Thinking of moving to GTO in December, expat family from Atlanta

[Kalanisters]

Hello everyone,

I am so glad to have found this forum. I have been reading and reading blogs, forums, youtube videos about expat life in Mexico and my husband and I have come to the conclusion that we really like GTO. We are planning to visit the city in May, if everything goes well we are relocating in December. A little background about us, I was actually born in Guadalajara and brought to the US by my mom when I was 3 years old. I became a US Citizen when I was 9 and have so much love for the US. I am college educated and have a pretty good career in HR here in Atlanta. My husband is a retired Army veteran (medically retired) who was born and raised in Germany. We have a 1 year old son who has really inspired us to seek a better quality of life abroad. Life in the US has become pretty hectic and we have found ourselves to lack that quality of time with our son. My husband and I are both college grads, we have a decent cookie-cutter style home in the suburbs of Atlanta that we rent for wayyyy too much. We have been trying to save and get our credit scores above 750 for about a year now, all to just afford another cookie-cutter home so that we can work 40+ hours a week and spend over $900/monthly in child daycare. This is why we have decided that this cannot be what life is about. We have vacationed in Baja before in the wine country and completely fell in love with Mexico. The people, the culture, the food, the colors, and the slower pace of life. I of course am biased, I am Mexican.
However, we of course have many questions about living in Mexico, GTO specifically. We are looking to rent at first and then buy. My husband receives a retirement stipend monthly that should allow us a comfortable life in Mexico, plus our savings. I don't know what is easier but I listed my questions below. Any advice is greatly greatly appreciated! Thank you all for the great information you all provide on this forum.

1. Is life generally safe for a family? We have lived in LA and Atlanta, I don't know if anything could be worse than what we have seen here in the states.
2. What is the best way to find a rental property in the city center? We will be selling our cars and will need to be walking distance to markets, food, and general areas to explore. I have seen the same five or six houses on Vivanuncios, is it hard to find rental properties?
3. Are the nearby towns safe? i.e Leon, Irapuato.
4. What would be the recommended amount of money to have per month to live comfortably?
5. What are some American luxuries you wish you had in GTO? I have read that having a dryer is pretty expensive?
6. Is there a veteran expat community in GTO?
7. I have read that GTO and San Miguel are being gentrified, is that true? And how do expats feel about that.
8. How long did it take you to get settled in? i.e find a home, setting up utilities, knowing where to shop and where to ask for information
9. Do you miss living in your home country? i.e America

Any advice on your experience is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Best,
Just a mom looking for a better and simpler lifestyle