About San Miguel
This is a small guide. No doubt you will have other questions and need other information than what is contained here. And you will likely need it in English, at least when you first arrive. I suggest using the following resources.
Go to our website at RealtySanMiguel.com, and look under the "Everything San Miguel" tab in the navigation bar. There you will find all kinds of resources.
This includes an event calendar which will list and describe all of the major festivals, conferences, holidays, etc. and include details such as hours and locations.
Yes, these web pages are all hosted by our company, Realty San Miguel. No, you won't find a lot of self-promotion. Instead, you'll discover a wealth of helpful information about living in (or just visiting) San Miguel.
The Civil List was a Yahoo group that began around 2006. The creator of the list launched it because her uncle moved to San Miguel. An avid list promoter (mostly in the equestrian arena) she thought the list might be useful not only for her uncle but for other expats interested in San Miguel de Allende.
Since inception, the list has acquired over 6,000 members and has migrated from a Yahoo group to an io group where its members share what they know about San Miguel at any given moment. It is great for getting recommendations for doctors, hair stylists, dog trainers, reiki masters, restaurants, hiking groups, cultural events, yard sales, etc. Your chances for locating a person you met briefly at a party are quite good as well. You can sign up for the group here: https://groups.io/g/CivilSMA1
A word of warning; the Civil List is nicknamed the “Snivel List” because of the frequently pissy attitude of a relative handful of regular posters. Pity the man who asks where he can buy a fly swatter. He will likely receive half a dozen posts on the moral depravity of killing insects. Did he ask? No. Does he care? Probably not. Tread carefully and keep it light.
When signing up, under “Subscriptions/Email Delivery” you are going to want to check the field for “Daily Summary”. Otherwise your email will be inundated with individual posts.
The Atención newspaper,
written mostly in English,
comes out every
Friday. You
cannot get a
subscription nor
have it delivered
to your home, but it's worth leaving your house for if you are new to town. Sold at the library and at various cafes and stores around town, it covers San Miguel's current happenings of all sorts, and
also includes classified ads, hours and advertisements for restaurants, gallery openings, boutique sales, church services, AA meetings, etc. You can see the online version here.
Seriously. This is one of the best ways to find all sorts of things, from what you were originally looking for to what you didn't even know you were interested in! You will see stores and businesses that you never noticed, especially if you head out in the evening. Step inside, and you will discover, for example, that your neighbor-hood tienda (store) stocks a large variety of candles, or that the papeleria
(stationary store) sells beads...who knew?
Meeting people and making friends in San Miguel is very, very easy. Walk from your
house to the Jardin. Go to a
cafe, or to the patio at the
library and you will likely meet
someone new. And every new
person you meet will be a
treasure trove of information
and insight.
Along these lines, don't be
afraid to stop a stranger on the
street and ask them for
directions. Friendliness is
something of a San Miguel
hallmark.
| TheEnglish language newspaper in San Miguel | Atención | (ah ten see OAN) |
| The main square in Centro | El Jardín | (el har DEEN)* |
*The Jardín is the most popular place in the whole town, so it's worth learning how to pronounce its name correctly. Please note that it is not "jar" as in peanut butter, and it does not rhyme with "garden". It is "har" as in "hardly", and it rhymes with "Nadine".)
