Neighborhoods

We are a small little artistic town nestled high in the mountains of Central Mexico, 7,000 feet above sea level. Our population size is about 200,000 residents.  We are proud residences and specialize in welcoming new folks to our community. San Miguel has over 30 neighborhoods.  Lucía and I generally only recommend six neighborhoods.  And there are reasons why:  valuation, safety, re-saleable, familiarity… just to name a few.

One of the most important things we will help you with is finding the neighborhood that’s right for you. Each of these neighborhoods has their own characteristics, their own pros and cons, and unique vibe. 

1.  Atascadero: This neighborhood is primarily full of spectacular one-story homes and large estates. These are primarily traditional Hacienda style homes. The landscape and gardens of these houses are known all over the world and are truly spectacular. It is a very quiet neighborhood, there are no shops or galleries, just homes and estates.  Everything in this neighborhood has been built in the last 70 years so the architecture is newer but spectacular, creative, and colorful. Prices in this spectacular neighborhood range from about $400K usd to upwards of $2 million. (Properties for sale at Atascadero.)

2.  Balcones: This spectacular neighborhood overlooks Centro and the magnificent Parroquia Church.  Think:  Balcones, as in views, views, views!  It’s a joke among the residents that it’s a short, 10-minute walk downhill into town, and 50 pesos ride back in a cab! The views from these homes are absolutely spectacular. Great architecture, generally safe.  The entire neighborhood is built into a hillside with the best views in town: if you like sunrises and sunsets, panoramic views in general, this is the neighborhood for you. Predominantly residential, so unlike San Antonio or Centro, this is primarily homes, not many shops or stores here, just amazing homes and estates. Beautiful and magnificent!  Homes here are new because the neighborhood is newer… this is generally the newest of all the neighborhoods in SMA.  Prices in this spectacular neighborhood range from about $400K usd to upwards of $3 million. (Properties for sale at Balcones.)

3.  Centro: Welcome to the most popular and one of the largest neighborhoods in SMA.  As the name implies, it is “centrally located” in the middle of everything.  Additionally, Centro is separated into two parts, Centro and Historic Centro.  Both areas are popular with buyers for all the reasons that you would expect—the majority of all the restaurants, bars, shops, art studios, music and theatrical events are located in and around Centro. It’s flat walk, safe and of course spectacular with colors and designs.  At the center of it all is of course the Church… This is Mexico after all! This is referred to as the Parroquia Church.  This is hands-down the most popular neighborhood in our little town because it puts you right in the middle of the action! (Properties for sale at Centro and Centro Historico.)

Be sure to check out our Neighborhood Tour video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKBgifU4WmU

4.  Guadalupe: Lucía and I tell people on a weekly basis that, over the last 3 years Guadalupe has become the most popular neighborhood in San Miguel. And there are many reasons to love Guadalupe. First of all, the vibe. It’s a very hip and happening location in San Miguel, full of artists, studios, art galleries, musical events, great restaurants, amazing bars and of course some of the most beautiful mural/street art you’ll ever see. This is a beautifully gentrified neighborhood.  Flat walk almost everywhere and 10-minute walk to Centro. Like San Antonio, it represents a good middle market here in SMA with home prices ranging from $300K usd to over $2 million.  But the average price in this neighborhood is about $350K usd to $450K. (Properties for sale at Guadalupe.)

5.  Guadiana: When I came to San Miguel 10 years ago, we bought a home in Guadiana. For the last 10 years this is where I have lived.  Guadiana is known as an old money neighborhood, well-established, lots of security around.  The center of our magical neighborhood is the park, Guadiana Park.  This is one of the most popular parks in our beautiful little town.  The architecture is a combination of beautiful traditional as well as modern examples, breathtaking colors and designs everywhere you look. The landscape throughout the whole neighborhood is beautiful.  Home prices in this neighborhood range from $500K usd up to about $3 million. Additionally, the neighborhood is a nice mix of Americans, Canadians, and Mexicans. It’s directly across the way from a popular hang-out known as Mercado Sano, the intown, organic market.  Weekends are big shopping events with lots of action in around this market. Very fun, especially on Saturdays! Also, Lucía and I teach intermittent fasting as a community service two times a month to a group of about 30-40 senior citizens. Our bi-monthly meetings are always held in Guadiana Park. It’s quiet, safe, secure, great architecture, and represents good value relative to real estate in San Miguel. Location location location! (Properties for sale at Guadiana.)

Be sure to check out Mercado Sano, a stone’s throw from Guadiana Park:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HWYPrFTH1k&t=90s 

6.  San Antonio: A very interesting neighborhood, indeed the largest of the neighborhoods in SMA. Like Centro, it’s separated into two parts: North and South. This neighborhood is loved for many reasons: great restaurants, yoga studios, gym, cafes, great bakeries AND the best coffee in San Miguel can be found in San Antonio.  It’s gentrified and generally safe. This area is also popular for owners who rent their homes when they’re not here because of its close proximity to everything and the flat walk into town.  Rent rates in San Antonio are some of the highest in town along with Centro and Guadalupe.  Flat walk matters here in San Miguel—from San Antonio, it’s about a 10-minute walk into Centro.  Prices are middle of the market here:  $300K usd up to $1MM.  Of all the neighborhoods around Centro, San Antonio is the most active. Indeed, the heart of each of the neighborhoods is the Church. So, there are always lots of activities in and around the big San Antonio Church… Super fun neighborhood. When I first came to San Miguel, 10 years ago as an investor, our first five projects were built in this Colonia. This is still the only neighborhood (after 10 years) we have invested in … We love it! (Properties for sale at San Antonio.)

Be sure to check out our Neighborhood Tour video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_yIQx8rsio&t=2s

What about the other neighborhoods?  This is a question we hear from our clients occasionally. And there are some other neighborhoods that we like as well.  When we meet, we can discuss these in detail.  Typically, when we’re working with first time buyers in San Miguel, we start with the above six neighborhoods. It’s very rare that somebody doesn’t select a spectacular home from one of these six excellent neighborhoods. But on the outside chance we have someone that wants to see it all…. In this case, there are some additional options that represent good values as well.