Taoyuan is a dump
0 voters
Oh my god, taoyuan is a crap hole. Who lives here, defend yourselves. Explain/ discuss the following:
I saw two other ‘big noses’ i.e. westerners. Thats it. Why the hell would you visit, let alone live in taoyuan. Travellers beware, this place is devoid of any redeeming qualities.
Taoyuan City or Taoyuan County?
Brian
CITY. i see mountains in the distance. I wont rag on gods work.
Oh no! Only TWO other foreigners?! Life must be horrible for you! 
I know other people who say the same thing.
This is why I always tell people, if you’re new to Taiwan and choosing where to live, choose Taipei. I’ve heard so many people with stuff like “I don’t want to live in a big city. What’s this little country town? Taoyuan. Sounds nice”. A large percentage of Taiwan’s country towns are dumps. Taipei is a big city, but it’s also less crowded and less polluted than many. It has wider roads, sidewalks, city parks etc. Basically, Taipei has more money to spend than anywhere else in Taiwan on beautifying the place, and it shows.
So, my advice to the original poster. Ditch Taoyuan. Move to Taipei.
Brian
Yes, Taoyuan City is a bit of a crap hole. But that’s only because I’m comparing it to Longtan.
Taoyuan County itself isn’t too bad.
[quote=“TomHill”]Oh my god, Taoyuan is a crap hole. Who lives here, defend yourselves. Explain/ discuss the following:
I saw two other ‘big noses’ i.e. westerners. Thats it. Why the hell would you visit, let alone live in Taoyuan. Travellers beware, this place is devoid of any redeeming qualities.[/quote]
Which one tasted better?
Perhaps all satellite towns of large cities are doomed to competing for the title of ‘Armpit of Taiwan’. Taoyuan/Chung\li, Fengyuan, Chang\hua, Yuanlin, Fengshan… take your pick. So close to the (much) larger city that residents who want some quality goods/services go there to get them, so there’s not enough market for them in the satellite. Same with the job market. Outside of the tech companies in Taoyuan/Chung\li, there isn’t much for a smart young person to do except look for work in Taipei.
Tetsuo… Gamma? WTF are you on about? My point was that I only saw 2 big noses. 15 mins away at Taipei 101 its big nose central. SO, dear genius, why would you live in Taoyuan? (Which you dont) Are you having a bad day, or are all your many many posts just garbage?
Brian, I am new to forumosa, not new to Taiwan. I happen to have the misfortune to be in Taoyuan for a few days. And it is a dump.
Chewy, neither big nose had any meat on the bone.
Thanks for those who can debate and discuss. tetsuo, go take a place at the back of the line, your prozac will be ready in 5 minutes.
BTW I dont use big nose as a derrogatory term, just as a light heatrted poke at myself. I like to call myself BigNose1.
hsiadogah
Changhua “city” and Wujih “town” are fucking dumps; industrial poon tangs. I feel FengYuan is not too bad. It’s a compact place that is low on the random violent crime. A decent cup of coffee, a low-price Italian restaurant and clean streets. It’s much better than Tandz or Dali.
Did FengYuan “freak you out” before?
There are hundreds of foreigners living in Taoyuan. It’s tolerable for your first year as it’s much cheaper to live in than Taipei and only 50 minutes away on a train or bus. But really, if you plan to stay longer it’s no place to call home.
When I first arrrived in Taiwan 8 years ago the differences between taipei and Taoyuan were not so great that you just had to choose Taipei, especially considering it was so much more expensive. Starting about 5 years ago the quality of life in Taipei started to rise significantly and it now eclipses all other areas in the country. I mean, it’s a major metropolis ringed by mountains. You can have a compelte city life, cafes, bars, MRT, restaurants, museums, opera, dance, etc, and also enjoy hiking trails in Yangmingshan, Mucha, Neihu, Bali, etc. Beaches are only 1 hour away at Baishawan, Jinshan, Yenliao, Fulong. Hotsprings are just an MRT ride away. By the end of the year there will be 100km of connected bike routes throughout the city.
Many people I know still living in Taoyuan have no real idea about all the positive changes in Taipei City over the past 5 years or so.
That said, Taoyuan has Tigerhead Mountain which is not a bad little place for walking. There is one of the last remaining Japanese Shinto Temples in Taoyuan. There are many good restaurants in the city despite what Tom says. Taoyuan is also very close to the mountains.
Also, you can live in new apartment complexes with swimming pools, tennis courts, weight rooms, etc, for NT5-8,000 a month.
A brief visit to Taoyuan – all I could think of was “Wow, it’s cool (temperature wise) here!” Taipei can be such a sweatbox 
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[quote=“psalmanazar”]I feel FengYuan is not too bad. It’s much better than Tandz or Dali.
Did FengYuan “freak you out” before?[/quote]
I’ll give you that one, having lived in Dali for a (very short) time 
No, Fengyuan didn’t freak me out. After living in Dali where everyone has two heads, nowhere freaks me out anymore Fengyuan just isn’t developing much at all. Mind you, Tai\chung isn’t exactly making any great leaps these days either.
How about another poll for ‘Armpit of Taiwan’?
Defend Taoyuan City? Hahahahahahahahahahahaha…you couldn’t pay me enough… 
It is, as my good friend foxfresh would say, a shithole.
But, my reasons for staying here:
-I really don’t feel like blowing a wad of cash each month to live in Taipei
-I like the proximity to Taipei if I ever want to go there
-I have a well paying job here that I actually like, so why ruin a good thing
-It doesn’t take long to get outside of the city and into the nicer scenic areas
lry rural Miao Li county halfway between Miaoli and and Toufen. Spend a few years out here smelling the pig shit from the farm 600 meters away and you’ll quit whining about Taoyan. Bleached hair? Bah.
Taoyuan is a veritible PARADISE. At least you have decent food and restaurants 
Which of course makes one remember the old saying that “as bad as something is, it could always be worse.” This is the thought that gets me through my crappy days in Taoyuan City. 
Which of course makes one remember the old saying that “as bad as something is, it could always be worse.” This is the thought that gets me through my crappy days in Taoyuan City. [/quote]
Ahhh, yes…you are right…I was just talking with a friend who spent some time in VERY rural mainland China…I think I do live in paradise 
. I actually LIKE Taoyuan…but prefer Chungli. May wander up there Friday night…gotta remember to brush the betelnut stains out of my teeth, not wear flip flops, and roll my teeshirt down over my belly (usually sticking out)…may even take my yearly shower 
ONLY MET 2 FOREIGNERS!!!
YOU DIDN’T STAY LONG ENOUGH!!!
THERE’S 8 WORKING WITH ME.
TESCO DOESN’T SUCK!!!
I FIND ALL THE FOREIGNERS IN TAIPEI VERY RUDE!!!
How rude.