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Neighborhoods
Our Neighborhoods
While those of us who live here in this city of only 150,000 people love that our home mimics a small European village— much of our town is walking distance— we actually have 81 postal codes that each represent a different neighborhood, many of which are anchored by 27 of their patron saint’s church. Probably 95% of recorded real estate transactions occur within only about 15 to 18 of these neighborhoods, however.
The beauty of our village is that each neighborhood can offer a distinctive flavor and environment and for Buyers, it is important to find the area that resonates most with you! That’s why we’ve focused here on 13 of the most popular neighborhood destinations among expat buyers. And while the editorial description is helpful, you’ll love the videos of each— the drone footage is astounding, the streetscapes are amazing!
Visit a few options and then drop us a line on your favorite— we’ll have several options available in each neighborhood that we’d love to show you!
Tour Our Favorite Neighborhoods
Atascadero
Once a huge horse ranch, this eastern neighborhood was originally developed in 1960 and proved equally popular with wealthy Mexican Nationals and ex-pats alike price ranges here are now similar to Balcones, mostly all Luxury Collection level. A quiet, sprawling all-residential neighborhood, homes here can often offer better value—more land, more square footage—for the trade-off of being uphill (i.e., not an easy walk) with few city vistas, save for the neighborhood’s western edge. Lawns and sometimes swimming pools are not uncommon here, and the quiet solitude makes your nightly dog walk a joy. Thinking of moving on up to the east side? Come take a tour of Atascadero and enjoy your piece of the pie!
Balcones
As the name implies, this eastern “balcony-like” newer neighborhood perches above the city often offering balcony views, sometimes even from the ground floor. While the lower parts of Balcones can be considered walking distance to the Jardin, this area is considered a bit like an affordable option to Ojo de Agua—walkability is traded for vistas. Watch for the public plaza and outdoor amphitheater bounded by palm trees and bougainvillea. Although rare values can be found in the mid-$300K range, homes here are mostly Luxury Collection offerings ranging up to about $1.5MM USD. Want to fly like an eagle? Come join our bird’s-eye tour of Balcones!
Centro
Often our most popular destination, Centro is the “center” of town and it’s anchored by our pink-spired Parroquia church, our iconic Eiffel Tower of San Miguel. Home values and popularity are based upon your walking distance to, and sightline of, the Parroquia. Centro houses the bulk of our village’s restaurants and shops, art galleries to opera houses, and residents love the concept of strolling ten minutes to their favorite dinner destination or music venue. Work with a knowledgeable Realtor who understands the 475-years of organic gentrification in Centro and can advise you of which streets may be noisier from bus traffic, or which will be an easy, quiet stroll to the Jardin and your favorite park bench. You’ll fall in love wit...
Club de Golf Malanquin
Developed about 1960, this gated golf course community was for years the only golf course in San Miguel and as the grandfather, remains very popular with the expat and wealthy Mexican National community. As with all golf course communities, residents enjoy the security and amenities offered in such a setting and Malanquin now hosts a full 18-hole course and recently completed new clubhouse with the typical tennis/pool/restaurant amenities, as well as seasonal events for members. While the original Malanquin fairway-view community offers homes starting around $500K and climbing to $1MM or more—one home boasts a private helipad—the newer annex of Malanquin on the lake side can offer homes around $300K as this side of the community is just...
El Paraiso
Who wouldn’t want to live in Paradise? Even though all of us San Miguel residents feel we do, homeowners in this all-new gated neighborhood can literally stake that claim. Expats who don’t need to be walking distance to the Jardin especially find this neighborhood appealing because the all-new homes—there’s not a raw-brick wall to be found—boast a wide variety of unique and well-done architectural styles, many of them on a hillside offering canyon views. Close to shopping and the city exit to Mexico City and nearby Queretaro, Centro is still a short taxi ride away. Homes can begin in the low $300’s and while they can climb from there, seldom exceed $600K.
Guadalupe
Now considered the “arts district” because of the many colorful wall murals painted throughout this neighborhood, Guadalupe is the newest neighborhood—abutting Centro to the north—to realize substantial gentrification over the last decade because it is still a close and flat walk to the Jardin. You’ll find this a cozy, mixed neighborhood hosting small shops and restaurants, with pockets of all-new homes mixed with older raw-brick Mexican homes. It has become difficult to find move-in-ready homes here for under $400K other than condos, and values keep climbing with neighborhood improvements like the new “Riverwalk” trail along the northern boundary of Guadalupe. If you’ve an artistic bent, this is your ‘hood!
Guadiana
Anchored by the city’s second most popular park, the heart of Guadiana is a fully gentrified neighborhood of pricey, beautiful homes ranging from roughly $500K to $2MM USD, all Luxury Collection beauties. The periphery of this neighborhood, as it gently climbs the hillside to the east, sometimes offers better values for only a slightly longer walk to the Jardin, most all of which is a short, flat walk. Residents enjoy the few little shops on the west edge but especially enjoy the proximity to the Organic Market (Mercado Sano), which doubles in size each Saturday for the weekly block-party event. Cozy in with Guadiana, it’ll warm your heart!
Las Ventanas
San Miguel finally gained celebrity status with the development of this Nick Faldo par-70 golf course and community less than a decade ago. Built on a sloping site with long-distance views of the city across most of the community, the grounds and vistas are impressive and the community offers the expected set of amenities in an all-new clubhouse. Although a tiny cluster of smaller villas can begin around $300K in re-sale pricing, homes here generally start about $500K and can climb from there, depending on fairway frontage, views, and private amenities like swimming pools. The water hazards and exquisite fairways provide an excellent oasis from our high-mountain-desert environment, with private yards being more a norm here than an exception...
Obraje
As the last decade’s price increases have pushed the boundaries of expat-popular neighborhoods further away from Centro, Obraje has become the newest of our up-and-coming neighborhoods, changing dramatically over the last few years. While it was always home to the largest bilingual school that hosts wealthy Mexican Nationals and American children, it now boasts a host of new homes—many of them a stylish Mexican-contemporary style—and is adjacent to the city’s newest upscale hotel, the Live Aqua. Access to this neighborhood will change dramatically for the better in the next few years, further bolstering home values here. While values can be found from about $250K to about $500K, expect those to climb higher in the future as Obraje b...
Ojo de Agua
While the periphery of this southeast new neighborhood can be more diverse, the heart of Ojo de Agua is widely considered the “Beverly Hills” of San Miguel, with hillside homes generally starting at perhaps $750K and climbing to almost $5MM USD, each one a Luxury Collection gem. The architecture of these homes can be as stunning as the city-wide vistas their hillside perch offers, and many nestle within gorgeous gated privadas. While most of this area is not considered a gentle walk to the Jardin, residents consider their exclusivity and the astounding vistas as a fair trade-off for hopping a taxi to the Jardin. You’ll salivate over the homes here—pop a bottle of bubbly and enjoy the tour!
Paseo Real
As San Miguel’s price points have climbed, newer communities sprout up further out from the center of town and while they don’t offer the walkability of Centro, they boast all-new construction in a clean, well designed neighborhood, and Paseo Real is among the best examples of these new entry-price point communities. There is nothing to gentrify as this area was just an open field a few years ago and like El Paraiso, homeowners are attracted to that more uniform aesthetic, bolstered by a grand landscaped-median boulevard. This community is a combination of some of the city’s best examples of condominium design—all hosting U.S.-style amenities like on-site restaurants and spas—to smaller single-family homes, both of which can start...
Rinconada de los Balcones
Although the word “rinconada” means corner, this neighborhood is the entire upper, or eastern, boundary for the eastern neighborhood of Balcones, described above, perched even higher above the city. This is a very new neighborhood with a fair amount of new homes still to be built in this small residential-only community. You’ll find larger homes here on larger lots, most offering sweeping views from the second floor and roof terraces of these large, grand homes. Residents like the quiet nature of this community—there is no through traffic—and with it being literally adjacent to the 440-acre botanical gardens, it appeals to outdoor enthusiasts, hikers, and nature lovers. While an occasional value around $400K can be found, most hom...
San Antonio
As the largest neighborhood in San Miguel, San Antonio has its gems and its rough edges, both—work with a knowledgeable Realtor who will steer you to your correct comfort level. While this older neighborhood has been gentrifying for about 15 years, pockets of the neighborhood prove exceedingly popular and those areas are spreading, especially the south border with new shops, gyms, spas, bakeries and fresh fruit & vegetable stands. North San Antonio and the area closest to the Instituto Allende—and its surrounding shops and restaurants—are always popular, more affordable options. Values here might be still be found—increasingly rarely—for as little as about $275K, with prices climbing to sometimes around $1MM USD. Roll up your ...
Greg’s Sphere of Global Influence
Greg’s Sphere of Global Influence
