Everyone stays up late, even on work nights. At an altitude is 5,200 feet, the area has an almost ideal climate, with occasional days in the low 90s in May and June and perpetual spring the rest of the time. A city of over 3 million, it offers cultural advantages and attractive residential areas. You can also access the Benjamin Franklin Library in Mexico City with over 30,000 volumes. After landing in Guadalajara, you can take a cab direct to this area, which is truly an expat enclave, about 35 miles from the city.
Several towns border the lake with the mountains in the background.
Chapala is the business center. Housing ranges from palatial villas, some built for expats who came here in the early 1900s to inexpensive rentals where expats on a tight budget can live. Ajijic, several miles away, is a lakeside village with sloping cobblestone streets, small hotels and even ethnic restaurant. It's not necessary to get involved in the social swing, but many expats thrive on the strong sense of community. On the hillsides are posh communities that could have been transplanted from California.