Neighborhoods in Mazatlan

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Mazatlan Online Properties is a searchable database of properties for sale in the greater Mazatlan area. This is a free public service provided by your hosts, Nadine and Henry. We hope you find it useful. Note! These listings may be out of date, and it is up to the sellers and their agents to keep them current. Be sure to contact the seller or agent before making a trip down here! A statistical summary of the listings is available.
There are 131 houses, 55 condos, 16 lots, and 8 businesses currently online

To see a larger image of the maps below, just click on them.
The northern half	The southern half
Nadine & Henry's Disclaimer: The regions we outlined in the maps above our really just our best guesses. We welcome anyone's comments in order to make them more accurate.

In all of the following neighborhoods, foreigners live side by side with Mexican nationals. Zoning regulations aren't as strictly enforced here, so in some of the less affluent neighborhoods, you should make sure that your next door neighbor isn't running a chicken or hot dog stand from his house. All the areas (other than Delfin) have paved roads, city water, sewer, electricity, and telephone service. Gas (for hot water and stoves) is propane, and is supplied by trucks that come around and fill up your tank. Because of the climate, most homes do not require heating, but if you plan on staying here during the summer, you may find air conditioning a necessity. Garbage collection is 3 days a week, except for El Cid where it is every day. Also all the areas except El Cid, Cerritos and Delfin have cable TV access.

A word about prices. The prices we listed for the various areas are where 80 to 95 percent of the houses sell. You will always find someone who will tell you that they got a terrific deal, or that their house is much more valuable than what I quoted there. Both statements are true. Occasionally, there is a desparate seller out there who will take less than his home is really worth. Similarly, there are people (like us) who build nicer homes than the neighborhood really supports. What can I say, people are unlucky and foolish, both here and everywhere else. If your intent is to steal a property from someone down on their luck, while it does happen, I wouldn't count on it.

The neighborhoods that follow are listed from the north to the south, so that you can have some sense of continuity. Mazatlan started in the south, and has gradually spread north over the years. It wasn't more than 30 years ago that the "golden zone" was nothing more than raw land. This is truly hard to believe when you look at it today.

north as you can go and still be in Mazatlan. Prices for beachfront property here are as low as you are going to find them. Home sized lots are available for 50K. There are a few existing homes here, as well as the Playa Delfin Condominiums, and the Oceanica retreat. Recently, Pueblo Bonito has announced plans to build a large resort and golf course in the area, but as of this writing (June 1999) construction has not yet begun. Currently it is only accessable via a dirt road, and the area is not yet connected to the city water supply, so you need to truck in your own water. The city has plans, however, to build a road connecting the Delfin directly with the airport. Time will tell. Cerritos is the area north of the bridge and the golden zone. It is still largely undeveloped, and the beaches in the area are very nice. Here you will find the La Marina Tennis and Yacht Club and Playa Escondida Condominiums, Villas de Rueda, Playa Linda, Real del Mar, Villa Tranquila, and Royal Country. This is a mixed neighborhood, with Mexicans and gringos living together. This and Playa Delfin are probably your best bet for finding affordable beachfront property, if that is what you are looking for. Condos at La Marina and Playa Escondida start at about 70K (2 bedroom), houses at Villa Tranquila go for about 100K, the Villas de Rueda are around 400K, and the Playa Linda homes range from 200K to 800K. Real del Mar prices are around 100K and Royal Country around 50K It takes about 10 minutes of driving to get from Cerritos to the golden zone, and the connecting roads are quite good. This development was part of the Marina project started in 1992. (We should note that the Marina Mazatlan development is separate from the El Cid marina development, and the comments made here do not apply to the El Cid project). In 1995, after the latest big devaluation, the group that led the Marina Mazatlan project ran out of money and halted construction. The result is a lot of unfinished houses and condos. Only now (1999) is work commencing again on some of these developments and there properties are beginning to sell. There are existing condos at Puerto Iguana in the 150K price range. There is a gated community, called Club Real, with only about 4 or 5 houses completed. Lots at Club Real are about 400 square meters and cost about 50K. The island homes are not currently completed. Located near the Holiday Inn. There are many foreigners living in this development. There are a number of 3 bedroom "track" homes for sale in the 65K price range. Once these homes are fixed up, they typically resell for about 85K. Lots are typically 300 square meters and run between 25K and 35K. The school Liceo Mazatlan and Montessori School are located in this area. Some of the lower lying regions here are prone to flooding during the summer rains. This is currently the most expensive and nicest area in Mazatlan, that isn't directly on the beach. The El Cid development has a golf course and a marina section, and is surrounded by a large brick wall that separates it from the other neighboring communities. In the new Marina area there are many homes that cost more than 500K to build and look like mansions. At the other end of the spectrum, El Cid is building a new bunch of condos that should sell for less than 100K. Occasionally you can run across a fixer upper that is in the 70K range. There are still some areas to watch out for, even here. Be sure to ask how close your property is to the water treatment plant, or you may find yourself living somewhere where you would rather not be. Located right next to the El Cid development and just up the street from the Inn at Mazatlan. This is a quiet area with many dead end streets. The average lot size here is about 300 square meters, or 10 by 30. Prices for these lots are between 30K and 40K, depending on their location. Home prices range from 60K to 500K. Currently, many upper income Mexicans live in this area. Located right next door to El Dorado. The main street runs east-west up from Dairy Queen and Bings (local landmarks). The lots in Gaviotas are priced about the same as in El Dorado, but because the homes are slightly older the price of existing homes drops slightly. The streets here are in poor condition, and there are a few abandoned homes. Nevertheless, Gaviotas is considered to be a quite desirable area because of its proximity to the beach and the "golden zone." There is a K-12 school here called Ceg, a pre-school Britanico, and a day care center called Doe. Lomas runs roughly from Dairy Queen to Valentinos, and borders Las Gaviotas. Lots range from 200 to 300 square meters but are very scarce as most have already been developed. Homes start at 50K and can range up to 500K for some of the grand mansions. There is a K-12 school here called Anglo Moderno, and two preschools called Instituto Lomas and Gabriela Mistral. This are is near the Gigante supermarket and the bullring. It was developed about 15 years ago, and the typical home here is a smaller traditional style home on a lot of 150 to 200 square meters. It is common here to build right up to the lot line, with no real space seperating one home from the next. The price range is from 45K to 75K, and there are again some low lying areas to watch out for that may collect water in the summer. As the name suggests, this is located near the ballpark. This area was developed about 25 years ago. Here you'll find more traditional style 3 bedroom smaller homes on 200 square meter lots. The price range is from 35K to 75K. Be aware that some homes near the main street and the stadium are at risk of flooding during the heavy rains in the summer. Located closer to the center of town, near the Hotel Hacienda. This area was considered to be the upper income family homes of the 60's and 70's. As such, the homes are typically larger, and have 4 or 5 bedrooms. These days, as the typical family has gotten smaller, the upper income families have moved further north into 3 bedroom homes. Many of the larger homes in this area have been remodelled into day care centers, schools, and business offices. Prices here range from 50K to 300K. This was a fancy area back in the 1970's of large family home similar to Ferrocarrilera with a few apartment buildings thrown in. Houses are 3 bedrooms and up on irregular sized lots. Some of the views can be nice. The price range is from 50K to 400K. Known by the locals as icebox hill, again an area with nice homes and fabulous views. Like Cerro de la Vigia, homes here rarely come up for sale. The down side to this hill is that recently it has been over run with broadcast and microwave antennas. Perhaps your TV reception is very good here though. This area is what we generally refer to as Old Mazatlan. This includes the area from the main Cathedral to the Olas Altas beach area. Approximately 10 years ago there was an exodus from this area. Businesses moved to the new air conditioned shopping centers and the smaller families moved to more funtional housing in the newer residential areas such as Lomas, Gaviotas, El Toreo etc. This left many empty unattended buildings. Luckily, recognizing the value of the historical architecture of this area, the Mexican government funded the restoration of the Angela Peralta Theatre and the Casa de La Cultura. Little by little life is returning to this area. The Plazuela Machado next to the theatre is now lined with sidewalk cafes and restaurants. Many foreigners are purchasing homes in this area and restoring them to their former glory. The typical home here dates from the last century, and features high ceilings with inner courtyards and gardens. On the minus side, since cars weren't around last century, many homes are lacking a garage for parking. You would be wise not to judge a home from its exterior appearance, and many a jewel looks like a run down shack from the outside. Prices range from 30K to 200K. Update 2007 The old Freeman Hotel, which used to be an eyesore, is now a shiny new and nice hotel, with a great rooftop bar that provides a spectular view of the city and the ocean. Full scale gentrification is setting in, and cheap fixer-uppers are harder and harder to find. The old world charm still abounds, however. This is the hill that overlooks the fishing fleets, the lighthouse, and unfortunately, the water treatment plant. There are very expensive home here, with great view and owned by some of the oldest and wealthiest families in Mazatlan. It is quite uncommon for properties her to come up for sale, and they are typically passed on through the family. Smaller places are sometimes available for about 50K. This is near the ferry docks where you can catch the ferry to La Paz, and where the cruise ships dock. It was developed in th 70's and the homes here are traditional style with 3 bedrooms and lots of about 300 square meters. This area is for people who want to live in a nice neighborhood, but need to be close to the center of town. Prices range form 35K to 75K.

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