Recommended expat areas?

[Skyhook]

I lived in Sai Kung for a number of years, and would say it doesn't get much more expat centric than that.

When you are sitting in Steamers next, or Jaspa's, or Anthony's catch, or Cru, Hebe 101, the Duke of York, or any of the many other expat owned Sai Kung cafe's bars and restaurants in the area Booky. Take particular notice and count how many non Chinese people you see wandering around on a week night in SK town, compared to how many locals there are.

As Carang who lives in Sai Kung states, there isn't much difference in the demographics, it's largely the same types of people, all for the same reasons, living there.. Be that DB, Shek O, Tai Po, Stanley, Gold Coast or Sai Kung.. Space and view being the main attractions.

[drumbrake]

Yes, shops inside a giant indoor podium, all owned by the same landlord, designed to keep residents captive consumers. I meant there are no shops at street level. You can't even walk around on the streets. Getting to TST by foot is an exercise in frustration.

For me West Kowloon is one of the worst examples of town planning I have seen, and as it was all built on a blank canvas (new reclamation) there are no excuses for how it's turned out.

Agree totally, but unfortunately I fear it is a blue print for the way our government and their close pals the property cartels would prefer us to live in the future.

[Allicat]

Goodness know why I'm doing this. Anyway.... I live in TSt, love it, but I met this English guy and his parents who were visiting. He is young, lives in Mid-Levels, been here a year and never heard of Sai Kung, Cheung Chau etc. This is not a bad thing (we are all so caught up in what we are doing), it was just the mention that he took everywhere by cab, didn't talk to the locals etc, that this is what makes me feel sad. HK is a fab place, and to each his/her own, but sometimes the best memories are off the 'beaten' track.

[carang]

allicat, that is exactly my point. many here live that kind of life and then look down on those that choose to live in places like DB.

as for why i chose db... it had NOTHING to do with being populated by so many expats.

1) safe for children
2) great for dogs
3) more space, less rent
4) convenient
5) friendly
6) laid-back, relaxed feeling
7) great community

personally, you couldn't pay me to live in mongkok... i HATE it and only go when i absolutely have no other choice. i have lived in many, many places in my time here, including hung hom, tst, jordan, hk island, sai kung and db.... and of all of them... i liked db the best. but that's just me.

[PDLM]

I lived in Sai Kung for a number of years, and would say it doesn't get much more expat centric than that.

I know many people here seem to have an aversion to statistics, but in the by-census of 2006 the population of Sai Kung district was approximately 406,000. Of these just over 15,000 (i.e. less than 4%) spoke anything other than Chinese as their first language. This is pretty much exactly the average figure for Hong Kong as a whole (3.9%). Bear in mind that this figure includes all the domestic helper population.

However, within Sai Kung District...
Sai Kung Central: 282/12700 (2.2%)
Pak Sha Wan: 1601/14512 (11%)
Sai Kung Islands: 1707/11026 (15%)
Hang Hau East: 3081/13973 (22%)
Hang Hau West: 1444/16993 (8.5%)
Wan Po: 1071/28459 (3.8%)
Tseung Kwan O centre: 1368/31293 (4.4%)
Kin Choi: 460/35946 (1.3%)
Tsui Lam: 50/19571 (0.2%)
Hong King: 500/19690 (2.5%)
Po Lam: 200/17870 (1.1%)
Yan Ying: 441/20281 (2.2%)
Wan Hang: 630/19271 (3.3%)
Fu Yu: 440/18145 (2.4%)
Tak Ming: 332/20375 (1.6%)
Po Hong: 540/29317 (1.8%)
Sheung Tak: 220/20897 (1.1%)
Kwong Ming: 230/18398 (1.3%)
King Lam: 180/19277 (0.9%)
Hau Tak: 240/19247 (1.2%)

So for a high expat ratio HAng Hau East is clearly the place to be, but even that has only just over half the proportion of expats as Discovery Bay does (see below).

The figure for Islands District (including Lantau, DB, Lamma, Cheung Chau, etc) was 13,700 out of 137,000 (i.e. almost exactly 10%). For Discovery Bay (a subset of that) 5,500 out of 14,600 (i.e. 38%). For Lamma it is about 18%. For Tung Chung New Town 10%.

The highest expat (non-Chinese first language) population I can find (as a percentage at District level) is in "Marine" (i.e. those living on boats). Here it was 742 out of 3066 (almost 1 in 4, 25%).

For some other Districts (000s)
Kowloon City 21.6/362 = 6%
Yau Tsim Mong 22.6/381 = 6%
Southern 23.1/275 = 8%

You can do similar analysis by ethnicity. If, for example, we take "white" then there were only 36,384 people claiming that ethnicity in HK at the census date in 2006 (interestingly 1.8 white males for every white female...). Of these whites, 55% live on HK Island, 10% in Kowloon and 35% in the New Territories.

Source: various files available here: Publications and Products of the 06BC