Best city in Gyeongsangnamdo or Chungnam??

[kiwikimchi]

Not sure if this is in the right place or not tp post this.

I have a choice of public school jobs from either Gyeongsangnamdo province (Changwon, Masan, Yangsan, Jinju, Sacheon, Goseong)

or Chungnam province (Cheonan, Ansan, Seosan, Gongju)

I am after a city that offers hiking, good social life and fun things to do. But most importantly a larger friendly NET community where I can meet lots of different people and make friends. I'm a social drinker and like the odd night out but my party days are behind me now being 30.

Changwon sounds like a good mix of not too big and not too small and close to Busan.
Masan sounds horrible.
Can any one living in these places give me any advice?

[MasanMan]

You're horrible.

[kiwikimchi]

  LOL  Sorry for Offending your beloved Masan.
 I was only going by what I read on some discussion boards. Is Masan OK? Must be pretty close to Chanwon by the sounds of things.

[Cereal]

I live close to Jinju and go there fairly often. It's a cool small city with a good downtown core with lots to do and small enough that you can walk around.

[MasanMan]

I have lived in Masan for over 3 years now. It is actually part of Changwon now and a lot of things are being fixed up, redone and cleaned up thanks to the money pouring in from Changwon. There are lots of foreigners in both cities and plenty of things to do. Masan has the big stores and western restaurants like Changwon. Masan is more country and laidback. In my own opinion, the Changwon western bars are overcrowded and the people there have a tendency to be more aggressive. If you want a little quieter life come to Masan. You can always go to Changwon or Busan (buses to Busan run every 20 minutes and it is only a 30 minute ride) for a wild night out. If you want to live in a bigger city with more foriegners and more excitment, go to Changwon.

I have only visited Goseng, but it seemed to be a nice sleeply little town except when the dino expo is in full swing.

[lotte world]

As someone else said, Masan is now Changwon, but I think it's still quite distinct.  Both are fine as small cities go.  Jinju is really nice.  The others are all a bit smaller.  Can't comment on Chungnam, but it's closer to Seoul, if that appeals.

I am in a small rural town in the northern part of Gyeongsangnamdo (or Gyeongnam for short).  Your experience will be unique, but probably similar to most of us here.

Joiiiiinnnnn uuuuuuusssssss.

[akempster88]

I'm in a tiny little town called Taean in Chungnam, like you I wanted a city so was abit gutted when I ended up in Taean. But I actually think its pretty awesome here!
Out of the cities you've mentioned in Chungnam, I've been to Asan, Cheonan and Seosan. Cheonan was ace, biggest city in Chungnam I think - definitely recommend it. Asan and Seosan both have everything you need for medium sized cities, but haven't got the appeal of Cheonan, I don't think. (Although I had an ace night out in Seosan when I went, few great bars and a weirdly cool club called Roma!)
Not been to Gongju, but have heard excellent things. It's a university city and was my first choice of places before I got placed out in the sticks of Taean!
Been to Boryeong a few times too, which is another cool place in Chungnam.

[smippy]

As far as Chungnam goes, I'd recommend Cheonan or Asan. Cheonan is the biggest city in the province besides Daejeon, and it has everything you seem to be looking for. Cheonan has a bus terminal, train station, and the KTX station in Asan, which is only 5 minutes away on the train. It's also connected to the Seoul subway system if that's something that also interests you.

[Rusty Shackleford]

You could do a lot worse than Changwon. It's much better than Masan at least.

[Canonite]

I'd love to know why Masan is "horrible"...please enlighten me :)

[kiwikimchi]

Thanks for the info on these places. Leaning towards Changwon or Jinju.

#IowaNeil. in Changwon, do you mean the native English teachers are aggressive or the local Koreans?
Just that I have read that it can be quite cliquey and hard to get in with a circle there. Not after Highschool dramas, just down to earth people to get along with. Understandably any city could have there cliques though.

Tongyeong looks pretty nice to me. Anyone live there?

[Canonite]

I'd love to know why Masan is "horrible"...please enlighten me :)

:)

[MasanMan]

The foreigners seem to be extra aggressive there.

[sunshinefiasco]

When I was in Jinju for the latern festival, it felt small, but seemed lovely-- I caught myself thinking that if I could get used to the idea of only having 60 or so foreigners around, that living there could be really nice.

[Canonite]

The foreigners seem to be extra aggressive there.

Aggressive? How?

I live on the outskirts, and hang out with tons of Masan people and we have a great time. I'm pretty sure than a bunch of foreigners getting together for the weekly game nights, for example, is about as far from aggressive as you can get. Yet, interestingly, I haven't seen out out at any such event.

I'm curious as to what list of events led you and the OP to such conclusions...

sunshinefiasco: I've been to Jinju a fair number of times and have always been impressed...seems like a neato little city :)

[Harpoinseoul]

I have visited many of the places listed. But visiting is not the same as living. Might I suggest that those who live in one of the cities talk about some of the advantages and disadvantages of being there? That might help clarify things. BTW, myself, I love ASAN for all the sulfuric saunas pools. I think that rocks!!

[teachermc]

Tongyeong looks pretty nice to me. Anyone live there?

Just started my second year in Tongyeong and previously lived in Yongin (south of Seoul).  Tongyeong is beautiful.  The city has a mix of small town housing and planned areas.  There is not a very large foreigner community here by Changwon standards, but those who are here are great and have a lot of experience.  It is also close to Geoje, which has a much more diverse foreign community due to the shipyards.

I am here for the scenery and the clean air.  Lots of great hiking, camping, and swimming locally.  You can also ferry out to the dozen or so islands within the Hallyeo Maritime Park.

Some pictures here.

Tongyeong Foreigner group here.

[MasanMan]

The foreigners seem to be extra aggressive there.

Aggressive? How?

I live on the outskirts, and hang out with tons of Masan people and we have a great time. I'm pretty sure than a bunch of foreigners getting together for the weekly game nights, for example, is about as far from aggressive as you can get. Yet, interestingly, I haven't seen out out at any such event.

I'm curious as to what list of events led you and the OP to such conclusions...

sunshinefiasco: I've been to Jinju a fair number of times and have always been impressed...seems like a neato little city :)

If you read the thread you will realize I am talking about Changwon not Masan.

[Canonite]

The foreigners seem to be extra aggressive there.

Aggressive? How?

I live on the outskirts, and hang out with tons of Masan people and we have a great time. I'm pretty sure than a bunch of foreigners getting together for the weekly game nights, for example, is about as far from aggressive as you can get. Yet, interestingly, I haven't seen out out at any such event.

I'm curious as to what list of events led you and the OP to such conclusions...

sunshinefiasco: I've been to Jinju a fair number of times and have always been impressed...seems like a neato little city :)

If you read the thread you will realize I am talking about Changwon not Masan.

Gotcha...sorry, your post of foreigners being aggressive came right after my question as to why the beef with Masan, hence the misunderstanding.

As for Changwon...yeah, it has its fair share of tools (perhaps more so than Masan), but I've met some truly awesome people who live in Changwon as well as Masan...it's a big community, there will be all sorts, I guess.

[wtoddm]

Not sure if this is in the right place or not tp post this.

I have a choice of public school jobs from either Gyeongsangnamdo province (Changwon, Masan, Yangsan, Jinju, Sacheon, Goseong)

or Chungnam province (Cheonan, Ansan, Seosan, Gongju)

I am after a city that offers hiking, good social life and fun things to do. But most importantly a larger friendly NET community where I can meet lots of different people and make friends. I'm a social drinker and like the odd night out but my party days are behind me now being 30.

Changwon sounds like a good mix of not too big and not too small and close to Busan.
Masan sounds horrible.
Can any one living in these places give me any advice?

I live in Jinju, teach in Sacheon, have visited both Masan and Changwon.

From my experience, Jinju is the bomb. Our foreign community is big enough to not feel obligated to attend every event, yet small enough to always have see a friendly nod of the head from a new face. There's the castle, hiking, several universities, lots of bars, good shopping (for the necessities), lots of food choices, and did I mention the awesome Waygooks? Oh yeah, I did.
We also have all kinds of churches (nondemoninational, Mormon, catholic, Methodist...) if that matters to you... but then again, if Jinju does, surely the others do too.
Another unforeseen gem of living here is the fact that Jinju is the regional hub, west of our capital city of Changwon, which means buses to ALL major cities (and most off-shoots) go every 30 minutes or sooner (every 15 to Busan which is between an hour to 1 hour forty-five minutes away depending on traffic).

Sacheon is tiny but a great vibe. There are other waygooks that work in the aviation industries. Great biking and hiking abound. Samcheonpo is beautiful, clean, and has an adorable beach and lots of parks. I'm so happy I teach here. But, I'm so glad I live in Jinju.

Masan is okay, but just a bustling Korean city, nothing fancy. The foreigners there are seemingly clique-ish, but down for a beer or talk any night of the week.  Changwon has a whole slew of foreigners that aren't just teachers. Lots more of a "big city" feel despite it not being that big of a city.

All in all, they're all great cities. Masan is better than you imagine it to be, based on my friends there. :)
The weather is great in this area. And I live 45 minutes from a small, non-commercial beach in Samcheonpo. You won't feel obligated to go to Busan every weekend.

That's all I've got! Hope it helped!