I'm Looking For A Nice Quiet Town Just Outside Of Chiang Mai

[westbounder]

Hi Everyone,

I spent the last 6 months living in Chiang Mai and decided to make it a permanent move. I am now back in the USA but will return in September. I love Chiang Mai but I would rather find a nice small quiet Town close by that is quieter and has less traffic. I think it would then be easy to just go into the City of Chiang Mai a few days a week as needed.

Does anyone know of any quiet layed back peacefull towns near Chiang Mai that has most of the basic everyday needs and nice housing? What are other places like such as Lampang, Chiang Rai and Hang Dong?

Thank you kindly

Joe

[elektrified]

More quiet and laid back than Chiang Mai? The mortuary?

Seriously, Chiang Rai is a very nice place to visit but I would be bored to death living there!

Hang Dong is in Chiang Mai and is pretty laid back I would say.

[IanForbes]

There are lots of sub-divisions just outside Chiang Mai and still within easy transport. Like electrified, I think the smaller towns do not offer as much for non-Thai speaking farangs. You would feel too isolated after a while. Having to drive for half an hour every time you wanted to visit the city would be a pain for me. I enjoy being only two kilometers out of the down town core.

[dannybrewer2000]

Hi Everyone,

I spent the last 6 months living in Chiang Mai and decided to make it a permanent move. I am now back in the USA but will return in September. I love Chiang Mai but I would rather find a nice small quiet Town close by that is quieter and has less traffic. I think it would then be easy to just go into the City of Chiang Mai a few days a week as needed.

Does anyone know of any quiet layed back peacefull towns near Chiang Mai that has most of the basic everyday needs and nice housing? What are other places like such as Lampang, Chiang Rai and Hang Dong?

Thank you kindly

Joe

Hi Joe:

Try Chinag Dao, only one hour drive from Chiangmai. Great place, fresh air, mountain view. We have about 20 to 30 farangs, myself, American and two other americans. Lots of people from europe. I have lived there off and on for 30 years. Now retired there permanently. Love it. Very cheep to live there. If you need more info contact the at Now in the states and will be returning permanently in August this year.

Dan Brewer

[Jungian]

I live in Sansai Noi which is very quiet and only 6 km from the center of the city. Most of the people here are educated middle to upper middle class and speak very good English.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Traffic in Chiang Mai is bad?

If anything, villages like Hang Dong are basically just one big traffic bottle-neck. I'd say the traffic in Hang Dong is as bad as anything you'd come across in Chiang Mai, and possibly worse.

Anyway, I don't think you'll find the answer on this topic; best to just go and explore and see where you like it. Lampang and especially Chiang Rai are of course much further away.

Consider perhaps the Mae On area, past Sangkamphaeng. Very peaceful and not a lot of traffic passing through, unlike for example the main districts North and South of town. I do agree the Chiang Dao area is nice.

[Ricardo]

Mae-Jo is a lively (in term-time) university-town, with most facilities, and pleasant quiter villages surrounding, about 10km North of Chiang Mai itself.

Samoeng is more of a large-village, in the bottom of a valley, twisty access-road & all the strawberries you can eat, in season !

[0zz1]

hmm my favorites would be Mae Rim and Samoeng. Which Maer Rim has a bit more to offer and closer to the city, but Samoeng on the other hand more laidback and relaxed... take a bike and drive around for week or so and when you see place you like take it!

[elektrified]

Chiang Dao is indeed very, very beautiful, but do you want to be driving on the winding roads one hour into Chiang Mai during the rainy season to go to the Doctor for example? If you are elderly, that may be a consideration.

I also live in Sansai, close to Mae Jo, and it is like being far away from the city. Very quiet and peaceful here.

As someone else suggested, Mae On is also very nice and quiet.

Edited June 7, 2009 by elektrified

[Ajarn]

Chiang Dao is my favorite city near Chiang Mai. The new road makes the travel time a lot less. Beautiful area

[Maccheroncini]

Chiang Rai people have access to most the farang groceries aren't they? I think they have Northern farm in Chiang rai too?

[Ajarn]

Chiang Rai people have access to most the farang groceries aren't they? I think they have Northern farm in Chiang rai too?

Yes, but their groceries are more thai food than farang food, unlike Chiang Mai.

[tigerbalm]

Yes i agree with a previous poster, The Hang Dong road Terrible and the house prices and rents on the whole are unrealistic.

Sangkamphaeng would be on my list as well as Mae jo, and no one has mentioned this yet but Doi Saket area, great country side and some nice sub divisions , all these three only 15 minutes from town. during the quiet times.

But like a lot of people are saying you need to explore and make up your own mind but atleast there are some suggestions on here that keep cropping up with the same places.these might be worth concidering

Happy hunting

TB

[Thakkar]

The Sansai area is a nice compromise between tranquility and proximity to town.

I would avoid Hang Dong as every time I pass there, it seems a little more crowded. Property prices, as some has already mentioned, are somewhat unrealistic. Although some tell me it's the happinin' place these days, whatever that means.

[kennkate]

Lamphun ? 1/2 Hr to Chang mai a Town with a Hospiital, Decient Doctors Ect.

Farang food You would have to travel Big C 15 mins. Nearest

I do like Lamphun. The air is cleaner here Chang Mai= Mini Bangkok

[lannarebirth]

This is how I would rank the surrounding areas, from worst to best. Your mileage may vary.

4) San Kampaeng and environs, Lamphun.

3) Hang Dong, San sai, Doi saket

2) Samoeng Loop Rd. South

1) Mae Rim and environs

[PeaceBlondie]

I moved right near Sankampaeng, and feel the commute to town is a long drag, but Lamphun is twice as far. If you're retirement age, many village 'hospitals' have no specialists.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Yes i agree with a previous poster, The Hang Dong road Terrible and the house prices and rents on the whole are unrealistic.

I wonder why that is, actually. 'Something' must be up there, I mean when even Carrefour opens a spanking new store in between Hang Dong and Sanpatong in the middle of a downturn then you'd think something is going on there. Also keep in mind that they recently improved that road that links up Sanpatong to the Canal Road, which provides an alternative route into town. (Next step would probably be making the Canal Road a 4 lane highway all the way through to Sanpatong).

Land prices are indeed higher in that area; again: why? I don't mind so much because my family has some land in the area, but it remains somewhat of a mystery to me.

[uptoyoumyfriend]

i am very happy after moving from the city to serapi. ban nampuen and the mooban with the same name to be precise.

[elektrified]

Lamphun ? 1/2 Hr to Chang mai a Town with a Hospiital, Decient Doctors Ect.

Farang food You would have to travel Big C 15 mins. Nearest

I do like Lamphun. The air is cleaner here Chang Mai= Mini Bangkok

Hah! That is one of the funniest things I have ever heard about our sleepy little old town.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I almost wish it was true though. I'd love a mini Bangkok.