and do whatever they want in the town without ever bothering to consider what the locals want ... or much caring how their economic impact harms those who welcomed them into their community. In some cases there's not even a willingness by expats moving into those areas to obey Mexican laws. As an example, privatized beaches are illegal in Mexico, but many expats buy waterfront property and routinely then hire security guards or put up fences and gates to keep local people off of "their" beach.
Gentrification is great for wealthy American expats ... but it's horrible for the locals, who lose control over their own towns. After experiencing it first-hand, I would never want to live in a gentrified town again. They don't represent Mexico, and I doubt there's much of Mexico left in most of them anymore. There's certainly little left there for the Mexican people except for low-wage jobs that don't track with the inevitable increases in the cost of living there.
"... people move to these places because they want "just like home, only cheaper". And as they turn it into "just like home", the prices go up accordingly. Familiar businesses move in to cater to gringo tastes and demands ... which puts local, family-owned businesses out of business because the gringos take their money to the Costco, or Trader Joes, or Subway, or whatever familiar business they demanded in those towns. Restaurants that choose to cater to gringos become more high-end, and charge accordingly ... which takes business away from the local restaurants. And when the gringos go "home" for the summer and fall months, the town cannot support the infrastructure that was built up around the gringo needs and wants ... and all those jobs that the gringos always point to as the price of progress go away ... usually from June to November, when the gringos begin arriving back in their little paradise. Most of the "expats" are totally unaware of how much their lifestyle impacts the local people ... nor do they particularly care. They're more interested in the monthly greens fees at their local golf course, or that there are enough pickleball courts to meet the demand. They don't give a thought to the locals until they want to hire one for some reason ... and way too often they then brag about how cheaply locals are willing to work for."
~Bob Bailey



My name is Mora Margaret and I'm traveling with my two dogs by car through Mexico, seeking a special place for relocation.

#moramargaret #travelingsolo #livinginmexico

Oregon
Nogales, Az
San Carlos, Sonora
Las Mochis, Sonora
Mazatlan, Sinaloa
Sayulita, Nayarit
La Manzanilla, Jalisco
Barra de Navidad, Jalisco
Mazamitla, Jalisco
Ajijic, Jalisco
Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos, Jalisco
Tlaquepaque, Jalisco
Jocotepec, Jalisco
Guanajuato, Guanajuato
San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato

Music:
Cooling Light by Mountaineer

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/cool...
License code: 7ZUPUX62ZWSLVMUV