Voters say living in Taichung is
relaxing, with great weather
and large open spaces. (Photo
by Zou Shu-feng)

Taichung is a well-planned city
with many green parks and
open spaces making it suitable
for long stays.

Taichung voted Second Most Livable City/County in Taiwan

Easy living in Taichung with gifts from nature

Words and photos by Taichung City Government
Translated by Naomi Lai

Modern-day people continue to experience the widespread, mounting pressures of high living costs, high unemployment rates, noisy environments and a low quality of life. If you could move to anywhere in Taiwan, seeking the least amount of stress and the most comfort, where would you go?

Following Yilan and ahead of Taipei and Kaohsiung
According to results from the "Most Livable Cities and Counties in Taiwan" poll by Yahoo! Taiwan Poll Center, Yilan was voted the favorite long-stay city with a total of 8,254 votes (13.9% of overall votes). Taichung also had many supporters and followed close behind to take second place with 7,320 votes (12.3% of overall). Right behind Taichung was Hualien with 7,056 votes (11.9%), while Taiwan's two largest cities, Kaohsiung (4,488 votes; 7.5%) and Taipei (3,474 votes; 5.8%), trailed far behind in fourth and fifth places.

On the "Most Livable Cities and Counties in Taiwan" forum, voters discussed hundred of reasons for their choices, ranging from convenient basic living functions to attractive women, the desire to look pretty, and fears about kidnapping and safety. Taipei voter Chi Chi wrote, "The mountain and water scenery in Yilan is gorgeous and the water quality is high. My good friend just moved there after her marriage this year. I met her last week and her skin looked as if it was glowing! Now I also really want to marry someone from Yilan. It's not far from Taipei, either. You can make a one-day shopping trip to Taipei when you feel like it."

Easy living in Taichung with gifts from nature
On the forum, "Voter God's War" wrote, "Vote for Taichung! The weather is nice and it's spacious, not crammed like Taipei. Things are cheap here. You can find any food you want to eat. And there's plenty of hot girls and few hot guys. You won't need to worry about competition."

An interesting development is a change in perspectives toward Kaohsiung. In the past, the city was often overlooked in related polls but this time, thanks to its MRT system, the popular TV show "Black & White" and the World Games, things seemed to have changed. The city has apparently managed to cast aside its stereotype of having a polluted environment and water, and surpassed Taipei in popularity among voters. And not far behind Taipei in the sixth place was Taoyuan, boasting few natural disasters, many job opportunities and successful public construction.