Residential and Commercial Development in

Corozal Belize Central America

Corozal Town (pronounced Cor-Roh-Zahl) is located in Northern Belize, just 9 miles south of the Mexican border and less than 90 miles north of Belize City. Named -- in the Yucatec Maya language -- for the cohune palms that once were common in the area, Corozal Town has a picturesque setting on Corozal Bay.

Corozal's lively Ex-Pat community has frequent get-togethers including luncheons and parties. You can join in and be part of the adventure.

Once a trading center of the ancient Maya, who lived in the area from at least 2000 B.C., in the 19th century Corozal was settled by Mestizos fleeing the Caste Wars in the Yucatán. In 1955, much of the town was destroyed by Hurricane Janet. It was rebuilt in a combination of Mexican and Caribbean styles. Today, the town is a sleepy gateway to Belize from the expanding "Mayan Riviera" of Mexico.

The main part of Corozal is laid out at the edge of the gently curving Corozal Bay, offering one of the most appealing settings in Belize. Near town are the "suburbs" of Xaibe, Ranchito, Calcutta, Chactemal Estates, and other villages along the Northern Highway. To the north is the Four Mile Lagoon and the Consejo area.

Across Corozal Bay are the ruins of Cerros, the village of Copper Bank and Progresso Lagoon. Corozal Town's population is around 8,000 and the entire Corozal District, comprising 718 square miles, has a population of around 35,000. About 15 miles away by boat is the fishing village of Sarteneja. Beyond that, hanging down from Mexico like a tropical stalactite, is an appendage of the Yucatán peninsula and, separated from Mexico only by a narrow channel, Belize's most popular resort area, Ambergris Caye.

The economy of Corozal is based on services, importing goods in a duty free zone near the Mexican border where there also are several small casinos and sugar cane production. Increasingly, the area is getting income from real estate and tourism. Corozal and surrounding areas have about a dozen small hotels, and there has been a mini real estate boom over the past year or two, with speculators buying up tracts of inexpensive bayfront land near Corozal Town.

Unlike Ambergris Caye, Placencia and some other areas of Belize, Corozal is on a shallow bay, not directly on the Caribbean Sea. The waters of the bay are as blue as those elsewhere on the coast or cayes, however, and the breezes from the water as cooling and constant as any in Belize.

Anglers find good fishing for tarpon, bonefish, permit and other fish, and boating is enjoyable on the protected waters of the bay. Especially outside of town, you can swim in the warm, clean water.

The climate in Corozal is subtropical, similar to that in central or south Florida. In winter, temperatures may drop to the high 50s F at night, but there's never a frost. In spring and summer, the thermometer may hit the low 90s at midday and drop only to the 70s at night. Bananas, mangos, citrus and other fruit grow almost like weeds.

Belize is in the hurricane belt, with the greatest risk in September and October. Hurricane Dean hit the northern Belize area in 2007; although most of the serious damage was in Mexico, some (mostly trees destroyed) damage occurred in and around Corozal. Since Hurricane Janet half a century ago, Northern Belize has not experienced a truly serious hurricane, although several storms in Belize and Mexico have caused moderate damage to the area.

Local residents are primarily Mestizos of mixed Indian and European heritage, with some Yucatec and other Maya, a few Creoles, along with Chinese, East Indians, gringos and in nearby Shipyard and Little Belize, quite a few Mennonites who moved to Belize in the 1950s and 60s.

English is the official language of Belize, and you can easily get by with English alone in Corozal Town, although many residents of the district speak Spanish as a first language and some speak only Spanish. Signs are in English, distances are measured in miles and local laws are based on the English Common Law, as in the U.S. and Canada.

Next door is Chetumal, population around 260,000, capital of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, with its good, low-cost medical care and inexpensive shopping. While Corozal Town has only small grocery stores, inexpensive local restaurants, and little shops, Chetumal has large supermarkets, Sam's Club, Wal Mart-style super centers, department stores, multiplex cinemas, and even McDonald's, Subway, and Burger King.

The appeal of Corozal is clear: Corozaleños are friendly, the crime rate is lower than in some other areas of Belize, and the climate is sunny with less rain than almost anywhere else in Belize, around 50 inches a year, about the same as Atlanta. Best of all, housing and real estate prices are a bargain, with modern large homes built to U.S. standards available for US $100,000 to $200,000. Building costs for concrete construction run US $35 to $65 a square foot.

Most foreign residents of Corozal say that can live pretty well for less than they could in the U.S. and Canada. Although gasoline and electric costs are two to three times higher than back home, taxes, insurance, medical care, restaurant meals, and most personal services are cheaper. A carpenter or mason, for example, gets only about US$25 a day, and a maid or gardener around US$15. Grocery prices aren't a bargain, but local fruits and any foods grown or made in Belize are very affordable.

No one knows for sure how many foreign retirees and other expats live in the Corozal Town area, but the best estimates are that the total is around 300 to 400. Some live in Corozal Town proper, and others live a few miles north in the Consejo area or in other nearby communities.

Three of Belize's banks, Scotia Bank, Belize Bank, and Atlantic Bank, have branches in Corozal Town; Atlantic Bank and Belize Bank have ATMs that works with foreign-issued cards.

The town has a Rotary Club and a few other local organizations of interest to foreign residents. An informal expat association meets monthly for lunch. Attendance is usually around 40 to 50 people. Some foreign residents take courses at Corozal Junior College. Tuition costs are nominal. Corozal Town has a small public library. Local cable TV has more than 30 channels, some in Spanish but most in English, for under US$20 a month.