So I’m thinking about accepting a job in Yilan and I was wondering if anyone has lived there and what they thought of the place. Specifically, I’m concerned about a few things:
Weather. I heard Yilan rains just as often as Taipei and is just as moldy. Is this true? It is also as cold in Taipei during the winter and as hot during the summer? Also, how bad it in Yilan when a typhoon hits?
Establishments. It seems like Luna Plaza is the most hip happening place in Yilan. I know that a small town can’t compare to a city, but what am I looking at in terms of selection for things like restaurants, bars, bookstores, etc?
Social life. How big (or small) is the 25-35 crowd? I’m a bit worried that everyone will be middle-aged and up and I’ll have to run back to Taipei every weekend just to maintain a social life. How about dating? Not as abundant as Taipei but hopefully not slim pickings?
Anything else that you guys want to add would also be great too. Thanks in advance!
Distance is so relative. I lived in Taoyuan County and could get to Minquan W Rd. MRT station within 40 minutes of hopping on the bus right outside my front door. Convenient, right?
But it killed my social life because every day I had to be heading back before the last bus home at 10:30. If I had friends meeting up at 9, for example, I’d only be able to show up for half an hour before needing to run off to the MRT to the bus stop.
If you have a car or a friend with an empty room or the resources to get a hotel room on late nights in the city, then Yilan is very close to Taipei. But if you’re like me, it’s really , really far away.
I love Yilan. We live in Xizhi but head out to Yilan at least once a month for hiking and stuff. About the weather, there are more clear, blue sky days in Yilan than there are in Taipei, for sure. Overall, the amount of rain in Yilan might be higher than Taipei because it gets nailed hard by a large number of typhoons. I suggest not renting a place on the first floor.
About night life, I really can’t say because we only go to restaurants and cafes, not bars. There are a lot of fantastic options for eating. If you’re looking for something obscure, such as Greek or Ethiopian, you might have some trouble, but a lot of the places in the countryside have great food, beautifully landscaped gardens and prices much lower than in Taipei. There’s good food in Yilan city itself, too.
I can say that there are plenty of nice looking 20-35 year old women around, and the locals are friendlier than Taipei people.
I surfed around Touching north of the harbor a few times with the missus nearly 2 decades ago. That beach has been a madhouse for surfer wannabes for nearly as long.
