Boquete Ranked 2nd in US News & World Report

According to a report out Tuesday, October 11, Boquete was named as the second optimum choice for a top expat retirement location. 

Ajijic, Mexico was named first choice due to its large 4000 Canadian and American population.

The article went on to cite Boquete because:

“About 3,000 foreigners live in this colorful mountain town. Migration continues, and the number of foreign residents in Boquete is expected to increase to 10,000 by 2016.

What’s the attraction? Beautiful setting, good climate, straightforward pensionado rules (for all Panama), yes, but, mostly, the draw in Boquete, as in Ajijic, is the established gringo community. This is a place to come to enjoy many of the benefits of being retired overseas without leaving behind too many of the comforts and conveniences of American suburban living.

In one private, gated, residential community development I know in this region, for example, amenities include a golf course, stables, even a small central town created specifically for foreign residents; and construction, for both the shared amenities and the individual homes, is to U.S. standards, with U.S.-style finishes, fixtures, and fittings. In Boquete town itself, shops and services catering to the ever-growing foreign retiree population continue to open. In the U.S.-style restaurants serving American-style menus (featuring scrambled eggs for breakfast and cheeseburgers for lunch), you’ll hear all-English conversation at the tables around you and all-American music on the speakers. People you pass on the street will greet you with a wave and a “hi” or a “hello,” assuming that that’s how you’d like to be addressed and that you’ll reply in kind.”

For good or bad, Boquete is well and truly on the expat radar and will likely change dramatically over the next few years.

BTW, the photo was filched from the Boquete Garden Inn website, a fabulously beautiful boutique hotel in Boquete.

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