I love Minsheng community, it’s very family-friendly. Beitou is too far. Xindian is even further! But sandman, you have a fold-out for us if the boys’ playdates tire us out, right? Da’an is central and familiar and has foreign markets. Tianmu is still top runner. We have a generous budget, but would still like to have good bang for our buck. We might have a car, but honestly, I’m scared to death about driving a minivan in the city.
Thanks for all the responses, it will be so interesting to see how much Taipei has changed. I hear all the Taipei counties are now called Xinbei, yes? I haven’t kept up at all. And I’m sure finding a preschool AFTER finding a place to live is simple, right?
[quote=“Feiren”][quote=“Petrichor”]914, we aren’t living in Taiwan yet but we’ve made a couple of trips to fact-find (was going to write reconnoitring trips but I don’t think that’s a word), and my husband is coming out again tomorrow for work and to check some more things out. Our position is similar to yours in that we’re looking for somewhere family friendly. I would really advise against Da’an and Xinyi if you’ve got two babies and value their lungs. The air pollution is quite bad in those areas. Fine for a shopping trip, but I really wouldn’t want any child of mine exposed to it day in day out.
At the moment our plan is to find somewhere in Beitou as we’ve found a really nice mountain school for our son to attend, though looking at the links to houses in Xindian has given me second thoughts! I really doubt we’re going to find somewhere so nice in Beitou, at least not at those prices.
At least with young children you won’t be too tied to an area (unlike us, where it wouldn’t be fair to take our son out of a school he’d just got used to). Maybe just take on a short lease and decide where you’ll live permanently when you’ve had a chance to re-familiarise yourself with Taipei?[/quote]
Of course Beitou’s hills have better air. But I don’t think Da’an and Xinyi are so bad if you stay off the main boulevards.
You need to think very carefully about the commutes. It’s an hour downtown from Beitou at rush hour. That can be very rough.[/quote]
I wasn’t suggesting that 914 live in Beitou. It’s okay for us because my we’ll both be working from home.
Although I bow to your superior knowledge, I would still seriously consider avoiding living in Taipei city with very young children. I know that it’s got a lot better than it used to be in Taipei but lead in petrol has been banned in many countries for a very good reason. It has a marked effect on brain development in children. Even off the main drag levels are measurably higher in the blood of city-dwelling children compared to those living in more rural areas. Sorry if this is a little garbled I’m incredibly tired and am off to bed!
Unleaded gas has not been used in Taiwan since 2000. I’m sure there are many reasons not to live in central Taipei if you have kids. Beitou is far nicer and I think it’s really great that your kids will (are?) going to Datun Elementary.
It might be worth looking at the Wanfang area near Jungong road in Muzha. The air is much better and there is MRT access to East Taipei. The west side of Jungong is cheaper. The east side and the top of the hill has more expensive, nicer housing
Yeah, I thought that was probably the case after I wrote it. God I was tired last night! I still wouldn’t want my baby breathing the smog.
Yes, it is Datun Elementary - is the place famous or something??? We haven’t had contact with the school since October but my husband should be going to speak to them again in the next week or so. It seems like a really lovely school, and not so big that my boy will feel lost.
I think virtually every district of Taipei contains areas more than suitable for “families”. If you’re, however, a picky upper-class family with your eye on importing a lot of foreign goods… Of course you should live in Neihu or near Songshan Airport because of its proximity to Miramar, Carrefour, Costco, and the shopping district of Taipei (the Zhongxiao’s). Tianmu is lovely but overpriced. Are you planning on sending your kids to TAS? That’s a factor, but if you’re loaded enough to do that, then why not just pay for the school bus option they offer? No need to live right there, I think. Also, way too many partying foreigners in Tianmu. You’ll find more down-to-Earth folks outside of that area (but not in the Zhongxiao’s). Best of luck!
Dash - elementary school is sooo far away so TAS is not even an issue at this point. Thank you for the encouragement!
Icon and asiababy - thanks for the 591.com.tw link! It’s so awesome, I have to ask…is it up-to-date? Looks like a Chinese MLS I’m just afraid it’s too good to be true! I love searching it, too bad there’s no English as my Chinese has lapsed. Appreciate it mucho mucho!
Sandman - duuude. I get my own fricken room? You’re so getting a box of See’s. And a cable car keychain.
God I was tired last night! I still wouldn’t want my baby breathing the smog.
It looks like there is some hope of finding a nice place.
It’s a very cute place with personality. I’d live in that house even if I had to get up at 4am to get to work.
