Hang Dong or Mae Rim: choosing an area for a family home
Space, schools, getting around and the questions to ask, in two of the most popular areas outside the city.
If you want a house with a garden rather than a condo, you'll probably end up looking at Hang Dong to the south of the city or Mae Rim to the north. Both have bigger plots than you'll find in town, and both are within about half an hour of Nimman. They feel quite different, though.
Hang Dong
Hang Dong runs south along Route 108. A lot of the area's gated housing estates are here, with pool villas and family houses on landscaped streets. It's the closer of the two to the airport, which helps if you travel often.
Everyday shopping is easy along the main road, and Ban Tawai, the woodcarving village, is worth a visit if you're furnishing a house.
Mae Rim
Mae Rim is north of the city along Route 107. It's more rural, with rice fields, orchards and the Mae Sa valley, and houses often come with large gardens or sit on their own plot. Nakornping Hospital is on the main road through the district.
If you want quiet and mountain views and don't mind a longer drive into town, Mae Rim is hard to beat.
How to choose
- Work out where you'll drive most days, for school, work or shopping, and try the route at rush hour before you decide.
- Visit in the rainy season if you can, or ask whether the street or the estate has ever flooded.
- In a gated estate, ask about the monthly fee and what it covers, such as security, the road and the common areas.
- For a house on its own plot, check the road access, the water supply and how reliable the electricity is.
Whichever side of the city you choose, the smoky season from around February to April affects the whole valley, so it's worth planning for air purifiers either way.
Have a look at our Hang Dong and Mae Rim guides and the listings in each.
