American town in Costa Rica?

[Johnzane]

This may seem like an odd request, but here in SF we have Chinatown, North Beach (Little Italy), the French Quarter (downtown), the Mission (latino) and Japantown. These are nice neighborhoods where non-english speakers can go to feel at home in their own culture, speak their native language, and find familiar food. SF is all the richer for encouraging this diversity, especially in regards to cuisine and entertainment.

My question: Is there an American or English town in Costa Rica?

I enjoyed travelling with, and meeting local tikos when I was there in March, but honestly, it seems like every unmarried girl is trying to find a foreigner to marry and escape the country. Marriage is the farthest thing from my mind when I’m vacationing in CR, and now that I’m thinking about retiring there, it’s become a stumbling block.

I guess I could pretend to be married, but I’d much rather live in a town with other Americans of like mind. By the way, I was born in Hawaii and worked for years in Waikiki, so I actually enjoy hanging out with tourists. I guess what I’m really asking is, is Jaco the best place for me? It seems like the closest thing to Waikiki in CR, Guanacaste and Tamarindo seem more like Maui, which is too slow for me.

Any suggestions?

[Andrew]

Since so many people on the coast are short-term guests, the beach towns are not quite as much ‘communities’ as the towns around San Jose where people LIVE and WORK full time.

There are certainly a quite a few Americans in Escazu and Santa Ana

I do not beelive that “every unmarried girl is trying to find a foreigner to marry and escape the country.” 1. The majority of Ticas ands thei families do NOT want to marry a foreigner and 2. For the most part, Ticas don’t travel too well and they may go to the US for a few years but many of them want to come back after a bshort time.

Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.com

[crayzrj]

i don’t know where you went or how you presented yourself, but my experience was that ticAs are interested in you but their interest is presented subtly as opposed to other countries i’ve traveled in and they want the security of a retired american in their own country, not america! the ticOs i met are interested in finding a rich american woman and going to america (an unrealistic dream at best). also, all i’ve heard re: ticos unwillingness to invite you to their homes is not necessarily true.in 9 days there i was invited to a tico home by the gardener at my dorme y desayune after two nights of drinking beer and talking story, to meet his wife and three kids. he spoke no english y se hablo poquito, but we became compas (sp?). maybe it’s you. i lived 10 years in hawaii, upon returning to the mainland learned what up-tight middleclass honkies who look over your back fence to see what you’re doing wrong so they can pass a law against it are all about.it’s my, maybe ill-considered, opinion and as such i have no desire to engage in any discussion about it, but it’s something to consider since my experience is so different from yours. i loved it there and when the housing market improves i’m on my way. that being said there’s all kinds of people everywhere, keep on trucking. hey it is you!

[saltwater]

I wish they had trailer parks in Costa rica. Correct me if Im wrong, but I think Ticos like rednecks. I dont need a mansion, a singlewide near the beach with a bunch of other gringos and tico/a’s is all I need.

[Author]

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