An Expat Talks about Living in Montezuma, Costa Rica

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

Montezuma

How long have you lived there?

4 years

What activities, clubs and organizations would you recommend to newcomers to help them meet others?

If you know how to play an instrument, I recommend volunteering your time with the SINEM children's orchestra, a lot of expats teach in this program all through out Costa Rica.

AGS Worldwide Movers
Get Quote

Relocating abroad soon? Make your move with AGS! AGS Worldwide Movers is a leader in the international moving industry. Our experience and expertise allows us to guarantee our clients the best quality moving services.

AGS Worldwide Movers

Relocating abroad soon? Make your move with AGS! AGS Worldwide Movers is a leader in the international moving industry. Our experience and expertise allows us to guarantee our clients the best quality moving services.
Get Quote

In terms of religious, racial, economic and cultural diversity, are the people of this city or town diverse? Are they accepting of differences? Describe.

Folks here are very diverse, you feel like you've found you home once you arrive!

What are the main industries in this city? What types of career opportunities commonly exist? How do most people find new jobs?

The main industry here is tourism. most people moving here start there own business or end up working for a pre-existing one or...teaching English for one of the many schools in the area.

In general, what are peoples' priorities in this city? For example, do lives revolve around work, family, socializing, sports, etc.?

MONTEZUMA, LIFE DOWNTOWN - After living in Montezuma officially for the last year I look upon it with a deeper understanding, similar to the way one stares at art with new eyes once enlightened by one or two art history classes. When i first moved here it was for six months during the high season so I was able to camp, then as i started to put my roots down i realized the camping lifestyle could only work for the dry season and i would have to move to level two; the house and all the trappings that come with that. Then the job; starting a business downtown and teaching/ studying music, slowly becoming part of the community. Thus bringing me back to seeing more now than i ever did my first month here as a tourist, innocence is lost but the luster still abounds; Montezuma changed my view and approach towards life and how I was leading it, somehow coming face to face with nature so wide, pure, and vivid revitalized me and for that I am forever indebted to this proud little coastal village.

What can one say about living here? One of the first things you'll noticed is that this is a "town" in the truest sense, classically so, like the set for a play or Sesame Street or like it was back in the states 100 years ago. This is a positive tight-knit community, where it's easy to know everyone's name in one week, and yet very open and welcoming to new characters on the scene (enter me and my boyfriend, who believes he'll be mayor by the end of the year!) planning on sticking around and becoming part of something great.

And then there's the dogs. A great bumper sticker idea: "Costa Rica where every house comes with two dogs" would be a as popular as beanie babies here...because it's true . They usually belong to the cabina owners but dogs here are free so they basically decide where they want to live and with who...[ for more articles on Montezuma please check out our website: paraisopublicidad.com or find us on twitter and facebook for daily updates!]

If a friend of yours was thinking of moving to this city or town from far away, what other advice would you give them.

hmmmmmm...take a vacation here first, spend a few months and get a feel for the scene here. Also, online research is an option too.