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The above poster is wrong about the crime report site. It is NOT taken from police reports. It is linked to the site for the Lake Chapala Society, and contributions are made by victims or people who have heard of an event. There is nothing official about the site. I am not putting the site down, I read it regularly and appreciate it very much, but it is only a smidgeon of what is going on. Police reports lakeside would not be accurate either, as one poster pointed out, many victims never report to the police, and having been a victim in Ajijic, it did no good whatsoever to involve the police and no documentation was ever done by them. So....
The above poster is wrong about the crime report site. It is NOT taken from police reports. It is linked to the site for the Lake Chapala Society, and contributions are made by victims or people who have heard of an event. There is nothing official about the site. I am not putting the site down, I read it regularly and appreciate it very much, but it is only a smidgeon of what is going on. Police reports lakeside would not be accurate either, as one poster pointed out, many victims never report to the police, and having been a victim in Ajijic, it did no good whatsoever to involve the police and no documentation was ever done by them. So....
What site is linked to LCS? Are you referring to Chapala.com that is owed by a real estate company? My original point is that almost any crime and certainly any violent crime is described on the web boards in full detail and told to anyone who will listen. On Chapala.com posters report pickpockets on buses (one pickpocket.) Violent crime will be discussed ad nauseam by everyone and there is relatively little violent crime compared to other similarly populated areas in the U.S. I did explain that it is a retirement community and many retired people have little to do other than discuss crimes that happen to them or people they know so almost all crime is known to everyone. That offended one member of this board.
As explained on the site:
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The police are here to catch people in the act of commiting crimes. At this time, the information they publish is the number of arrests they have made - which is different from the number of crimes reported to them; and they do not categorize by type of crime committed
It is a pain to report a crime because the police in Mexico do not follow up like we are used to and we have to make many more steps to have the criminal caught.
The authorities do care and the site sends its information to Jalisco:
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And who else cares? The Secretaria de Seguridad Pubilcia's office for the State of Jalisco also cares, and they have asked us to start sending copies of reports to them (Your personal information is always keep anonoymous - we remove it before we publish the information on the website - or forward to Public Security). Their goals are to be kept informed and develop a map with crime hot spots and act accordingly.
You are aware that not all crime in the U.S. is reported either, reports are not followed up on and most crime figures are estimated. There isn't a perfect place anywhere but for a country with a lot of poverty, I think Mexico is safer than most places up North.
The USA Today dated 28 Mar had an interesting article entitled, "Anglos Unfazed By Mexico Drug Violence"---Despite the title, there were a number of people selling their homes, making "plan Bs" to leave and others who had simply left Mexico. Cada cabeza es un mundo.
Lake Chapala is a retirement area. People move in and out all the time. I haven't heard anyone say he/she is moving because of cartel violence. The article makes assumptions that are unfounded.
Lake Chapala has been the number one destination for U.S. Veterans since World War II when GI’s starting moving into the lake basin setting up homesteads, shops, businesses, and even the Lake Chapala Society along with a branch of the American Legion. There are so many reasons to move to Lake Chapala and Mexico, here’s a top 10 list for you.
I wonder though what makes the Lake Chapala area so attractive to snowbirds : granted it's probably a secure place, but I've been told the damn lake is polluted and it's not possible to swim in it (no beach anyway), besides I gather it can turn quite cold at the heart of winter (40°F?)
I wonder though what makes the Lake Chapala area so attractive to snowbirds : granted it's probably a secure place, but I've been told the damn lake is polluted and it's not possible to swim in it (no beach anyway), besides I gather it can turn quite cold at the heart of winter (40°F?)
It can get to 40F at night in January but I keep potted tropical plants outside all year and they grow all year so I doubt it's very cold. It also warms up to 80F everyday in the winter. It is a mild climate area, not hot like at sea level. We don't need air-conditioning or heaters to survive.
The lake is no longer polluted. Some people swim in it, ski, kayaking, etc. I wouldn't swim in it because I don't like being in water that isn't clear. I'd rather go to the beach. The fish in the lake are safe to eat. Se les invita a comer pescado en el Congreso del Estado Translation not quite right:
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an unprecedented study that found that the tent is NOT contaminated Chapala, when analyzing 250 fish taken from 25 different points of the lake. The samples were analyzed at the Center for Research and Assistance in Technology and Design of the State of Jalisco, CIATEJ, and Paragon Labs in Livonia, Michigan, USA.
@ axixic 2 : mmmmm...do you think Chapala/Ajijic is better than Boquete (Panama) in terms of climate,real estate, cost of living, general atmosphere, security, for someone who want to expatriate as a pensioner ?
@ axixic 2 : mmmmm...do you think Chapala/Ajijic is better than Boquete (Panama) in terms of climate,real estate, cost of living, general atmosphere, security, for someone who want to expatriate as a pensioner ?
I don't know. I haven't been there but it does look beautiful. I chose Mexico because it's drivable to the border and maybe I should have looked at Panama. Best way to make a decision is rent for awhile in both locations so you can make the best decision.
I don't know. I haven't been there but it does look beautiful. I chose Mexico because it's drivable to the border and maybe I should have looked at Panama. Best way to make a decision is rent for awhile in both locations so you can make the best decision.
I have former neighbors from Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit who visited Panama [for retirement possibilities] after they sold their NV condo and found it to be very hot and steamy! They ended up coming right back to NV and buying another condo right down the beach from the one they'd sold.
And, Chapala is certainly much cooler during the summer months when Mexico's Pacific Coast is enduring their hot rainy season..
I have former neighbors from Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit who visited Panama [for retirement possibilities] after they sold their NV condo and found it to be very hot and steamy! They ended up coming right back to NV and buying another condo right down the beach from the one they'd sold.
And, Chapala is certainly much cooler during the summer months when Mexico's Pacific Coast is enduring their hot rainy season..
The Lake Chapala area is only hot, that is sometimes up to 90, during April, May and the beginning of June. The rest of the time it hits about 80 in the daytime. Nights are almost always cool even in the hot months. We are at 5000' so there is never very much humidity.
I can handle it being cool more than the heat so I like it. I'm not crazy about air conditioning so I like it that the houses are stone, don't hold the heat that well and I can get by with a portable water cooler when I need it. I didn't use it at all last year and probably won't need it this year.
We can drive to the beaches in under 4 hours and to the border in less than 2 days. Some can drive to the border in one day but I don't.
Lake Chapala is a retirement area. People move in and out all the time. I haven't heard anyone say he/she is moving because of cartel violence. The article makes assumptions that are unfounded.
Now THIS I really have trouble believing---The American Legion Posts in GDL once had HUNDREDS of members, but now have effectively gone out of business!!
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