Hey Forumosa,
I am planning to move to Taipei in August of this year. I’ve been researching the city, but haven’t been able to find any good insider information on different neighborhoods. I don’t want any tourist guidebook information, give me the dirt! What’s your favorite neighborhood to live in?
Why don’t you share…
a) Name of neighborhood
b) Aweome to live in/ hang out in/ both?
c) Coolest thing(s) to do there
d) Best place(s) to eat there
e) Big/small expat community there
f) Convenient transportation
Thanks for sharing!
Glad you’re coming over but neighborhoods in Taiwan are like underwear. All function the same, it all depends on your need of level of comfort. Do a search on the forums. Neighborhoods are discussed all the time, but not just as neighborhoods but in relation to rent, food, drink and sometimes sex. 
a) Name of neighborhood
—> Zhongli, Taoyuan County, Dead Swan lake
b) Aweome to live in/ hang out in/ both?
—> Depends on your hard drive’s content
c) Coolest thing(s) to do there
—> Walk your dog.
d) Best place(s) to eat there
—> Same same like always, mom and pop shop
e) Big/small expat community there
—> Big, because I have a big belly
f) Convenient transportation
—> SUV
a) Name of neighborhood
Between Taipei Main Station and Zhongshan Station
b) Aweome to live in/ hang out in/ both?
Both
c) Coolest thing(s) to do there
Eat, Shop, riverside.
d) Best place(s) to eat there
So many. Lots of cafes, Taipei bus station and train station, lots of nice restaurants around Zhongshan station as well as street lunch and breakfast places.
e) Big/small expat community there
Unsure
f) Convenient transportation
Very convenient, buses, red and blue subway lines and loads of taxis. Also not too far from the riverside.
It also depends on how much you are willing to spend on rent really…
Xinyi District’s good, but it’ll cost ya…
Taipei neighborhoods for the most part offer the same shit, but there are a few ones that definitely have a cooler feel to them.
1-XinYi District:
High rent, but with it comes wider, cleaner sidewalks, easy access to parks, attractions, good foreign restaurants and close to shopping, nightlife and transportation arteries. If you were a rich local you’d live here.
2-LiuJangLi area:
Cool neighborhood, very Taiwanese area with a lot of 5 floor walk up buildings. Not a great place for food, but there are a few gems scattered about and a good local watering hole. The key attraction to this area is being in the middle of the city while at the same time being surrounded by mountains. If you like hiking, cycling or getting away from the noise of the city, this neighborhood is pretty sweet.
3-Yongkang St. area:
Lots of cool little shops and restaurants, along with a bunch of narrow alleys that gives off as much of a bohemian vibe as Taipei can muster (not much, but this area is about as ‘Soho’ as you’ll get). Rents are reasonable and it is very centrally located, and an easy stumble home from a few late night bars.
4-ShiDa area:
Most whities have a hard on for this area as it is full of students, cheap restaurants and bars with floors that your shoes will stick to. It has a decent night market and a cool feel to it. If you seek the bog standard Taipei cracker experience than this is the spot for you.
5-Tianmu:
Back in the day this place was like Americatown in China (as oppose to Chinatown in the West), nowadays with the foreign demographic switching from businessman to teacher guy Tienmou is a shell of its former self as far as the foreign community is concerned. That being said there are a lot of great restaurants and a few good local bars to get your early drink on at, but if you are looking for true night life you’ll need to drop 300NT cabfare each way to hit the hot spots (stop at the 7 and buy a couple travelers for the cab ride).
Hsin Dien is a cool place to live. You’ve got Bitan, with some great food stands (atula’s, kebabs), and the river… oh and some dangerous bike lanes.