In general, what are the major cities in Belize?

San Ignacio is a smaller town compared to Belize City, but it is a "walking town." You can park your car and walk through the town. You can walk to the eateries. You can walk to the banks or to the shops. There is a lot of things to do in the San Ignacio area.

Starting from north of Belize and in general heading south, Corozal town is the northernmost large town of Belize, located closest town to the Mexican border. From some places in Corozal town you could probably be at the Mexican border in less than 20 minutes.

 

There’s a lot of agriculture in the Corozal District.

 

Most of the local people who live in Corozal are Mestizo, a mixed of the descendants from the Mayans and...

Starting from north of Belize and in general heading south, Corozal town is the northernmost large town of Belize, located closest town to the Mexican border. From some places in Corozal town you could probably be at the Mexican border in less than 20 minutes.

 

There’s a lot of agriculture in the Corozal District.

 

Most of the local people who live in Corozal are Mestizo, a mixed of the descendants from the Mayans and European-Spanish blood. 

 

There are a good handful of expats in Corozal, although not necessarily in Corozal town but in some of the small villages surrounding it. A lot of those expats like Corozal because of its close proximity to Mexico. Chetumal is the border city in Mexico, with a population about the same as the population of the entire country of Belize, somewhere in the area of 300,000 to 350,000 people, and which makes it a medium-sized city for Mexico. Because of the large population in Chetumal, they have a lot of American franchises and American products. For example, they have Sam’s Club and a Wal-Mart. They have many supermarkets. They have a shopping mall with a 6-screen movie theatre. These are some of the amenities that Belize doesn’t have because of its smaller population.  Belize City has only 95,000 people, so we don’t have any American fast-food franchises because there’s not a large enough population to justify it. If you cross the border into Mexico, however, into Chetumal, you could go to McDonald’s. You could purchase a Domino’s pizza.

 

Some expats who choose to come to Belize don’t usually want that North American luxury at their fingertips but every now and then they’d like to be able to drive 20 to 25 minutes and access it. Some of the expats who live in Corozal appreciate that and maybe that’s one of the main reasons why they live there. In addition to that, there’s high quality medical service in Mexico and that’s something that perhaps a lot of the expats that live in Corozal like easy and quick access to. 

 

Moving south is the Belize district and Belize City.  Belize City is the major city in the country.  It’s where I’m writing this today and it’s where my office is located. Belize City is the largest city in the country. That being said, compared to the US or Canada, we’re quite small, with about 95,000 people at present. Belize City is the center of the court system of Belize and of the media—the newspapers and television stations are based here. It is also the transportation hub. The international airport is located not too far from Belize City. Belize City is not necessarily a tourist center but it certainly is the pulse of the country.

 

Belize City does have some expats, including me, but it would be very small expat community as compared to some other more touristy and retirement centers in the country.  I’ve been living in the Belize City area for over 10 years now. Typically, the expats who live in Belize City are working, as opposed to necessarily being retirees. A lot of the expats are working for some of the larger international companies. We provide our consulting and professional services within this general area.

 

Even though Belize City would hardly be considered large enough to be a city in North America, it is somewhat like a city in that it has a concentrated populace.  The physical area is very small, so its population dense.  However, the tallest building in Belize City (or in the country, for that matter, I believe is about 6 stories or less, so you’re not going to see the skyscrapers that other cities or regions that the world might have.

 

There are a few different reasons why Belize City does not have a good reputation.  Certainly it is a city, so certainly there are some rough neighborhoods in Belize City as there would be in other cities around the world. That being said there are some really great neighborhoods, so it’s a mix to live in the city. There are some bad areas and there are some upscale areas.

 

I live in Belize City and I don’t consider it to be a dangerous place to live. Certainly there are neighborhoods that I wouldn’t go into. I have no business there nor would or any tourist or expat. These are the places where if there are some problems of crime, that’s where they occur. Typically, the crime here involves drugs and gangs. This is a developing world, and there’s a lot of poverty in Belize in general. There are rougher neighborhoods that are pockets of poverty.  The crime statistics as they relate to the population may seem high because of the low population of this city. But overall, I do not feel unsafe and I would say that the majority of people living in Belize City do not feel unsafe.

 

There are lots of people with families living in Belize City, there are some fantastic neighborhoods, there are some fantastic homes, and great people. The best schools are located in Belize City.  The colleges and universities located in Belize City, as are the biggest hospitals.

 

The positives of living in Belize City outweigh the negative media coverage that someone sitting at their desk somewhere else would read about.  The media tend to sensational news, not only in Belize but also in Central America and the Caribbean. Because Belize is a smaller country and Belize City is a very small city, sensationalist news, or what we would call tabloid news, sells newspapers and makes people tune in to the news on television. If there is a murder or if there is a robbery or if there is some type of crime, it leads the newscast. And, unfortunately, when you search Belize news in Google or the Internet you’ll probably come across some the negative stories rather than the positive stories about how great the Belize Museum is or the fantastic latest restaurant that opened up in Belize or a new nightclub that opened up, or some of the very positive things that should be featured. 

 

So does Belize City deserve the poor reputation it gets internationally? I don’t think so. I think there are great restaurants here. There are great museums. It is the center of the country.  It has its gritty side but it also has its beautiful side as well. In addition, we are coastal and have some great views of the Caribbean Sea.

 

The town of San Pedro is on the island Ambergris Caye, which is also in the Belize District.  San Pedro is very important as it relates to tourism and retirement and expats living in Belize. Ambergris Caye is by far the number one tourist destination in Belize and it is by far the number one place for expats to reside. San Pedro town located is located in Ambergris Caye and is probably the first place in Belize that we’ve developed for tourism. Being an island it’s very close to the coral reef so it’s a center for scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing expeditions, all types of sea life and sea activities.

 

There are a tremendous amount of expat-owned businesses on Ambergris Caye including but not limited to all types of tourist accommodations, restaurants, bars, clubs, and all other types of businesses.  There are quite a few condominium developments in San Pedro town and there are a tremendous amount of very high-end, great resorts.

 

One of the best things about San Pedro at this point that makes it different from other places in the region such as Cancun is that the height of resort construction is limited. You’re not going to find many high-rises and it’s not over-developed. In my opinion, it’s developed just to the right level. The other thing that makes living in San Pedro very interesting is that 90% of the vehicles on the road are golf carts, which gives the island quite a different feel that a lot of tourists love once they first experience it and decide to stay.

 

Heading further south is Orange Walk Town, located in the Orange Walk district. This area is part of the “Sugar Belt” and Orange Walk is known as “Sugar City.”  This is where a lot of sugarcane is grown and processed.  Just outside of Orange Walk town is the facility that turns sugarcane into raw sugar product. There aren’t very many expats in Orange Walk, even though here is a river that runs through the area and there are quite a few nature lodges and resorts, a good amount of which I believe are owned by expats. Orange Walk has some very famous tourist destinations like the Lamanai, which is a Mayan site, located on a river in Orange Walk, which is quite popular.

 

Heading out west is the twin town of San Ignacio and Santa Elena in the Cayo District. This area is more hilly, a higher elevation, and with jungles and some rivers.  The twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena are on either side of a river. The temperature tends to be a bit more mild because of the high elevation; a bit cooler than along the coast.

 

There are quite a few expats in San Ignacio and Santa Elena, those who like adventure living in the jungle or near the jungle with access to a lot of Mayan sites and a lot of nature. There’s a lot of wildlife in those areas. I have a friend who lives in San Ignacio and keep tucans, which are quite interesting. There are a lot of expats who own businesses in the twin towns, including bed and breakfasts, small restaurants, and bars. San Ignacio, Santa Elena and the entire Cayo District is proving to be a very popular destination for people from North America and Europe who want to retire in Belize. I wouldn’t say that it’s the largest expat center but there’s definitely a healthy population of expats out west.

 

Belmopan, the capital city of Belize, is located between Belize City and San Ignacio-Santa Elena. Belmopan was carved out of a jungle in the early 1970s. It is almost in the geographical center of the country and is the government center of our country. All the ministries are located there, including the prime minister’s office.  Belmopan is very much the nerve center when it comes to the Belizean government.  The majority of foreign embassies are located in Belmopan.

 

While there are a few expats that are retirees located in Belmopan, the majority of expats in Belmopan belong to a diplomatic community. It’s a very healthy expat community but I would say the vast majority of expats there that are living in Belmopan are in a temporary basis until their work is done or until their post is elsewhere. Belmopan is a small place with a small population.

 

There are a lot of people who live in Belize City and commute to Belmopan on a daily basis, so during the day, the population of Belmopan swells. In the evening or during the weekend, Belmopan becomes very quiet and slow-paced. When you need to do anything concerning government Belmopan is the place that you have to go. 

 

Heading south of Belmopan you enter the Stann Creek district. This is where the town of Dangriga is located, on the coast. Stann Creek is a district and Dangriga is the biggest town in Stann Creek District. Dangriga is a coastal city. Dangriga is the center of the Garifuna culture of Belize. It’s also known as the cultural capital of Belize. This area is not necessarily known as an expat destination. Certainly there’s some tourism. The Garifuna people have their own language, their own culture, and their own way of life that is very interesting and appealing to many of the tourists. There are a few restaurants and hotels located in Dangriga that are expat owned. 

 

Heading further south from Dangriga, along the coast, there’s a large tourist center town called Placencia, which is on the end of the Placencia Peninsula. Placencia is one of the more up and coming tourism and development areas in Belize.  The town of Placencia is on the end of the Placencia Peninsula and started out as a small fishing village. These days it is developing quite rapidly from a small fishing village to a tourist center. There’s an extremely large expat community in the Placencia area. There are a lot of expat owned businesses and there are a lot of retirees who are retired and don’t engage in business any more. It is a healthy community and it has beautiful beaches. There are beautiful views of the Mayan mountains and a large Placencia lagoon behind the peninsula and the village. The fishing is great and the boating is great. Placencia is the second most popular tourist destination and expat destination in Belize at present and it continues to grow.

 

Punta Gorda town is the largest town in the Toledo District. It is the southernmost district of Belize. This is the district that borders Guatemala to the south. There are not too many expats living in the Toledo District because it’s the least populated district and Punta Gorda is among the least populated towns in the country.  Even so, I’m aware of several resorts that are owned by expats. There’s an expat community there but it’s small. It is certainly an adventure town and adventure district and especially good for environmentalists if they are interested in seeing wildlife. It is about as far away from Belize City you can get and you feel it. You’re really within and with nature when you go to the Toledo District.  It’s become quite popular for tourism although it’s not an expat destination.  

 

(Ad for expat consulting  to live in Belize from Wrobel and Company, pictured.)