But more than 1 million Americans have made Mexico their home of late, a trend that shows no signs of slowing down. They’ve flocked there for a variety of reasons, including its warmer climate, selling points as a place to raise children and retire, inexpensive health care and, more than ever before, work opportunities.
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This emerging trend should not come as a surprise. We see tens of thousands of legal border crossings every day from the U.S. into Mexico for commercial, tourist and cultural interests. More than 18,000 companies with American investments have operations in Mexico. In fact, the U.S. accounts for 47% of all foreign investment in Mexico, and in 2007, Mexico was the world’s eighth-largest crude exporter and the third-largest supplier of oil to the U.S.

As such, Mexico’s economy is highly dependent upon its exports to the U.S., including petroleum, automobile parts and electronic equipment, accounting for more than 25% percent of its GDP. And while the recent economic slowdown has caused significant declines in manufacturing, exports and investment on both sides of the border, it has resulted in a jump in Americans heading south. -forbes.com