As usual, a lot of Taipei people chiming in with responses. I’ve lived 10 years in the Taoyuan area-- from Taoyuan city itself, to Zhongli and Yangmei. It’s not nearly as bad as described. Granted, it doesn’t have the glitz of downtown Taipei, but I’d sooner choose Taoyuan over most of the cities in New Taipei, especially places like Banqiao and Xinzhuang (hell on earth, if I’ve ever seen it). Taoyuan city, itself doesn’t have much going for it at first glance. However, you quickly find you can get most things you want there with ease. Prices for most things, from rent to restaurants, are significantly lower. The price of a taofang in Taipei city will get you a 3 bedroom palace in Taoyuan (it’ll get you a whole house with a garden in Yangmei). Jobs are relatively plentiful and competition scarce, so you can find what you like at slightly higher pay. Nightlife? There are some places. I’m out of the loop these days. Nightlife for me is going to a friend’s house. However, Taipei is never too far away if you really want it (I usually find I’m happy to leave when I’m done with it). Green space? Taoyuan city has Tiger head mountain, really quite a large place with trails that go on in different directions. It’s a good light hike/walk place where you could stay all day exploring. As mentioned, there are the universities with their sports fields. National Central university is actually a nice walk in itself. If you want more, then you head out into places like Longtan and Daxi. There are plenty of mountains there. Yongan harbour offers a seaside destination close to town.
Taoyuan is not for everyone. It’s more for the kind of person who doesn’t want to live in Taipei. It takes a bit more effort. There isn’t MRT, so you either have to get yourself mobile quickly or learn the bus system. English appears far less often on menus and comes out of the mouths of people far less often than in Taipei. For some, this will be a hardship; for others (like those who write posts about having to trick locals into speaking Chinese with them), it’s more of an authentic experience-- a place to really use Chinese on a daily basis. It’s also a place to save money. As mentioned, most things are cheaper and work is plentiful. There are also fewer of the high priced distractions that Taipei has. It’s really up to the individual to decide what s/he wants out of a city/region. There are a small group of westerners who have lived in the area for quite a while and like it. Others can’t stand it. YMMV.