Wall Street Journal’s ‘Market Watch’ Spotlight Shines on Atenas: ‘Retire Here, Not There: Costa Rica – U.S. expats flock to one of Latin America’s safest places.’
As seen in the Wall Street Journal’s ‘Market Watch’: Retire Here, Not There: Costa Rica – U.S. expats flock to one of Latin America’s safest places.
A few weeks ago I was working around the house minding my own business when the phone rang. I answered in Spanish with my typical “Alo” and on the other end of the line a sweet and chipper voice answered and introduced herself as Catey Hill, a writer for The Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch.
Over the past year or so, Catey has been working on a series of articles for Market Watch called Retire Here, Not There: (Insert Destination) and Costa Rica, being a major retirement destination, was on her radar.
Catey explained the idea behind the articles and wanted to interview me about living in and running a business in a typical Costa Rican pueblo.
Over the past 10 years the little pueblo of Atenas has drawn world wide attention for having “el mejor clima del mundo” or in English “the best climate in the world”, ranking in AARP’s list of top 10 destinations to retire abroad and as a country, is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 happiest counties in the world, often ranking #1.
Possibly more important than all of that is the fact that Costa Rica remains the safest country in the region.
As Catey began to ask questions, I explained that as a family we chose Atenas because of a “feeling” and no other reason. The fact that Atenas has a great climate and is perfectly located were all second in our decision making.
If you are not happy where you live and don’t have that feeling of being “home”, then the reality is it does not matter how nice of a location you have or how great the weather is, that place will never make its way into your heart and be “home”.
In my book another big plus for Atenas is that I get to live an authentic rural lifestyle but without having to compromise convenience. I am a country boy at heart, but want the city at my finger tips.
Some of the other points we discussed were Atenas’ “eclectic” expat community, cost of living, community activities and why so many people move to Costa Rica.
I pointed out to Catey that in my humble opinion people don’t move to Costa Rica looking for culture like in New York or Paris, but you do come to Costa Rica for the outdoors and its nature. Those are your museums in Costa Rica.
I am always proud when the place that I have chosen to call home gets positive and much deserved media attention. Our little country of Costa Rica and town of Atenas are extremely charming and a personal paradise for me.
Everyday as I wake up while still lying in my cozy bed, I look out my sliding glass doors and admire the stunning beauty of the rugged green mountains and Pacific coastline.
As my feet hit the ground I give thanks for another day in this beautiful place, for all the blessings in my life and for the beauty and bounty that surrounds me.
The original article can be seen here: Retire Here, Not There: Costa Rica. U.S. expats flock to one of Latin America’s safest places
A Very Experienced U.S. Realtor in Atenas, Costa RicaVideo with Dennis Easters.
Wall Street Journal’s ‘Market Watch’ Spotlight Shines on Atenas: ‘Retire Here, Not There: Costa Rica – U.S. expats flock to one of Latin America’s safest places.’
Article/Property ID Number 4309
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Andrew Makarik
to@welovecostarica.comAndrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.
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