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5) A stable economy. Inflation has been
under 3% for eight years. The canal, tourism, the second
largest Free Trade Zone in the world next to Hong Kong and
one of the largest maritime registration (flags of
convenience) makes Panama a very wealthy country. They have
universal free medical care and free schooling.
6) I wanted a community I could get
involved with. There are numerous expat organizations here,
starting with former "Canal kids" who grew up in
the Canal Zone, US and Canadian social groups, business
groups (many retirees start new businesses here - if it is
tourism related there are no income taxes or business taxes
for twenty years) and volunteer groups.
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I bought my house in Santa Clara (population 80
people, 1/2 hour to Coronado which is a large gringo development -
this area is called "Panama's Riviera - the Pacific beaches,
central Panama - 1 1/2 hours west of Panama City). I
bought in October 2006 after only three days of looking around
(you know it when you see it). We spend from November
to the end of May here and from June - October in Picton, Ontario.
This year we drove from Canada to Panama with our two large
dogs.
Real estate ranges from expensive on the ocean
($300K + for a condo on the ocean, more for single family houses)
to relatively inexpensive (low to mid-200's) for single family
homes within walking distance of the ocean. A friend just bought
an 1,800 square foot, two bedroom, two bathroom condo on the main
floor of the Playa Blanca Resort. It is fully furnished,
pool-side, very close to the ocean and allows pets. Price:
$180,000.
I just wrote an article for expats called 101
Exciting things To Do In Panama - and the activities range from
cheering on a Polo match, swimming with dolphins, white water
rafting, whale watching, visiting monkey island and dining in a
dungeon inside the five hundred year old Casco Viejo (Old Town) of
Panama City. You won't get bored here. The locals genuinely want
you here. You represent jobs and prosperity. The people are
primarily a proud mix of Spanish and Amerindian, predominantly
Roman Catholic. A few key phrases in Spanish will endear you to
them and a combination of sign language and "Spanglish"
will get you by. There are only 3.3 million people in the entire
country, and 1.2 million of those live in Panama City - so the
rest of the country has wide open spaces with farms, cattle,
pastures, and mountains.
I have written a complete report on Panama on my
website: www.retirementdetectives.com, and I invite you to explore
more about Panama in the Retirement Destinations section. Find out
what Modern Maturity, AARP, US News and World Report, The Wall
Street Journal and Newsweek all know - Panama is one of the
world's greatest retirement destinations.
| "Stay healthy my
friends."
Roberto Chocolate (aka T. Rob Brown)
Canadian Expatriate Retiree in Panama |
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