Suggestions on where to live

aztec says on Mar 23, 2008, 08:27:

Subachoque

http://www.eltiempo.com/participacion/blogs/default/un_blog_rep.php?id...

Chia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chía,_Cundinamarca

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Bill Turley says on Mar 23, 2008, 08:34:

With the exception of a young child I had much the same criteria for a place and we moved from Chia to Somondoco. Chia is better from the education standpoint

Mr. Bill Somondoco

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Gator says on Mar 23, 2008, 08:44:

I would also support Chia(80.000) or consider Cajicá(30.000). Both are north of Bogotá, say 30 km -, but the roads are good and they are convenient to Bogotá shoppping-can get crowded on weekends.

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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robi666 says on Mar 23, 2008, 09:14:

If you have the money, Llanogrande is where you want to be. Safe, great services and infrastructure, great climate, not too far from the city in case you want to go. And absolutely gorgeous.
I am thinking about moving there from El Poblado.

El Penol and Guatape are nice, but not nearly as safe and well serviced.

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

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lpdiver says on Mar 23, 2008, 09:14:

Interesting...keep them coming folks.

t

"cook some rice!"

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Bill Turley says on Mar 23, 2008, 13:01:

I was an administrator at a school near the Autopista Norte. By using back roads the bus ride was about 20 min from Chia and up to 45 from different areas in Bogota-Suba. Most schools hire drivers who know how to avoid traffic whenever possible.

Mr. Bill Somondoco

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Alma del Norte says on Mar 23, 2008, 13:29:

Choachi - on the other side of the cerro from Monseratte, about an hour, half an hour more on bus. lower elevation, better weather.

La vida es una rutina

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lpdiver says on Mar 23, 2008, 13:47:

Robi...how much is enough for Llanogrande? Hows that for an impossible question?

t

"cook some rice!"

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robi666 says on Mar 23, 2008, 13:49:

Wait, I try to get a link...

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

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robi666 says on Mar 23, 2008, 13:50:

Do a search on this website. It is a realtor pretty active en el Oriente Antioqueno.
http://www.luish.com/

try Llanogrande, El Retiro, La Ceja, Alto de Las Palmas, etc. wherever you see Oriente should be good.

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

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Peter (Moderator) says on Mar 23, 2008, 13:56:

"I am thinking a small apartment in the city if needed for education purposes." -> How do you mean?

Poor but snappy

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deathnova says on Mar 23, 2008, 13:57:

To get a street education? ;)

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Lisa Zee says on Mar 23, 2008, 21:24:

Robi666, I would love to live in Lanogrande, but work would be hard. That is my favorite place in Colombia.

If I had a lot of money, I would live in Llanogrande and vacation to Lake Tahoe Cal/Nev, Sedona, Arizona, and Redondo Beach Ca.

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gringoloid says on Mar 23, 2008, 21:26:

Lisa...........have you ever stayed at the Enchantment Resort in Sedona? One of the wonders of the world.

Who are the three blind men?

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Lisa Zee says on Mar 23, 2008, 21:35:

Not stayed there, but we go for lunch or so, my closest friends live in Sedona, so I visit often, I go there in spring and fall, and to Tahoe in summer.

When were you there? Sedona is a magical place!

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Robert Jorge says on Mar 23, 2008, 21:47:

I need to visit my parents sometime. They have a place in Prescott - not far from Sedona. They seem to like it.

BEWARE of gold diggers.

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Lisa Zee says on Mar 23, 2008, 21:48:

Yes Robert J.
you should go, it is about 2 hr drive. you would love it!.

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gringoloid says on Mar 23, 2008, 21:57:

I've taken all my favorite girlfriends to Enchantment.............it's one of the few things i miss about the states. Amazing scenery.

I was a big time skiier in my younger days and I lived in Tahoe for awhile back in the 70's. I had a hard time dealing with snow removal though.

Who are the three blind men?

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Lisa Zee says on Mar 23, 2008, 22:06:

OOOHHH lucky girls!.

I don`t like snow aether, I lived in Tahoe for a while, and it was horrible driving to work, I was always late, my car was frozen, or I could not go up the hill my car a VW, would slide down like a slay. this is why I only go in summer now.

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el torcido says on Mar 23, 2008, 22:07:

sounds like your car needs skis and spikes.

don't know much about phlebotomy

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el torcido says on Mar 23, 2008, 22:23:

betta define small town then too

don't know much about phlebotomy

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robi666 says on Mar 24, 2008, 01:57:

"I don't think "rural" jives very well with "good education" in Colombia"

Best schools and Universities of Medellin, they tell me of Colombia, are in the Llanogrande area.

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

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Cerealkiller says on Mar 24, 2008, 03:49:

Some of the best schools in Bogota are outside the metropolitan area too...so living in a rural area just off of Cota /Chia is totally possible. Most schools in autopista norte will offer transport around those areas.
As for nice places outside bogota, im listing a couple:
http://www.metrocuadrado.com/microsites/constructores/pedrogomez/1095/
http://www.viviendasprodesa.com/vizcaya/home.htm
http://www.metrocuadrado.com/servlet/co.com.pragma.m2.servlet.proveedo...

Or you could even get a house inside Bogota with view to lush green areas such as Montearroyo, Bosque de Pinos etc

Im also thinking San Jose de Bavaria, Altos de Yerbabuena, La Calera...there are just too many places in or around Bogota.

Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives -John Stuart Mill

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aztec says on Mar 24, 2008, 06:29:

"such as Montearroyo, Bosque de Pinos etc" Cerealkiller

Have you visited any of those places. I have and they are beautiful and expensive! Some of the apartments in Montearroyo can cost you over a million dollars. You would be hard pressed to find one under $500,000 U.S. dollars.

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Cerealkiller says on Mar 24, 2008, 08:01:

Yes, my brother's gf lives in Montearroyo and Ive been to a lot of university house parties there, its a very green and beautiful area. It certainly does not feel like you're in the middle of the city. Bosque de Pinos has more houses and I believe it was built first, because I remember going to friends' houses there as a 4th grader...Montearroyo has both houses and flats, the flats are very modern and on top of the hill, the houses are large and nice and a bit closer to the 7ma, although by no means "urban".

Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives -John Stuart Mill

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Mononoke28 says on Mar 24, 2008, 09:18:

Rionegro? It's pretty nice and safe and fairly close to Medellín.

Diana

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aztec says on Mar 24, 2008, 09:22:

Are we talking about the same Montearroyo?

http://www.metrocuadrado.com/servlet/co.com.pragma.m2.servlet.demanda....

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aztec says on Mar 24, 2008, 09:25:

Sorry! Can't get the site to open!

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rjstuff says on Mar 24, 2008, 18:34:

Hey lp:
Are you retired or do you need to work? I am retired and one place we will explore on our next trip to Colombia is Bucaramanga -
why?
1) It has a temperate climate - not too hot not too cold somewhat like Medellin but doesn't rain as much as Medellin so its less humid.
2) Its big enough (approx 1 million population) but not too big - Medellin is about 2.5 million. So it has enough shopping, restaurants etc. like a big city without getting too crowded.

and less important but still valid reasons

3) Its less expensive than Medellin etc. and is quite pretty (from the pictures I have seen)
4) Very close to natural scenic spot e.g. Chicamocha canyon only a couple hours or less away.

We have no kids - but this city has several universities etc. and should be pretty good for a student at all levels.
I have just filed for my wife's removal of conditions and will file for her citizenship in a year - so we are at that point where we can start planning and decide in a couple years. In the meantime hoping the real estate recovers and we can have some extra cash for buying a house or for whatever other moving expenses we will have. Good Luck to you and let us know what you select and why.

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lpdiver says on Mar 24, 2008, 18:55:

Peter...I thought I may need an apartment in a larger city to get a good education for my daughter. I prefer a smaller town within an hour of a larger city such as Manizales, Pereira, Medelline or Bogota.

Rubito...I suppose small town. What I want is a small plot of land to "mess about on (10 hectares mas o menos)."

RJ...I won't "NEED" to work; but, it is in my genetic nature, both of my parents worked until near eighty. So I will probably find some self employment venture; perhaps renovating homes or something artistic.

And I am not planning on a million dollar piece of real estate.

t

"cook some rice!"

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Mononoke28 says on Mar 25, 2008, 08:50:

My husband's aunt lives in Cota, she has a fruit/ice cream place there called Alix something. But anyway, as pretty as it is, it still has a very small town feel to it. Too basic for my taste.

Diana

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Cerealkiller says on Mar 25, 2008, 12:26:

Aztec I only know one Montearroyo, the one in Cra 7 con hmm 138 -140 ???

Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives -John Stuart Mill

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poco says on Mar 25, 2008, 14:53:

Quote: 2. We have a 3 year old so education is a factor. I am thinking a small apartment in the city if needed for education purposes. I prefer to live on a piece of land.

Based on your educational criteria this statement is backward. You should have a house near education and visit a piece of land.

Suggestion: FIRST determine what and where and how you can meet the educational requirements and purchase a nearby residence. I'd assume you don't intend to put the kid on a bus or have them WALK,, no matter how close.

I assume the only school you would consider is PRIVATE.

Practically everyone I know of with a FINCA does NOT live on the land. Only poor people live on the more REMOTE Fincas and 1 hour means REMOTE.

When you live OUT THERE you and your family will be isolated except Holidays and weekends. I've thought a lot about this and have decided that if I purchased a FINCA it would have two houses, one being for the caretaker and the other ??? Guess I could hang out there, not very appealing, but that's me. Better to visit and I have several invitations.

Do you intend to have a lot of STUFF? Would you feel good about leaving your STUFF when no one is staying on the land? Police presence (I hesitate to use the term protection)? What does it cost,, you do understand that most areas have authorities that are not associated with the government? These authorities do a good job of making the area safe and the price is dependent on the individual. A worker might pay a couple of dollars a month. BTW: This isn’t a protection racket,, it’s necessary that SOMEONE patrol the area. In the US we call this the Sheriffs department.

I'd look for a house in a MUNICIPALITY that meets your requirements. The houses are completely different. The house is the ENTIRE lot in most cases.
Then you should have lots of time to look for FINCAS.

I like being around people and for sure NO ONE would visit me, including the few neighbors that would live near MY FINCA. Plus,, what does your wife do all day? Who does your kid play with? Groceries ONE HOUR COMMUTE,, what's that? TWO hours per day. It’s like your are considering taking the US life style you’d like to live to Colombia while thinking it would be more affordable.

Depending, would your wife like sitting a home watching the paint peal? Does she like to visit her relatives? Will they drive out to visit? What does a bugzapper cost?

Rural Finca - 30 to 40 minutes outside a small municipality. This has a large pool, maybe I'll put the view on the webpage.
I'm going to fool around with the photo links,, something is different.
Humm, looks like it MIGHT have something to do with the number of levels??

Oh, well,, this works

and this doesn't,
http://minmaster.com/colombia/finca/ruralfinca01.jpg>
Link to FINCAS if you want to see pictures.
http://minmaster.com/colombia/finca/

SLIGHTLY STRANGER:
This PBH link has TWO photos,, above there is one?
http://poorbuthappy.com/poco/comments/

What is that do you suppose?

"When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy." Quote - General Tommy Franks

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poco says on Mar 25, 2008, 16:23:

Quote: I almost never agree with Poco but I do 100% here

Now isn't that nice !!!



This site was FULL of piss poor information, it was truly amazing,,, safety, prices, culture, etc. NONE of which matched my observations but, I lived in a rural area so, who knows,, maybe it wasn't boggus in the big cities ??? I've never been outside the airport in Bogota.

I'd think: Thank God I don't live in Bogota !!!!

Then you showed up,, remember it well. Shortly after that I remember posting: (there is only one person on this site that knows Colombian prices and his name starts with an R)

(I'm going to look this up,, did I say C,, no, I'm sure it was R)

Well,, that is YOU. So,, we're even.

"When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy." Quote - General Tommy Franks

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lpdiver says on Mar 26, 2008, 16:39:

Poco,

I went into this with the realization of exactly what you are stating about living in the city as the first residence. And that is how it probably would happen.

The biggest problem I have with city living is as you stated in your post...The house is usually almost all of the lot. Even the larger houses are small by US standards until you get way up in price.

As for security, I will have relatives living there full time and I can assure you that it will be VERY secure.

I realize my "definitions" of rural may not fit Colombian/your definitions. I would consider Guatape pretty rural. I spent some time in my wifes birthtown of Narino now THAT is rural! I am not talking that rural!

Probably 90 plus percent sure it would be a private school.

I can live without cable, cell phones, internet and Exito.

I expect to pay cash for my real estate and then live on three to five thousand dollars per month.

Thanks all for the comments...keep them coming.

t

"cook some rice!"

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adrimm says on Mar 26, 2008, 21:44:

La Calera in the mountains immediately east of Bogota.

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goin_south says on Mar 26, 2008, 23:22:

well.... poco... que piense ahora?

Where do we go from here?

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