Has zero to do with my personal preferences, it simply is dead in Chiang Mai, anyone knows that. People stating opposite are merely defending their poor positions or full of crap, like so many on this forum living under their rocks.
Some lived decades in TH and are still clueless on most ends, just the other day someone tried telling us here that there are no corrupt checkpoints in Bangkok too >< Pathetic really. It's cliche too, it's the same with anything in life.
If Chiang Mai in this subject actually would be just a tiny bit attractive or fun, you would have read or heard as much about it as in the good old years, and you do not. In fact, I only hear tourists being disapointed, even it's a nice city to have visited. It's a bit like they went to the best (Vietnam) to then arrive at some overpriced scam place with old muppets.
Never seen such a dead expat community too, there is a few leaving every 2 weeks.