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chadrory
Joined: 20 Dec 2007
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 Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:09 pm Post subject: Nowon-gu... How is it? |
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For those of you living or have lived in Nowon, how is or was it?
Thanks! |
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polonius
Joined: 05 Jun 2004
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| Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 3:53 pm Post subject: |
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It depends on what you look for from a neighbourhood. I am gathering from another post I read that you will be in the Junggye area, near the school you are applying for. Nowon is a really big area, so it really depends on where in Nowon. If it is Junngye, I have been here for almost 6 years, and have really enjoyed it. You can find all that you need in the local area. There are lots of good Korean restaurants, western restaurants (bagel shop, hot dog store, usual Mcd. They are opening a starbucks this month. Good grocery shopping not too far. A short cab ride or 15 min walk will get you to the Nowon subway, where you can find some decent bars and restaurants. I am not really the club going person, so I don't care that it is 45 min to Itaewon, or an hour to Hongdae. Good doctors and dentists. There is a mountain right here for you to hike, and a couple gyms.
Mostly it depends on what you like, relative quite, or night life. (Night life isn't here) |
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bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
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| Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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The wife and I almost rented an apartment in that area. It was near the subway, and the air was very dirty. They do have a big department store around there, though.
The impression I got of Nowon was traffic-jam concrete jungle, but I didn't see much of it. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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| Nowon is okay. If you find you're spending most of your off time downtown, it's a bit of a hike down the subway. But it's pretty convenient for grocery stores. They're actually opening a starbucks in unheng sagari. Geepers. |
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Thunndarr
Joined: 30 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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| bassexpander wrote: |
The wife and I almost rented an apartment in that area. It was near the subway, and the air was very dirty. They do have a big department store around there, though.
The impression I got of Nowon was traffic-jam concrete jungle, but I didn't see much of it. |
Given that Nowon is on the outskirts of Seoul, you would almost certainly find the air cleaner than almost any other part of the city. It seems like you only saw the area immediately surrounding the Nowon subway station (and if that's the case, take a look around most subway stops, they aren't exactly located in pastoral settings.)
Nowon is, relatively speaking, a newer part of the city. It was developed roughly 20 years ago. Now, Koreans will tell you that Nowon is old, but what they mean is that the buildings are "old" because in other parts of the city newer apartment blocks are springing up all over the place. So be it. However, due to the fact that it was developed relatively recently it has things not found in many parts of the city such as parks, well-thought out roads, actual sidewalks, trees, etc. And if you live in Junggye, you'll live within walking distance of hiking areas.
The downside is that it takes a while to travel to certain other "hotspots" in the city. If you're keen on drinking in Hongdae or Itaewon, then the travel times will be a pain in your ass.
Anyway, if you can live with longer trips to downtown, then Nowon is a great area to live. |
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HapKi
Joined: 10 Dec 2004
Location: TALL BUILDING-SEOUL
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cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 4:52 pm Post subject: |
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Koreans love this joke:
Why do is it called "Nowon-gu"?
Because no one wants to live there!
Yeah, it's lame. But Koreans don't see the punchline coming and always get a kick out of it. Try it. |
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faster
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Thunndarr wrote: |
| bassexpander wrote: |
The wife and I almost rented an apartment in that area. It was near the subway, and the air was very dirty. They do have a big department store around there, though.
The impression I got of Nowon was traffic-jam concrete jungle, but I didn't see much of it. |
Given that Nowon is on the outskirts of Seoul, you would almost certainly find the air cleaner than almost any other part of the city. It seems like you only saw the area immediately surrounding the Nowon subway station (and if that's the case, take a look around most subway stops, they aren't exactly located in pastoral settings.)
Nowon is, relatively speaking, a newer part of the city. It was developed roughly 20 years ago. Now, Koreans will tell you that Nowon is old, but what they mean is that the buildings are "old" because in other parts of the city newer apartment blocks are springing up all over the place. So be it. However, due to the fact that it was developed relatively recently it has things not found in many parts of the city such as parks, well-thought out roads, actual sidewalks, trees, etc. And if you live in Junggye, you'll live within walking distance of hiking areas.
The downside is that it takes a while to travel to certain other "hotspots" in the city. If you're keen on drinking in Hongdae or Itaewon, then the travel times will be a pain in your ass.
Anyway, if you can live with longer trips to downtown, then Nowon is a great area to live. |
A lot of your info (clean air, outskirts, not part of the city) is a bit outdated - Nowon is one of the most populous districts of Seoul, and is in the same Mountain valley as the rest of the city (so the pollution doesn't really have a secret escape route pre-Nowon).
Nowon does have parks & stuff though, as do other "newer" areas (Mok Dong being a more upscale example). |
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Thunndarr
Joined: 30 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 12:32 am Post subject: |
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| faster wrote: |
A lot of your info (clean air, outskirts, not part of the city) is a bit outdated - Nowon is one of the most populous districts of Seoul, and is in the same Mountain valley as the rest of the city (so the pollution doesn't really have a secret escape route pre-Nowon).
Nowon does have parks & stuff though, as do other "newer" areas (Mok Dong being a more upscale example). |
1. Nowon is one of the most populous districts in Seoul because it is also one of the largest. It's population density seems to be average for the city. However, walk around a bit, and you'll certainly realize that it feels much less crowded than a lot of other areas.
2. I never claimed the air was clean. I said it was cleaner than many other parts of the city. And if you can provide a logical explanation for why a district on the edge of a city would have more pollution than the city center, I'm all ears.
3. Here's how outdated my information is. I woke up this morning, looked out the window just to double check, and sure enough, I do live in Nowon.
PS. Where did I say that Nowon wasn't a part of the city? And if you need proof that is indeed on the outskirts of the city, then check a map. |
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faster
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 3:17 am Post subject: |
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| Thunndarr wrote: |
| faster wrote: |
A lot of your info (clean air, outskirts, not part of the city) is a bit outdated - Nowon is one of the most populous districts of Seoul, and is in the same Mountain valley as the rest of the city (so the pollution doesn't really have a secret escape route pre-Nowon).
Nowon does have parks & stuff though, as do other "newer" areas (Mok Dong being a more upscale example). |
1. Nowon is one of the most populous districts in Seoul because it is also one of the largest. It's population density seems to be average for the city. However, walk around a bit, and you'll certainly realize that it feels much less crowded than a lot of other areas.
2. I never claimed the air was clean. I said it was cleaner than many other parts of the city. And if you can provide a logical explanation for why a district on the edge of a city would have more pollution than the city center, I'm all ears.
3. Here's how outdated my information is. I woke up this morning, looked out the window just to double check, and sure enough, I do live in Nowon.
PS. Where did I say that Nowon wasn't a part of the city? And if you need proof that is indeed on the outskirts of the city, then check a map. |
1. Doesn't feel much less crowded than other areas to me, and didn't when I lived there briefly in 2002, either. I walked around quite a bit and didn't mind living there, but I never felt it was any nicer than most other parts of the city.
2. Any difference is surely negligible.
3. See 1. I think the fact that you live there actually weakens your case a little. I don't have a horse in this race; you do.
PS: That's correct. I was wrong--for some reason I thought Uijeongbu and Namyangju were within the city limits. They sure feel like they are--which is why Nowon never felt like much of an outskirt to me: it's surrounded on all sides by "city." |
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Hanson
Joined: 20 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 4:06 am Post subject: |
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I lived there for a few years a few years back, near Taerung (Taenung), and it's a fairly nice neighborhood. I did notice it was always a few degrees colder there than in central Seoul, especially in the winter - more elevation?
There are a few good mountains for hiking nearby, and nightlife is available near Nowon station, but I never went there much (Dragon?). |
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HapKi
Joined: 10 Dec 2004
Location: TALL BUILDING-SEOUL
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| Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 4:09 am Post subject: |
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| Nowon is a nice place. It's got easy access to 4 subway lines, and can put you downtown in 30 minutes (Nowon to crosstown Shinchon in about an hour). Around Nowon Station you'll find all sorts of foreign restaurants, including TGIF, Bennigans, Krispy Kreme, and a large Department Store. There's also an Outback. Central commercial areas are Nowon Station, Hagye Station, and EunHaeng Sagari (where most hagwons are located.). The skyline to the North-East are the Dobong Mountains, which are a definite boundary to the city of Seoul. Depending on where you are in Nowon, you'll see more than the average amount of hikers coming/going from day hikes. |
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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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| Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 4:28 am Post subject: |
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| The subway car sign says it all: "nowon left". |
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mack the knife
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: standing right behind you...
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| Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 5:20 pm Post subject: |
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Like the rest of Seoul, Nowon is a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Here's what you can expect in Nowon:
*English teachers who've lived here forever and think they own the joint
*Motorcycle gangs that audibly donkey punch you in the dead of night
*A healthy amount of resentment from the male natives whose wives hand you gobs of money for playing "Life" with the kiddos for an hour
*Pants-on-head retards who think it's "fair" to charge only W30,000 for an hour of aforementioned "Life" sessions, thus inducing a baseline shift in monthly income for everyone else who's trying to make a go of it in this life the miserable pathetic tw*tbombs.
*You'll discover more ethnic diversity in a can of garbanzo beans
*A lion's share of pimps, whoores, and gender-challenged males (particularly around Nowon station)
*A quick and painless death in the event North Korea shoots its wad, as you're only half an hour from the DMZ, as the crow flies
Nowon sparkling! |
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Thunndarr
Joined: 30 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 6:17 pm Post subject: |
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| faster wrote: |
PS: That's correct. I was wrong--for some reason I thought Uijeongbu and Namyangju were within the city limits. They sure feel like they are--which is why Nowon never felt like much of an outskirt to me: it's surrounded on all sides by "city." |
The view from my parking lot.
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