Moving to Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta is a coastal city of the Mexican Pacific located in the Bay of Banderas, it is the second largest city in the state of Jalisco, after Guadalajara, which is the second largest city in Mexico. The city of Puerto Vallarta comprises the city, as well as the areas outside the city that extend from Boca de Tomatlán in the south to the Ameca river on the border of the state of Nayarit in the north. To the east it borders the towns of Mascota and San Sebastián.

It was Named Once The Friendliest City in the World.

  History

Six influences in the sixties and seventies made Puerto Vallarta an important tourist destination. First: the Mexican government resolved the centuries-old communal land disputes that the federal government had appropriated from the Union mining company in Cuale to be parceled out as community farms. The state of the communal title (ejido) of the land had stifled development in the city for much of the twentieth century. A significant transition from communal lands to private property within the current limits of the city of Puerto Vallarta was carried out in 1973 with the establishment of the Vallarta Land Trust (Trust) to supervise the sale of government lands in private hands, and the use of sales revenue to develop the City’s infrastructure.

  Second: American film director John Huston filmed his 1964 film “The Night of the Iguana” in Mismaloya, a small town south of Puerto Vallarta. During filming, the US media provided extensive coverage of Elizabeth Taylor’s extramarital romance with Richard Burton, as well as covering the frequent confrontations between Huston and the film’s four stars. Subsequent advertising helped put Puerto Vallarta on the map for American tourists. Huston’s cook opened a now busy restaurant in the Romantic Zone of Vallarta and part of the beach land of the South Bay of Huston is used heavily on a daily basis.

  Third: The Mexican government invested significantly in transportation improvements, making Puerto Vallarta an easy travel destination. The government re-developed the airport. Road transport improved significantly as the government invested heavily in road infrastructure and public services. Another vital improvement for the city in 1970 was El Salado pier, where the current cruise terminal is located, which makes Vallarta the first port city of Jalisco. The current 3-year construction of the new 167,000-square-foot Magic Harbor terminal with public spaces and stores, a large parking ramp and the largest aquarium in Latin America is scheduled to be completed in 2018.

  Fourth: In 1968 the municipality of Puerto Vallarta was elevated to City status. The elevation in the state reflected the interest of the Mexican federal and state governments in developing Puerto Vallarta as an international tourist destination that has since also attracted a very large and lively expatriate community.

  Fifth: The city showed its new image in August of 1970, when the president of the US, Richard Nixon, met with the then president of Mexico, Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, in Puerto Vallarta for the negotiations of the treaty. That visit showed the newly developed international airport and the infrastructure of the Vallarta resort. The presidential visit contributed significantly to the name of Vallarta appearing in the news as a top-level international tourist destination.

  Sixth: The development of a resort hotel in Vallarta had its peak since the 1970s. Before 1973, hotels in Puerto Vallarta used to be modest establishments with a medium price. There were only two large luxury hotels. Today, approximately 2.5 million people from the United States and Canada come to Vallarta annually as visitors and residents, while Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit now have more than 34,000 hotel rooms.

• Boca de Tomatlan – An authentic Mexican fishing village approximately a 30 minute drive south of downtown Vallarta accessible by land or water.

• Mismaloya – A fifteen to twenty minute trip south of downtown Puerto Vallarta. Home of the famous Mismaloya beach.

• Amapas – A hillside area located on the mountainside of the Romantic zONE with stunning views from the hills.

• Conchas Chinas – An hillside community southeast from Los Muertos beach.

• Alta Vista – At te southeastern part of Puerto Vallarta just south of the Rio Cuale, a hillside community with beautiful jungle and bay views.

• Emiliano Zapata – South of the River Cuale

• Caloso and Canoas – East of Emiliano Zapata and north the Rio Cuale.

• Centro – The oldest town – north of the River Cuale to Hidalgo Park.

• 5 Diciembre – Just north of the Center, and with Zapata among the first neighborhoods.

• Lázaro Cardenas – Which houses a large recreation complex and the city’s largest fish market.

• Versalles – The old pink Zone, prior to the development of the North Hotel Zone.

• Bugambillas and Ramblases – Located on the northwest slopes of the hills east of the city and relatively poor areas that receive service mainly by dirt roads, except hillside areas that have good views and, therefore, attract residents with more resources.

• Pitillal – It was once a small town and now it’s populous neighborhood straight east of the harbor.

• Bobadilla – Just north of Pitillal and also an important residential area. • Marina Vallarta – An upscale development located just south of the airport and a few miles north of Puerto Vallarta itself.

• Jarretaderas and Las Juntas – Located between the Ameca River to the east and Nuevo Vallarta to the west, the 200 highway to the north. Two small Mexican communities with low-priced housing.

• Nuevo Vallarta – A planned residentialcommunity located fifteen minutes north of Puerto Vallarta’s Airport.

• Mezcales – A small village of 4,000 people about 20 minutes north of the airport.

• Bucerias – A charming Mexican fishing village with 17,000 residents located just north of Mezcales.

• La Cruz – Located between Punta de Mita and Bucerias and approximately 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta. This area has become more relevant as part of the larger tourist development called Riviera Nayarit.

• Punta de Mita – A luxury area at the tip developed with luxury homes, The W Hotel that was just named to the Top 10 in the world, Regis Hotel, Four Seasons Resort, hotels, golf courses and Bill Gates huge development.