City Profile: Cuenca, Ecuador

Summary: If you're considering a move to Ecuador, don't overlook Cuenca.

How long have you lived there?

Little less than a year

What activities, clubs and organizations would you recommend to newcomers to help them meet others?

Weekly expat Fridays at 5, currently held at Sakura Restaurant on 3 de Noviembre in front of the Tomebamba River at the bottom of the Escalinata.

In general, what are peoples' priorities in this city? For example, do lives revolve around work, family, socializing, sports, etc.?

For Ecuadorians, life revolves around family. Expats are very social here, though there aren't too many of us. Most expats who are in Cuenca are adventurous, love to explore the country, and are focused pretty much on living life.

In terms of religious, racial, economic and cultural diversity, are the people of this city or town diverse? Are they accepting of differences? Describe.

It's strange here, in that on the surface, everyone mingles well and it is quite the mixing pot. Cuenca always has lots of tourists due to both its reputation as well as being such a destination for learning Spanish. Beneath the surface, for residents, however, there is not a lot of mingling between classes, as in most Latin American countries. In expat circles, everything is fairly acceptable as we tend to have quite the liberal lot.

What are the main industries in this city? What types of career opportunities commonly exist? How do most people find new jobs?

Unlike Quito and Guayaquil which has many multi-national companies, jobs here are fairly non-existant, however, entrepreneurial opportunities abound. Many people are retired, however, once you have a Permanent Residency Visa...no matter which type you get...you can open a company to do any number of things. People here have restaurants, export business, real estate businesses, retail shops, etc. It's very simple to open a business here once you have a cedula.

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