Moving To Chiangmai

I have lived in Bangkok for many years and now I am thinking of moving to CM. I am married to a Thai and we both were teachers. Since we both have lived abroad most of our lives- we have little link and understanding of Thai situation. Need your updated help and advice to help male our move.

I made a 3 day visit to CM last week i was surprised to see CM change dramatically- specially the traffic jam and more tourist commercialization. I started wondering if it is a good idea to move to CM at this time. Earlier, may be 2-3 years ago I remember a similar conversation where many members were recommending CM. Do they still? what advice would they have now? Are there other better places ? What are the strength and weakness of living in CM?. This i am asking in reference to retirement years. i am 55 and do mostly home based work.

Some people advised me to go outside of CM, may be to chiang Dao. I also did not have much success about finding a house to rent or buy- agents rates are high and direct buying is not easy. I thought that University area was quieter and peaceful then outside concrete places that have newly developed. Any advice you can provide about overall living and finding a peaceful and green place to live- will be helpful and appreciated. i am planing to come on 29th Jan again to continue my search. many thanks