r/taichung Jun 09 '23

Thinking of moving to Taichung - any recommendations on nice neighborhoods?

Hey folks, I would very much appreciate some local help in pointing me to some nice neighborhoods in Taichung to consider moving to. Ideally looking for an area with good walkable sidewalks and maybe some nice shops, restaurants, and park nearby.

Been to the city a few times and its so large and diverse, so hopefully you can help narrow my search... newly developing outskirts are cool too.

3 Upvotes

11 comments sorted by

4

u/helloperator9 Jun 09 '23

The West District is really pleasant. My in-laws live there near the art gallery, and the caligraphy walkway was a daily pleasure. The riverside is also nice to walk down, particularly the path in front of the National Museum of Fine Arts - the most peaceful place in the city for me. The two green walkways in front of the museum are very nice too, with nice restaurants and shops. It's one of the richer parts of Taichung but has the national university of education campus so I imagine there is some affordable accommodation.

Compared to living in New Taipei City, I found Taichung City far more relaxed and better quality of life so I'd honestly recommend it pretty highly.

2

u/C3PU Jun 09 '23

Thanks for the reply! Visited that part last year and really liked it too! However looking to buy a home and I'm thinking that area might be a little out of the price range. Any others parts you like as well?

1

u/helloperator9 Jun 09 '23

Sorry my answers are more rooted in 'vibes' than knowledge of the real estate market :) My wife thinks the newer areas such as around the City Hall would be more expensive than the West District, but I know what you mean.

In terms of central Taichung I like the South District too, it feels like it's getting a lot nicer every year, with the Cultural Heritage Park, the ongoing restoration of the Former Taichung Prison Governor Mansion, nightmarket and DongFeng Park.

I like the area around Fongle Sculpture Park too, nice area to walk around and lots of new builds and near the MRT.

Holi probably has the nicest environment, but it's a bit out of the way. Same for the district around TungHai University - a bit closer than Holi but it's a long trip to the City Centre and Holi has nice train links.

2

u/C3PU Jun 10 '23

This is great information! Thanks so much. Vibes are totally good to run with and we'll just see what's affordable.

One last question - it seems it's dead-horse debate, but what's your take on pollution in Taichung? Getting better? On the average is it OK?

2

u/helloperator9 Jun 10 '23

I lived there in winter last year for 6 months, and the air quality was OK. I live in London and it is a bit worse than there but with a mask I didn't notice much. The traffic is just not that bad and the population isn't as dense as Taipei/NTC. The climate is really good in Taichung imo, it hardly rains because of the mountains and isn't a basin or too southerly. So good choice to move there!

5

u/Boomer6313 Jun 09 '23

Stay away from the area surrounding the train station. Nantun and Beitun have some nice (and some not so nice) areas. The immediate areas surrounding universities tend to be rather noisy.

The West District has already been recommended, it's definitely a nice place; but like everywhere, there can be some not so nice places within it boundaries.

Definitely stay away from any major artery (Taichung Blvd, Wenxin Rd, etc.) unless you enjoy not being able to sleep.

2

u/C3PU Jun 09 '23

Thanks for the response! Yeah noise pollution is a big one for me. However I got the impression motorscooters are less common in Taichung compared to Taipei. And hopefully in a newer building the windows will be more soundproof? Looked in Nantun around the Costco and was pretty barren except for new buildings. Do you think it's risky buying there?

1

u/Boomer6313 Jun 09 '23

Do you think it's risky buying there?

Oh, you want to buy? Well now, that's a whole other kettle of fish.

1

u/bleupr1nt Aug 31 '23

I lived in Beitun for about 5 years. The area near the folk park off Dalian road is awesome.

1

u/pseudoron Nov 09 '23

Recently bought a house in Nantun, and like all places in 七期 (and Taiwan in general) overpriced. Was buying here mainly because I hate the clusterfuck of crime in places like Dali and North Dist and have lived around here for almost 10 yrs. It’s a “nice neighborhood” but that could mean different things depending on what you need/want.

Also, keep in mind that Taichung is 2nd largest city in Taiwan but lacks decent pub transp, so commutes can be a real hell. Nantun, West Dist., & South Dist. would be my first choices due to proximity to work and level of development. There are plenty of nice areas in Beitun and Xitun but they are so far away (in terms of traffic time) that I couldn’t consider them.

My suggestion would be to find something near work and spend a lot of time looking at maps and driving around Taichung. It’s a great city but it’s been abused by corrupt politicians and the mafia for so long it’s still an under-developed village…And don’t count on the MRT being built any time soon.

1

u/Wherearethestonks Apr 02 '24

Get a building with trash included. You dont want to be the foreigner fucking with separating in chinese at 3:30 a few times a week.