what was the main reason for moving or planning to move to udon thani
I came here because I am building a house for my wife in sung dow
after it completed I don't know what I will do stay in udon or go south to Jomtien or move to vietnam but my options are on the table with my wife approval LOL

i came her cuz jans folks lived in naglang about 70 ks west , and there was less than a snowball in hells chance of me living the village life, i told her, no way pedro. if i move to thailand udon is about as isolated as i wanna be . she said ok and that was that. having moved here i really do like it, i liked it more then cuz it was quieter with much less farangs, you know, kids would point at you and hide behind there parents when they walked past . but still happy here non the less.

Taking all things considered, udon Thani was one of the best designed cities, BKK and Chiang mai although good, polluted,
pattaya, phuket, and similar places too much hassle going even for a quiet drink.
south getting more commercialised, so udon seemed perfect. yes getting busier but not in the same way as down south, still peaceful at night and pleasant during the day.

hmm, stangely, i agree with you once just a bit familiar, it does seem easy to negotiate thru town, even compared to KK and Korat, let alone bkk or CM, which i prefer not to drive in. unless CM changed, last 6 yrs, though doubtful for the better, i really didn't care for it much, then wasn't too bad to find way around.

sadly reason for Udon was classic horror story, meet gal on holiday, come here because of family, divorce gal from holiday. hang out to long, and warmed up to Udon, throw in a couple surprises, and all is good. WBU, udon campus doctorate earned, paid for, expensive, but cheaper than many. the rest is history.

udon has just the right mix for me. though living closer to town really isn't doing anything for me except saving me some driving time every day. when making the almost weekly stop at the 'country house', to make sure still there and cut the grass, i miss it. did i mention it was still for sale, though if no sale, i won't be that disappointed next year if i move back in. i definitely prefer the country living, and i'm still 6 kms out of city limits.

Hi,
Thai GF had a house in Korat, she wanted me to live there but after 2 days with all the family, four houses next to each dther I said no. Went up to Udon where her sister lives, to visit, fell in love with the place and bought a new house 6 Kilos from center of Udon, I like a bit of piece and quiet, never looked back been here since Dec. 2005. and very happy.
Cheers Doug

When I first started thinking of moving to thailand I planned to go to Chiang Mai. Then I came across udonmap.com and got the idea that Udon would be a good place to start as it isn't a tourist destination and I would be able to learn more about living in the real thailand rather than a tourist area. Also because I knew with other farang living here I could get help and advice if I needed it.
I'm now in my second year here. I have a Thai girlfriend here now, but she wasn't my reason for coming here. I like the slower pace of life here.

I was working out of my office in BKK and the Mrs. flew to me every week on her days off. now we getting older and want to settle, I decided to move to Udon and fly to BKK whenever needed. Why living in Udon:

1. Its a quiet place to live
2. Better air quality
3. No aggravating traffic jams
4. Mrs. her home town
5. Non touristic
6. Easy access to airport

Agree with all those comments and also not too far a way from the country and you could sit in relative peace and quiet in the middle of nowhere.
And on top of all that Thais are friendlier here than in a lot of other places.

I came here 3yrs ago to return a truck I'd rented after spending a month exploring the Death Railway and locating the grave of my great uncle who sadly shuffled off from his mortal coil under the supervision of the Japs
Met the Wife to be and enrolled into the WBU
We stay here because of the friendly, layed back, relaxed atmosphere that is hard to find in many other citys...... Also all the family are 500km away in Surin and the wife likes it that way

My story.
We wanted to buy a place in Bandung, that sale went tits up, because there was something wrong with the vendors chanote. We went back to the village with our tail between our legs. Then one of my Thai friends got in touch with us, who works for Kasikorn Bank. He showed us a repo he had in the bank, which we bought.
It's the best thing I've ever done, a townhouse in a nice neighbourhood and almost next door to Nong Prajak Park. We also got 1 rai of land in the centre of Khon Kaen as part of the deal, and the banks lawyer sorted out all the paperwork.
Got to agree with Guns about the Thai's being friendly in Udon, so much different from London where everyone tries to ignore each other. In our soi we have such nice neighbours.
Watching Udon change over the years, we have everything here now. I can remember just two car hire places in the city, and you only had Big C and nothing else in the way of shops where everything has a price ticket. Shopping, Eating Out, and Entertainment have improved a lot. Plus we have one of the best Thai related forums in Udonmap.