I hope it’s appropriate to post this in the parenting section, as my main concern is figuring out what considerations should be made in picking an apartment with children in Taipei. (It was much easier choosing a place as a single guy.)
We are moving this summer to Taiwan from the U.S. Because we will be attending NTU as exchange students we figure living in Daan makes sense. However, we aren’t sure what area is a good place to live versus bad for children. I have been to Daan before but it’s been 12 years. I remember some areas being nicer then others. I’ve read a lot of post mentioning new apartments versus old apartments in Taipei. If you planned on attending NTU as a family where would you live and why? I only have about 40000 (TWD) per month for rent, not including utilities, as we are students. Is this enough? We will only be in Taiwan for a year spending most of our time studying. I thought that being close to Daan forest might be nice because of the cultural activities the family could attend. But I don’t know if the areas surrounding the park are decent or safe. I’m not sure what additional questions to ask. All I remember about Taipei is a lot of traffic and crazy scooters versus rural areas being very calm and nice, “Yuli.” I lived there as well.
Can some of you please help me brainstorm. What should be considered in choosing a place for my family, especially children, in Taipei? (I can live under a rock, but the kids can’t) Really, I’m clueless as to what considerations should be made in Taipei. We have it so convenient in the U.S. Also, I’m a little nervous about finding housing when we arrive. I think it would be better to get a place in advance so that we don’t spend too much money in short term hotel expenses when we arrive. However, this makes me nervous as I don’t want to pick a bad place. I should mention that I don’t think we will have a car as I recall metro and buses are very convenient. I figure we don’t need the extra liability, considering we are only there one year. Any advice regarding transportation? I should mention that we are a caucasian family. I know that we will be approached by a lot of curious people. I’ve heard about gated communities. Should this be a consideration?
I’m (and my WIFE) also concerned about my kids safety. (I read something about a taser. J/K) Any recommendations, thoughts regarding this?
How much money do you think a family of four “on the go” should have for food? (We tend to eat out a lot.) Any other budget suggestions/considerations are appreciated.
[quote=“der4”]I hope it’s appropriate to post this in the parenting section, as my main concern is figuring out what considerations should be made in picking an apartment with children in Taipei. (It was much easier choosing a place as a single guy.)
We are moving this summer to Taiwan from the U.S. Because we will be attending NTU as exchange students we figure living in Da’an makes sense. However, we aren’t sure what area is a good place to live versus bad for children. I have been to Da’an before but it’s been 12 years. I remember some areas being nicer then others. I’ve read a lot of post mentioning new apartments versus old apartments in Taipei. If you planned on attending NTU as a family where would you live and why? I only have about 40000 (TWD) per month for rent, not including utilities, as we are students. Is this enough? We will only be in Taiwan for a year spending most of our time studying. I thought that being close to Da’an forest might be nice because of the cultural activities the family could attend. But I don’t know if the areas surrounding the park are decent or safe. I’m not sure what additional questions to ask. All I remember about Taipei is a lot of traffic and crazy scooters versus rural areas being very calm and nice, “Yuli.” I lived there as well.
Can some of you please help me brainstorm. What should be considered in choosing a place for my family, especially children, in Taipei? (I can live under a rock, but the kids can’t) Really, I’m clueless as to what considerations should be made in Taipei. We have it so convenient in the U.S. Also, I’m a little nervous about finding housing when we arrive. I think it would be better to get a place in advance so that we don’t spend too much money in short term hotel expenses when we arrive. However, this makes me nervous as I don’t want to pick a bad place. I should mention that I don’t think we will have a car as I recall metro and buses are very convenient. I figure we don’t need the extra liability, considering we are only there one year. Any advice regarding transportation? I should mention that we are a caucasian family. I know that we will be approached by a lot of curious people. I’ve heard about gated communities. Should this be a consideration?
I’m (and my WIFE) also concerned about my kids safety. (I read something about a taser. J/K) Any recommendations, thoughts regarding this?
How much money do you think a family of four “on the go” should have for food? (We tend to eat out a lot.) Any other budget suggestions/considerations are appreciated.[/quote]
I love that area. Da An Park is great for kids, and the area is very safe. The Taipei City Library is on the east side of the park and has thousands of books for kids (B2). There are countless great restaurants in that part of town, and NT$40,000 should be plenty for a nice apartment.
Thanks for the positive posts. I’m glad it’s a good family area. Please, any suggestions/considerations? I’ve posted a lot of questions.
I guess part of my motivation for posting these questions is so that we can avoid hassles and pitfalls; and comfort my wife. We’ve read comments on this website regarding “child abduction” etc. My wife has never been out of the country, so when she reads these things they are very scary to her. Some of you Taiwanese spouses may have gone through worries moving from Taiwan to the U.S./UK etc. and may be able to relate.
I have the advantage of having lived in Taiwan before. When I moved their I wasn’t nervous at all. But with kids I’m a little nervous, so I can’t imagine how my wife must feel. Don’t get me wrong, I am very excited. I think my career plans working with Taiwan/Hong Kong/Mainland is a great opportunity. Plus, I can’t pay for a better education for my children then experience cultures outside the U.S. bubble, especially Chinese. Besides China/Taiwan relationship ( I lived in Taiwan when China was playing target practice with their missles.), overall I felt very safe while living in Taiwan. In fact I feel that the Taiwanese are less violent. I even remember a news story while I lived their about someone getting shot. Everyone was amazed and frustrated over this incident. We are from Los Angeles, shootings happen everyday on the news. But in the U.S. we always hear horror stories about living over sees and kids safety. I’m hoping that some of you, especially mom’s, can give my wife some straightforward yet encouraging words/advice. As you can imagine, my wife is scared and excited all at the same time. My in-laws are also very nervous for my wife and the kids. Actually, my mother-in-law is supportive but my father-in-law has never been out of the country. He doesn’t know much about Taiwan. I think his view is that it’s some third world country where everyone dresses up as buddah/ninjas. Some Americans perception of things regarding the rest of the world are very Humorous.
To some of you our kids may look like barbie dolls, but to us they are our (very cute) rugrats. Seriously, your kids are beautiful. We’ve really enjoyed looking at your kids pictures posted on this website.
Da’an is extremely safe and filled with educated middle class people who dote on children because they are relatively rare. You will certainly be able to afford an decent apartment in the area, and there are many places to eat. Taiwan, especially Taipei, is incredibly safe by US standards. Imagine you are moving to rural Utah in terms of safety.
Maybe your wife would like to post at http://www.parentpages.net. Parentpages has a number of expat women posting there, and for some their move to Taiwan was the first time away from home. And you can find information about our weekly playgroups and other events, that may help your family make the transition (and they are just fun, too.) We have a very diverse mix of families in the group. It might ease her mind a little.
I love Da-an area, there is so much stuff around there. You could either live closer to the Hsin-dian/Dan-shui MRT line, which would give you easy access to Taipei Station, Tienmu, Bitan, and Danshui, or near the Muzha Line, which would let you escape to the zoo, which is just great for little ones. There is a great little kid’s English bookstore right opposite the park, the library as already mentioned, and there are several English-language preschools around that area, too.
Actually, NTU campus is also very nice for children. We go there fairly regularly to enjoy the shade of the trees, the free museums, the restaurants, the car-free space… Gong-guan elementary school is also really nice. It’s right across from the university campus, and a kind of “forest school”.
There are several Realty places (Century 21, etc) all around that area. From a quick glance at their ads in the window you should be able to find something much nicer & cheaper than the overpriced shared apartment I found by going through Tealit (great location near Da’an & NTU, but our cheapskate landlord takes every possibly opportunity to be ‘frugal’ while taking advantage of foreigners w/o other options).
Along HePing between Technology Bldg MRT & Shi-Da is a great area full of restaurants, shops, markets, etc. The park is fantastic & somebody already mentioned the huge library. There’s a HUGE Jr. High (looks like a college) on the SW corner of the park that’s also close to NTU. Lots of kids running around all the time, plus a pool, basketball court, etc. Several smaller parks w/playgrounds scattered around too. No need for concern about safety except watching out for traffic(!!!), and the usual ‘no strangers’ stuff you’d tell your kids in any country.
My wife, boy (until he went to the USA for school) and dog live across the street from the back gate of NTU and we all LOVE living there.
There are few places in Taipei that can offer what NTU campus offers (grassy areas and sports facilities and a great place with limited traffic to ride bikes and walk the dog)… there are loads of families and kids there during the weekends. And being close to NTU puts you close to lots of food and culture and stuff…
