Areas Of Bangkok

[RAZZELL]

There may or may not be definitive answers to my question...But...Where do different "types" of people live in Bangkok???

To give examples (albeit massive generalisations) from my hometown, London:

VERY OLD Money: Belgravia, parts of Kensington & Chelsea.

Old money: Chelsea, Fulham...their children Clapham and Putney.

Very Rich "Trustafarians": Notting Hill.

Rich, Older Bohemian types: Islington and Clerkenwell.

Very Rich, Young Bohemian types: Primrose Hill.

Rich, Young Bohemian types: Hoxton, Clerkenwell.

Poor, Young Bohemian types: Hackney, the East End.

New Money, City Boys: Hampstead, Docklands

SUPER RICH: Same as old money, but bigger houses

I hope some of you who've lived in London or any othe major city get the idea...And no I'm not an estate agent

I'd just like to know if there could be a similar list made for areas of Bangkok..

Many thanks

RAZZELL

[Heng]

Bangkok is a bit more integrated in that sense, as you can find slum dwellings just a few hundred meters from million $ homes in the middle of downtown here.

But if you're looking for a generalization, the oldest money: Thonburi, Sampeng, Yaowarat, Paorat. Those areas are where the 3,000 or so original Thai and Thai Chinese merchants who migrated to Bangkok from Ayuddhya with King Taksin settled. The other older families, Thai Indians, Muslims, etc. settled in the same areas to do business with these original business families.

[RAZZELL]

Bangkok is a bit more integrated in that sense, as you can find slum dwellings just a few hundred meters from million $ homes in the middle of downtown here.

But if you're looking for a generalization, the oldest money: Thonburi, Sampeng, Yaowarat, Paorat. Those areas are where the 3,000 or so original Thai and Thai Chinese merchants who migrated to Bangkok from Ayuddhya with King Taksin settled. The other older families, Thai Indians, Muslims, etc. settled in the same areas to do business with these original business families.

Thanks for the info...

Are property prices there reflective of that (again not being an estate agent I don't know 555)

So what about the CBD district all around Lower Suk? Upper Suk?

New money? Old money? Seems the most expensive...is this just driven by expat/business demand?

What I'm really trying to get at...is where would be "the best" address...in Thai eyes...

If you said I live at "X" soi...

RAZZ

[thaigene2]

Don't know about the "best" - but Chitrada Palace comes to mind..

I'd say other "old family" properties are in the Dusit area. An upper middle class area (lots of military chinese-thai grantees) are in the area roughyl bordered by Jatujak Park to the north and Din Daeng to the south, Vibhibadi-Rangsit in the east to Rama 6 in the west (essentially the Paholyothin corridor).

[quiksilva]

Heng hit it on the head, Bangkok doesnt really have clearly defined prime residential locations in the same sense that you'd expect to see in London.

If pushed I'd say that in addition to the locales mentioned above, the Thonglor/Ekamai areas have alot of high networth residents, as do the families who stay in detached homes in and around the Sukhumvit 42-24 area. By comparison with Yaowarat / Dusit this might be considered New money. Land in this area though is not the most expensive (150-350 K / sq wah depending upon access)

If the best address is determined by land values then you'd have to say Ploenchit, where the British Embassy recently sold a 9 Rai parcel for 900K / sq wah, which incidently is the highest price ever paid for land in this country, ever.

Other areas with high land values are Yaowarat, Silom and Sathorn where parcels can fetch in the region of 200-600 K / sq wah, again depending upon accessibility. Main road access being the most desirable, and parcels located off the main road down narrow (6m wide) Sois the least. Its a generalisaion of course and it will also depend upon all sort of other factors such as the shape of plots etc.. but thats a story for another day.

[thaihome]

From my balacony in the Sathorn area I can look down at houses that go for 40 million baht (if you can find one for sale) and at some of the worst slums you will ever see.

Most third world mega cities are the same.

TH

[Heng]

Bangkok is a bit more integrated in that sense, as you can find slum dwellings just a few hundred meters from million $ homes in the middle of downtown here.

But if you're looking for a generalization, the oldest money: Thonburi, Sampeng, Yaowarat, Paorat. Those areas are where the 3,000 or so original Thai and Thai Chinese merchants who migrated to Bangkok from Ayuddhya with King Taksin settled. The other older families, Thai Indians, Muslims, etc. settled in the same areas to do business with these original business families.

What I'm really trying to get at...is where would be "the best" address...in Thai eyes...

Depends on who you're talking to.

For myself, in any of those areas... land + house over condo in the sky. The former might still be around in 150 years in your family. The latter almost certainly will not.

[pkrv]

Hi RAZZEL, as you may guess I have also looked at this. When I asked the question in Hong Kong the answer was, ‘the peak’, but I personally preferred the view of the harbour and Victoria Park.

BTW you missed one - Bishops Avenue Hampstead Garden Suburbs - Elite, Eton square is now unaffordable. I would have put Hampstead down as eclectic but that’s just me.

I have seen similar comments about The Park - the slums of Makkasan the bridge at Petburi. Sathorn I would put down as the 'West End' of London that’s OK. Some of the other areas mentioned do not register.

IMO Bangkok is forging itself - A single photo says it all - All this activity is in Central Chidlom and directly adjacent areas.

[RAZZELL]

Bishops Avenue...Put that as nouveau riche

Yeah...that photo tells me there's going to be a lot of expensive empty condo's in Bangkok

Thanks guys

RAZZ

[Tyree D.]

mind the Asian gangs in SOUTH CENTRAL Bangkok

[/sarcasm]

[pkrv]

Hi RAZZELL, Not quite so clear cut I think The Park and Athenee Residence are nearing completion, a little late but that’s OK. Things don't go this far if there are problems (attested by the skeletons littering the Bangkok Skyline).

The Address, Manhattan (and the new British embassy development, still a bit unknown) are not quite the same market so all should be OK.

I guess the proof of the pudding....

[yoshiwara]

The examples of London which Razzel gives are nastily accurate (I wonder which category he hails from?) but the key is not so much the money, but the identity of areas as mini-villages which they all once were. Maybe the question he wanted to ask is where in BKK do all the groovers hang out, but if its anything like Notting Hill I'm not interested!

[london]

Sorry, but I'm a late comer to this topic.....but I'd like to give you another view of BKK property and demographics.

Yes, no doubt the most pricey properties are on the Bangkok side of the river.....at present.

When looking at real estate, I have always been partial to views: in Manhattan: over Central Park; in London: over Hyde Park/Kensington gardens etc; in HK or Sydney: anywhere that gives a view of the harbour. However, when I look at Bangkok, its a different matter. Now I'm sure that some will disagree, but for me, it's on the river, north of Sathorn Bridge.

The views up the river are truly Bangkok, and if you're lucky enough, you see some of Thailands most famous tourist sights.

The new condo, The River, will be an interesting addition to that side...and no doubt more expensive than what we have come to expect of properties on the Thonburi side. It is this development that I feel will put more of the moneyed locals and ex-pats on the river...or certainly get many thinking about the benefits of living on the river....and therefore change the demographic.

With the further development of the skytrain system, transport will be less of an issue.

As with any major development, once it is up and running, other like developments usually follow.

[pkrv]

Welcome london. Yes Bangkok is slightly different isn't it? Views from the Oriental are stunning. Strange that river views do not feature in your 'preferred list?'.

I'm afraid I always have a direct interest in anything that goes on in Bangkok. Do you have a web site for The River, development?

We are all investing in Thailand in all ways.

[london]

Hi pkrv,

Oh, I thought that what I said was that River Views in BKK ARE the key...north of the Sathorn Bridge. Sorry if I was ambiguous.

I wouldn't give you anything for Baan Sathorn Chaopraya, (an office conversion most don't seem to realise), and certainly, although there is further development south of Sathorn, it is just too far out of town.

I know that The River it is a Raimon Land development....so it is probably on their web site. I am afraid to look....just in case they have prices!!!!

Yes, I too am always interested in what is going on in BKK...and I must say that for me, the river area is the one place that attracts me.

Despite all the gloom and doom merchants, Thailand is a booming economy that has to keep pace with the rest of Asia. Also, I should add, I prefer investing in capital cities.

[london]

I just checked it out....nothing there yet apart from Registration details.

But the web address is: http://www.theriverbangkok.com/

It will be interesting to see what the prices are.

My feeling is that we may think its pricey.....but in 3 years from now, well, who knows?

[quiksilva]

Although its not set yet I heard that its likely to be in the region 80K/sm

[london]

Thanks for the info.

It will be interesting to see what the final price psm is. I was staggered at Northpoint (Pattaya) pricing. So much so, that I IMMEDIATELY lost interest in it.

I have heard too that there may be a 5 or even 6 star hotel in there too...to rival the Oriental.

Interesting times on the river.

[pkrv]

Looking back at the original post - bohemian - can describe any person who lives an unconventional artistic life, where self-expression is the highest value — that art (acting, poetry, writing, singing, dancing, painting etc) is a serious and main focus of their life.

I have heard the terms Hi-so and Hi-sor, but is there an intellectual equivalent of a Bohemian within Thai culture?

[pampal]

Supalai River Place is in thonburi and has decent prices