4. COST OF LIVING

Food, services, domestic help, medical and dental bills, all the things we spend money on every day are much cheaper in San Quintin than in the US.

Food products from the US are available here for those that want to pay a little extra, but the local products are generally cheaper and of a comparable quality. Some are superior, such as the locally grown organic eggs we enjoy every day. Beef tends to be cheaper and of very good quality, though you'll need to find a "carnicero" who understands American cuts if you want those beefeater steaks. Local seafood is fresh daily and much cheaper than north of the border. And when you want to eat out, a very good meal of just about anything you want can be had for under $10.

Services such as yard care, house maintenance, car or appliance repairs are a small fraction of what you pay in the US.  Most retirees and middle class Mexicans can easily afford to pay for house cleaning, and in many cases can include clothes washing and even cooking and shopping for groceries.  The full service will usually cost between $60-$100 per week. 

Medical and dental care in northern Baja are of a very high quality and in most cases an office visit will cost about the same as a major insurance co-pay in the states.  Dental procedures are 50 to 70 percent less than the same thing north of the border. There are state of the art hospitals, clinics and professional offices with very well trained physicians, surgeons and dentists and a culture that is inclined to personalize patient care.  Doctors actually give out their home phone numbers and, yes, they make house calls. It is becoming quite common for visitors to Baja to have dental and medical procedures done here during their visit, and some come specifically for that purpose.

Retire to San Quintin and see your retirement income stretch farther and provide a higher standard of living.  Come, sea for yourself.

5. NATURAL RESOURCES

Ah, the beauty of San Quintin... and its totally missed by travelers who pass through the area and never leave Highway 1!

My first few visits to San Quintin didn't do much to attract me to the area. Then I got off the Highway and started exploring. What a revelation! And in the few years that I've been here I have taken a few local people sightseeing, who have lived here a majority of their lives and have never seen the spectacular vistas that surround this little town.

One of the first things I like to do with a new visitor is take them on a photo trip to the top of one of the volcanoes that overlook the town from the west. It is an absolutely stunning view.  You can see forty miles up the beach to Colonet and forty miles south to Punta Baja, south of El Rosario.  And right in the middle, the amazing "Cabo San Quintin" stretching more than 7 miles into the Pacific.

But its the Bay of San Quintin that surprises people the most. Sometimes compared to Mission Bay in San Diego, "Bahia San Quintin" is the only protected bay of this kind in Northern Baja.  It is a little bigger than Mission Bay and is far more pristine with more than 95% of its shoreline undeveloped. And this is the home of the best fishing on the Pacific Coast of Baja.  Just outside the bay, around the volcanic cone of Isla San Martin, there is a virtual smorgasbord of rockcod, yellowtail, lingcod, and ocean whitefish, supplemented in the summer and early fall with yellowfin tuna, albacore and dorado.  This is fishing like it was in the "good old days" 

And the oysters in the bay, which are actually imported from British Columbia, thrive in San Quintin's pure, rich water as they do in only a few other locations in Canada and Washington State.  The 25 year old industry here supplies the US as well as abundant, fresh "ostiones" to the local market.  A trip to the bay and a feast of oysters fixed as you like them, by brothers Jose and Martin in their roadside palapa, is worth a drive to San Quintin all by itself.   And the myriad of seafood restaurants throughout the area serve all the local favorites, including the famous Pismo clams which fill the area's beaches. 

San Quintin is also home to one of Mexico's largest tomato producers.  And the same climate that grows these world class beauties supports onions, cucumbers, broccoli, raspberries, and a huge strawberry crop.   In fact, just about anything will grow here in the valley and fresh produce is one of the great benefits to living here.  There is never a season when you can't get fresh fruit and vegetables of some variety to put on the table.  And the wine producers of Santo Tomas and San Vicente are moving ever closer, with much interest in the San Quintin Valley as the demand for wines continues to increase.

In San Quintin, you're never more than a few minutes from the beach, the firtile fields, the desert or the mountains.  A drive from the beach at San Telmo to the observatory at San Pedro Martir can have your feet in the Pacific Surf to start the day, and in the snow at 9,285 feet the same morning. From the top you can not only see the beach at San Telmo, but the beaches of San Felipe on the Sea of Cortez at the same time.  And along the way you'll pass through desert and a pine forest that will have you believing you're in Oregon or Washington.

San Quintin.  There's a lot here for you.  Come... sea for yourself.

6. ACTIVITIES

For off-road enthusiasts, San Quintin is a dream come true.  Every kind of off-road vehicle, every kind of operator, on every kind of terrain can be found from one end of the valley to the other, from the beaches to the mountains.   From the mountain bikers training in San Quintin's Rancho Las Palomas, two and four wheel motos combing the area or passing through on a Baja tour, and the street legal 4x4's in friendly competition on the local hills and dunes, to the roar of sophisticated racing machines, both amature and pro, off-road driving is in the blood of San Quintin.

 When you've eaten enough dust for a while and need to clear the lungs with some fresh air from the sea, San Quintin's beaches offer unlimited activities for just about any taste.  The fishing is literally world-class in its productivity, variety and accessibility.   From pan fish caught off the beach, to a trophy for mounting over the fireplace, its all here.   And the shellfish are abundant and easily harvested by anyone with the desire to get out on the beach and go for it.    On a holiday weekend or any Sunday with a mid-day low tide, the local population heads for the beach in droves.   And few go home without fresh seafood of some variety to provide the evening meal. 

And for those with the right equipment, the area provides perfect conditions for any number of water activities such as kayaking on the bay, wind surfing, kite surfing, jet skiing and sailing and cruising on just about anything that floats.   The unique combination of the protected bay, the relatively calm waters of Bahia Santa Maria, and the wide open surf west of town, you can always find the conditions for your particular endeavor.

The tidal flats and marshland just south of San Quintin provide good hunting for duck and goose in winter, and for quail all year long.   One of the largest concentrations of wintering Black Brant anywhere in the world is right here in the pristine San Quintin estuary.   Huge, healthy beds of eel grass grow in abundance in the clear waters of the bay providing excellent habitat for wintering Brant and almost sure daily limits for the hunter.

Good surfing can sometimes be found at the beach break at Picacho, north of the bays, and at the point break at the end of the San Quintin peninsula.   And located 5 miles southwest of Cabo San Quintin, Johnston's Seamount offers good visibility, plenty of sea life, and interesting pinnacles and reef structure for scuba divers.

For hikers and walkers, the variety of terrain is unlimited.  For beach combers, there are at least 40 miles of beautiful sandy beach between Camalu and El Socorro.   And the Sierras offer hundreds of miles of hiking, camping and rock climbing.  And walks through the desert produce an endless array of wildlife, flowers, fruits and cactus found only in this area of Baja. 

And San Quintin is a birdwatcher's paradise.  The bays and marshes south of town offer some of the best bird watching on the Baja Peninsula, and along all the beaches you can watch the pelicans and other seabirds diving for their meals.

At certain times of the year, whales can be seen migrating off the coast, and an occasional inquisitive family may enter the bay for a few days.  And serious whale watchers are only a few hours drive from Guerrero Negro and the world famous spawning lagoons of the grey whales.  At almost any time, porpoises can be observed along the beaches, and for up-close sea lion viewing, "La Lobera",  just south of El Rosario, is a collapsed sea lion cave with great viewing through the open roof.

With all the variety of activities, and most of them free, what a great place to spend retirement years.

Come...  sea for yourself.