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Anything wrong with Kowloon Tong?

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  1. #1

    Anything wrong with Kowloon Tong?

    Hi,

    I'm an Aussie moving to HK later this year. We have two young boys who will probably attend the Australian School. So the most convenient spot to live looks like Kowloon Tong. It seems like a nice neighbourhood on my one short visit and it would make the trip to school short for the kids while only being a MTR trip from Central for me.

    Today I was chatting to a friend who lived for years in HK and he said he wouldn't recommend Kowloon Tong because there weren't many expats there and so my wife (who will be home with a new baby next year) won't have any other Aussies to hang out with and could be lonely. He suggested Happy Valley or North Point as better options.

    So my questions is whether this is an accurate picture of Kowloon Tong? I'm not expecting and wouldn't really want to live in a Aussie ghetto (we do that at home) but it'd be nice if there were local expat mothers groups and some of our kids' school friends lived nearby. Surely I can't be the only Aussie who thinks it might be a good idea to live near the school??

    More generally, I've been told that over the past decade a lot more expats have started to live in Kowloon rather than the Island. Is this right? Might my friend just be out of date?

    All advice gratefully received.

    Thanks,

    Nick


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    Gold Coast Marina
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    That sounds like utter crap to me. Kowloon Tong is as much an expat place as anywhere (there are no really expat places in HK, except perhaps DB which is very inconvenient for you); it's an expensive place to live, close to international schools, good shopping in Festival Walk and close to the hills - plenty of expats choose to live there.


  3. #3

    Join Date
    May 2010
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    4,713

    There are expats everywhere in hong kong. From tuen moon to chueng Kwan , fanling to Aberdeen. I tripped over 2 in to kwa wan to day.


  4. #4

    Join Date
    Feb 2011
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    Tai Wai, NT
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    We are moving from the US in June. My kids will be attending AIS (which is right up the street from your school). We have looked at dozens of apartments in Kowloon Tong as well as the other areas within school bus range. We met several expat families during our stay who are in the same exact situation. Kowloon Tong is just a good a place as any for an expat with a young family to live (in my opinion). Good luck with your transition.


  5. #5

    Join Date
    Feb 2010
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    7,441

    I see foreigners all the time in the New Territories as well as Kowloon Tong. There is a good shopping centre there too, Festival Walk.

    There are many foreigners though that won't come to the dark side of Kowloon (more to do with they don't know about it!) so your wife will probably have to travel to Soho for their her tea parties.


  6. #6

    Join Date
    Feb 2009
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    My son goes to the Australian school in year 1. I can tell you with absolute 100% certainty that the Aussie school families live all over the place. This is based on the fact that every bloody week my son gets another one of his friends birthday party invites and in the last few months alone I have been dragged along to 6yo kids parties everywhere from Aberdeen, to Tung Chung, Clear Water Bay, Ma on Shan, Central, Causeway Bay.

    bryant.english likes this.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    HK
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    14,624

    KT is "FULL" of expat. Maybe not as much as HK south or MidLevels but it certainly has a sizeable expat population. The difference is MidLevels is mostly young professionnals, HK South Rich Expat Families in business related to Banking....and Kowloon Tong Expat families in business related to Education, shipping...


  8. #8

    I've lived in Kowloon Tong for many years. Nothing wrong with it.
    There are plenty of westerners all over Hong Kong and as far as I know, no lack of them in KT. You might just have to search harder. (Compared to somewhere like Sai Kung, Discovery Bay, etc).


  9. #9

    Join Date
    Jun 2010
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    American School is down the road from Aussie school so that would also suggest a large expat community in that area...


  10. #10

    Thanks all for your speedy advice! I can't wait to get packing.