Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas (Banderas Bay). The 2005 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 177,830 making it the fifth-largest city in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The population is ever-increasing however, because of Vallarta’s development into a retirement hot-spot/haven, as well as its booming Real Estate industry.

The city is located at the same latitude as Hawaii, and therefore shares the tropical paradise’s climate. It is extremely well protected by Banderas Bay, providing great swimming beaches and a beautiful nightly view of the sunset. The city is divided into four main parts from north to south: The Marina, Hotel Zone, El Centro (Downtown), and The Romantic Zone. Further to the north, you can find Nuevo Vallarta, the cities of Bucerías and La Cruz de Huanacaxtle and Jalisco’s border with the state of Nayarit. Heading south, you’ll run into glorious properties situated on the cliffs of Conchas Chinas and the beautiful beaches of Mismaloya.

Puerto Vallarta is named after Ignacio Vallarta, a former governor of the state of Jalisco. "Puerto Vallarta" is often shortened to "Vallarta" and English (language) speakers call the city P.V. for short (Wikipedia, Virtual Vallarta.com). For more information about the history of the city, please visit Wikipedia or VirtualVallarta.com.