San Ramón Revisited?
Lately, I have been writing articles about the good, bad, and ugly of popular retirement locations all around Costa Rica. I have lived here for almost 40 years and consider myself qualified to expound on this subject. The article below is an update of a previous blog about San Ramón. http://www.liveincostarica.com/blog/2015/02/future-retirees-should-know-about-san-ramons-strange-weather.html
Lately, San Ramón has become popular with the second and third wave of Baby Boomer retirees. Lower property prices and rents and a slow-paced lifestyle are the main reasons expats have made their home in the City of the Poets as it is sometimes called.
On the surface, the area is beautiful with its rolling verdant hills that are covered by a carpet of coffee bushes and steep mountains in the background.
In the early 1980s, very few expat retirees lived in San Ramón and even fewer ventured there. It was and still is sort of the backwater of the western Central Valley. I only visited the town couple of times during my early years here because it was out of the way and really didn’t have much to offer.
The town’s weather has always been strange. All you have to do is come over the hill from neighboring Palmares to notice this phenomenon. San Ramón always seems to be overcast, windy, and cold. An example of this is Magallanes where a number of expats have beautiful homes on a slope overlooking the Gulf of Nicoya. The views can be downright spectacular, weather permitting. I have been there on several occasions when the wind was really blowing hard or the fog was as thick as soup. Piedades Sur de San Ramón is another area that has spectacular views but can also be very cold. San Ramon’s Gothic-style cathedral kind of reflects the gloomy ambiance of the city.
Moncho, as San Ramón is affectionately referred to by the locals, does have a large public hospital. However, the country’s most outstanding private medical facilities are found in San José over an hour’s drive away, depending on traffic conditions. As the area around the city of Grecia continues to grow with mega housing projects sprouting up everywhere, the trip to the city of San José and to Juan Santamaría International airport will take much longer from San Ramón. Consequently, attending cultural events and other enriching activities close to San José will become much more difficult than it is now.
Because San Ramón is so laid-back it can be downright boring at times. My son’s ex-girlfriend Ana, who grew up there, echoes my sentiments. Boring, boring, boring! Expat couples seem to thrive there but singles might have a difficult time finding companionship.
One good reason to live in San Ramón is the Community Action Alliance see (https://www.actionalliancecr.com).
As their website states, ”The Community Action Alliance (CAA) is an organization of expats and Costa Ricans in the greater San Ramon area volunteering together for community and individual enrichment. CAA aligns with organizations in the community, creating relationships and providing resources for community betterment and development initiatives. CAA provides its member’s opportunities for community integration, networking, and socialization.”
Ironically, the long-time president of this group (CAA) is moving back to the States with his wife. For many years they lived in a beautiful home overlooking the Gulf of Nicoya.
Another expat group that is based in San Ramón is Gringo Central ( see www.GringoCentral.org)
I’d like to point out that despite some of the negatives I alluded to above, there are many happy expat retires who call San Ramón their home. However, I also know of many who relocated to warmer climates in Costa Rica or returned to the States for a number of reasons.
One thing potential expats should be careful of is all of the hype about San Ramón that is written by organizations like International Living or expats who are trying to promote their own business interests and personal agendas in the area.
