DEMAND for real estate is so strong, particularly since the terrorist attacks of Sept. Just south of town, close
to Playa Los Cerritos, a Mexico City developer recently paid nearly $4 million for an oceanfront stretch that will
host the area's first golf course, resort hotel and timeshares.

Todos Santos is a Baja California oasis on the Pacific Ocean approximately 50 miles north of Cabo San Lucas
and 50 miles southwest of La Paz in southern Baja California . Todos Santos is located just south of the Tropic
of Cancer . The climate is delightful with year-round temperatures in the 70's and 80's . The rainy season , which
can be hot and humid , begins in August and continues through September . The prevailing Pacific winds cool the
land while driving cloud formations eastward.
Normally these conditions would create a very arid environment . However , the 7,000 foot Sierra Laguna mountain
range above Todos Santos receives abundant rainfall which flows and filters down to Todos Santos , creating the
spectacular oasis that distinguishes the region .
Orchards of mangoes , papayas , and various vegetables flourish here .

Todos Santos, Baja cannot be compared to Cabo, Acapulco, or even La Paz. It is a sleepy little paradise, a charming traditional Mexican town. The town closes by 10:00 p.m. unless there is a dance or a party, in which case...who knows. One fiesta the town will stay up for is the Festival de la Virgin de Pilar, a sort of founder's day on October 12th. The town is probably most famous for it's artists. You'll find many prominent artists and their art galleries here in town, sort of a "Carmel in Baja". There are only two full service bars in town, and both have a local and tourist clientele. There are several fine and justifiably famous restaurants. You'll find high-end lodging as well the less expensive. Believe it or not, there is not a single condominium on the Baja Pacific Coast between Cabo San Lucas and Todos Santos.

Perhaps not as progressive and fast moving as other Mexican resorts, Todos Santos is an authentic Mexican village. The people are happy, kind and gentle. Many current families' ancestors first settled here in the 1700's. The lifestyle here is simple and quiet.

She can check out anytime, but she'll never leave
by Laura Bly | Dec 26 '03

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair, I was heading for the Baja California outpost of Todos Santos --
and what I'd hoped would be a heavenly trade of Code Orange alerts and impending war for margaritas and tall
tales at the Hotel California.

The former $2.50-a-night dive, said to be the inspiration for the Eagles hit of the same name, was set to reopen as
a $225-a-night boutique hotel. No matter that the Eagles had denied ever setting foot in the drowsy Mexican town
about an hour's drive north of Cabo San Lucas. In the words of co-owner John Stewart, "There's a place where
legend becomes reality, and this one has taken on a life of its own."

But beyond the hotel's candlelit bar, Todos Santos was weaving its own magic. Home to a growing number of U.S.
and Canadian expatriates, the town of 5,000 mixed high-end art galleries and focaccia with unpaved streets and
beaches where pelicans often outnumber surfboards.

The sun was warm. The drinks were cold. And the tales, whether spun at the Hotel California bar or in Ohio
refugee Michael Cope's sun-dappled gallery, were tempting enough to spark my own sell-the-farm fantasies.

The dark desert highway leading to town, meanwhile, served as a gut-wrenching reminder that terror alerts come in
many forms.

Because a delayed flight translated to a late departure from Cabo San Lucas, I was forced to chuck guidebook
warnings against driving at night. Barreling up the two-lane road, my headlights barely piercing the gloom, I
braked hard to avoid a posse of errant cows.

Heart pounding, I slowed to a more sedate pace -- and realized, with a grateful jolt, that my worries about duct
tape and dirty bombs had vanished into the magical Baja air.


© Copyright 2003 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

BRIEF HISTORY

In 1723 Father Jaime Bravo established Todos Santos as the site of the mission of Nuestra Senora del pilar de La Paz.
It eventually reached mission status & was named Santa Rosa deTodos Santos in honor if its benefactor, dona Rosa de la Pena. At this time the population of La Paz mission was transferred here & then unfortunately abandoned in 1749.
Since this time it has carried the name of Nuestra Senora del Pilar de Todos Santos.

Todos Santos prospered during the last half of the 19th century & first half of the 20th century on sugar
production & in 1850 there were eight sugar mills in the area. Sugar production lasted nearly
100 years & most of the beautiful colonial style buildings & handsomely built homes were financed by sugar monies.
Many of these buildings fell into ruins in the 1950's when there were droughts, the water table dropped drastically &
began to dry up causing a great loss of cane crops. This along with the low prices of sugar after WWII caused a
great financial decline for the area & forced many of the families living here to move elsewhere.

Now the rich farmlands have been re-worked & the town prospers from an abundance of vegetable& chili farming,
avocado, papaya & mango orchards, fishing & ranching. Since the early 1980's there has been an influx of tourist
activity due to the paving of Mex Highway 19 from La Paz through to Cabo San Lucas. In recent years many artisans &
craftspersons have moved into the area & Todos Santos is becoming known as a cultural & artistic center. There is
great optimism that tourism will be the industry of the future!!