Anyone out there living in Hsintien that can share with me how life is for you there? I have two small children and looking to relocate to there - searched for a leafy playground around the MRT but couldn’t find one? How is life in Hsintien? Your thoughts appreciated…
Where in Hsintien? A lot of it has heavy traffic and looks kind of run-down and polluted. Other parts are in the hills and very beautiful. Let’s see…the MRT station will put you out by the Bitan Bridge, which is a mini-recreation area with rental paddleboats and such.
I used to live in Xindian. I found it relatively quieter than living in the city. And if you find a place in the hills, the air is ‘nicer’. The only complaint i had was that if you are in the hills, then you will have to have a scooter or a car to make it convient. It’s close to WuLai, which is very nice to go to on the weeks, and other places. I would just go out there on the bus and ride around and feel it out.
Best of luck
When I lived in Bitan, I remembered seeing a playground, but I didn’t really notice it until it was submerged in water after Typhoon Nari. Be warned of the Saturday morning riverside karaoke if you do move to Bitan.
I moved to Xindian about nine days ago. I’m living between the Dapinglin MRT station and the Jingmei Stream. It still feels like living in the city; no leavy suburbia, and the only “parks” I’ve come across are riverside areas along the Jingmei Stream. When I was apartment/house hunting I had a look at the far side of Bitan; very nice but I couldn’t find a place to rent. Sandman, one of forumosa’s most prolific posters, lives there and speaks very highly of it.
I love living in Xindian; it’s on the edge of the city basically, and past here it’s mostly mountains. I don’t regret living out here at all. I’m at the last stop so I always get a seat on the way in to the city. The difference in air quality is immediately noticable the moment you step out of the MRT station. I looked around Dapinglin but didn’t like that area at all, too much like Sanchong for my tastes. Jingmei’s nice if you’re either by the river or near the hillside, and there are some nice neighborhoods near Xindian City Hall and the soon-to-be-opened Xiaobitan MRT station. ImaniOU’s right about the karaoke singing though. Either avoid it by living facing away from Bitan or somehow convince those old people that their singing is lowering their property values.
I think Hsintien is as nice a place to live as anywhere in or around Taipei. I like it well enough that I’ve lived here continuously since the late 1980s.
My favourite part of Hsintien is New Garden City, where I lived for more than a decade. Since I moved closer to the MRT station in Peiyi Road, I’ve found myself missing the fresh air, greenery, birdsong and tranquility of New Garden City very, very much. It’s a really good place for kids, with a nice little park and plenty of other space to play in as well as a little stream and trails all around to explore. And you can rent a house with a garden there fairly cheaply. Though it’s a bit inconvenient for shopping and so on, it’s only ten minutes away from the MRT on your own wheels or by bus or taxi. Best of all, it’s very conveniently located for heading up to Wulai or out towards Pinglin and Ilan.
I have lived in Hsintien for more than 11 years, have 2 kids 8 and 10 y.o.
There is no real park or playground around here, but when the kids where smaller, they were happy just to play downstairs in the public area.
Now, we are looking to find a place closer to a park area, where they can take their bicycles, basketballs, footballs (or whatever), and go out playing by themselves - without us being nervous about crossing any roads with heavy/ruthless traffic.
In general I like Hsintien, but I miss some more “western style” restaurants and pub/bars.
Omni, I thought in another thread you, or perhaps someone else, described New Garden City as old, run down and moldy?
I agree though that Xindian is a nice place to live. Cheaper rents, better air, quick access to the heart of the city on a clean, modern MRT system, and also close to the mountains of Wulai, Pinglin, Mucha (Maokong), and the whole Jingtong-Pingxi area east of Shengkeng. I think I’m going to move there when I return.
so more on this morning karaoke… What time do the oldies kick off their open air concert (and where are they? MRT side or other side?) and for how long can we expect to enjoy their song? :s I guess you mean with microphone iritatingly loud?
also anyone got some commuting times for me? :help:
Hsintien to Main Station
Hsintien to Shilin
Hsintien to City Hall Station
We did the walk around on the weekend and it was pretty nice with all the paddle boats on the water there - saw McDonalds, KFC’s, Watsons, RTMart, a few nice restaurants along the river - anything else I’m missing worth noting?
We did have another thread about New Garden City in which I described its pluses and minuses. The dampness, mould, and problem with the water supply are certainly minuses, but I think they are well outweighed by the many pluses.
If only I could buy a nice new home there, I’d move back in a trice – but unfortunately, there’s nothing new being built or going to be built there in the near future, if ever. Developers have been trying to get permission to build on several vacant lots, but it’s unlikely they’ll be able to do so; and while another developer has recently converted an old concrete shell of a building, which had been abandoned in that state for more than a decade, into what look like quite decent flats from the outside, I wouldn’t touch that with a bargepole (though I suppose they would be okay for renting, if available).
I still often go moseying around there with the wife in the hope of spotting something nice for sale at an acceptable price, but haven’t had any luck with that yet (though I’ve seen a few that I wouldn’t mind renting if I could bear to be a tenant again).
And will you change your name to Hsintien Man?
It’s not just morning; it’s all day and into the evening sometimes. They’re on the MRT side but I don’t hear them as my apartment faces the mountains behind the post office. The sound really travels across the water and with nothing to block the noise, the high-rises on the other side of the river get an amplified version of their crooning.
Commuting times:
Hsintien (Xindian) to Main Station: 30 minutes
Hsintien (Xindian) to City Hall Station: 45 minutes
[quote=“dougiejanie”]
also anyone got some commuting times for me? :help:
Hsintien (Xindian) to Main Station
Hsintien (Xindian) to Shilin
Hsintien (Xindian) to City Hall Station[/quote]
It’s just 20 minutes to Taipei Main Station, and a couple of minutes more for each stop after that (plus about 5 minutes on average for any change of line).
[Edit: Okay, Poagao was quicker off the mark than I was: and his 30 minutes to Taipei Main Station would include the maximum wait between trains at Hsintien Station.]
What about the motorway? Isn’t it hard to escape the noise of the motorway? I remember hiking in the hills close to the MRT station, and finding very few sites where you would NOT hear the cars.
A friend of mine used to live in Garden City, and she had the most beautiful living room view I’ve ever seen - right onto the hills towards Wulai. If I was here long-term and had motorization, moving out there would certainly sound tempting.
Iris
[quote]Mucha (Muzha) (Muzha) Man wrote:
I think I’m going to move there when I return.
And will you change your name to Hsintien (Xindian) Man?[/quote]
Nah, I’ll still go for the old consonance (though I’m really an assonance man at heart.)
Is this over the Bitan bridge and up past the temple?
Is this over the Bitan bridge and up past the temple?[/quote]
No, its up the Hsinwu (Xinwu) Road towards Wulai, turning off into New Garden City about three kilometres up the road, and then a little way along NGC’s Road One close to the two big apartment buildings that are the main landmarks of NGC visible from downtown Hsintien.
I am thinking of moving to Xindian.
Are there many foreigners living there? I have 2 kids aged 2.5 and 1.5.
Does anyone know anything about Oxbridge school?
What is the park like on the river in Jingmei? Is there a play set there?
Thanks for your help everyone.
Do anyone have pics of new garden city? What’s the rent like for at least 40 pings with a bit of a barbecue patch there?