You've read about the capital city of the Philippines. I've also published the one about the four business districts in the National Capital Region (NCR). This time we go to the other three cities in my article series! Oh yeah.
For better context and to understand more of the little things in the article, kindly read the first and second part if you haven't yet. If you're already done reading the two then let's proceed!
This time I won't be putting much of the real estate pricing and such here.
♦️ Greenhills in the City of San Juan
Welcome to one of the shopping havens of NCR! Greenhills is very popular to the middle class as opposed to Divisoria in Manila City or Baclaran in Pasay City. Of course there are many other differences but that one is definitely how it differentiates itself from the two, imho.
Even local and foreign celebrities are spotted here. Some go shopping and malling in this area too.
In terms of living here, well if you'd rather not stay within the business districts then this is your best option . It doesn't have a lot of malls, just one big one is enough. There are also several condominiums there now for you to choose from.
Greenhills Shopping Center is being redeveloped by Ortigas Land so future residential properties will definitely be up for grabs. If you wanna get in on the latest preselling ones you can definitely ask me about it. Rental properties are available too of course. 😁
The best thing about being in Greenhills has something to do with Feng Shui. There are many Chinese-Filipinos or Filipino-Chinese people living in this area too. Why? Because they consider it as a very lucky place.
This is why aside from Chinatown in Manila, you will find a community of Fil-Chi people here. It's true, I've worked in the area and saw a number of them. Also encountered clients living in Manila who consider Greenhills as another place to live in.
When I did some telemarketing and found out the person lives in Manila, they don't want Ortigas or Quezon City. If I mention Greenhills though it's like their ears perk up. 😆 They then become interested and ask me details about the properties.
Outside of this area, at the outskirts are the upscale houses in various gated subdivisions. Each are considered as places where the upper class or wealthy people live. The good thing about living here is it is close to Ortigas and Quezon City.
There are also exclusive universities in Greenhills. No need to go too far. Some people even buy properties in the area just because their children will go to college.
This part of the city and the surrounding areas are definitely more laid back than the top business districts. So whether you are a businessman who prefer less hustle and bustle or are just a family looking for a new place to call home, you can definitely live and/or do business in this area. 😉
♦️ The Shoe Capital of the Philippines: City of Marikina!
Why is it the Shoe Capital? Well because shoe artisans proliferated here since the 20th century. Marikina used to be part of Rizal province however with the continued progress it eventually became a city in 1996. To celebrate it's well-known industry, they hold a three-month shoe festival! Fantastic right?
If you want to live in the "cleanest and most disciplined city" in NCR then this is the place to be. It is known as such because one of the best mayors they had was able to transform it to earn that moniker.
This place is perfect for those who prefer to live in houses and subdivisions. If you like the mountains then you can live here too. Marikina is one of the nearest cities to Sierra Madre (mountain range) in Rizal province.
Take note, it is not where you go if you want to live in high rise condominiums. A fault line can be found running through it so most buildings are only mid-rise for safety reasons.
Of course it is not the only city with the West Valley Fault Line through it. Massive earthquakes rarely happen in NCR. Significant and noticeable ones are also not felt often. Newer properties by top developers near and around it in various cities have the necessary precautions taken in consideration. This is in anticipation for "The Big One," a massive earthquake predicted to happen anytime soon.
Also, don't choose to live near the Marikina River. It might overflow when there's a super typhoon. Especially when the dam needs to release water, it will flow to the river and bam! 😅
Although of course your best choice would be to find and choose to live in an already elevated condominium. There are plenty that didn't get affected by the terrible floods since the developer had taken the past flooding problems into account. You'll be safe in those well-planned residential buildings within mixed use communities. 😉 (Oh wait I think the property I'm thinking of is not in Marikina... 😆 Oh well.)
Despite such grim thoughts some people may be thinking, many still live peacefully, happily and proudly in Marikina. Who wouldn't be proud if not following the rules/laws means someone will be fined and such. Marikeños are one of a kind because they have the discipline most of us don't and they are proud of it. Awesome right?
Perhaps being a model citizen can be best learned in Marikina City.
♦️ The City of Stars: Quezon City!
Ah yes, Quezon City (QC) is the biggest and most populous city in NCR. You can choose to live anywhere, for real. There are many places to visit. There are various malls, hospitals and government offices here too.
Did you know, last year I was able to bike from QC to Greenhills and back? That was around 18 kms! Boy it wasn't that easy for a non-athletic person like me. All I can say is, thank goodness the bike lanes are much better now. Haha.
Anyway since the big TV entertainment offices are in QC, it is known as the city of stars. If you also want to be a celebrity you can live here so you are closer to the TV networks.
Actually there are too many things in here to mention so I can’t really say where you should live. Lol. There are more houses and townhouses here than condominiums because there are plenty of space for villages! There are luxury and gated subdivisions and ordinary ones as well.
In order to choose where the best place to live in is, you can also base it on where you will be or are working. If you are a work at home person though, that's gonna be harder to pinpoint since I don't know much about you. Haha.
What else can you find in QC?
Aside from what I mentioned above, you can find the following too:
Parks and museums
Government offices like the Congress of the Philippines.
Prestigious and specialty hospitals like the Heart or Lung Center. There are even those specializing in kidneys or bones.
World-renowned public or exclusive private universities and schools.
Banawe Street, the auto parts capital of the Philippines, also the Chinatown of QC.
And many more!
Perhaps I will write a more detailed one soon but for now this is all I can share about Quezon City.
♦️ What About The Other 8 Cities Plus 1 Municipality?
I can’t enumerate each one for you but since I have given you some idea you can just continue your online research on the other cities as well. It is better to check things on your own based on your preferences.
Mostly the cities in the south and up north aren't mentioned here since I don't know much about those. Haven't been to the other cities yet and I also don't have enough time now to write about each even if I've been there. Haha.
Would love to write more but am not sure how busy I will be in the coming days. Got to live my life too. Haha. I should be finishing packing but here I am finishing this article instead. 😅
If you are wondering about crime and all that, everywhere in the world there is crime happening. No place is safe if we’d like to be paranoid about living. Hehe. Just don’t live in squatters areas of course, maybe they will get attracted to your $$$. Who knows?
Generally speaking we Filipinos are peace loving citizens. Heck people even vote the late dictator’s children to office! WTF. Ugh too kind I say, we are being abused by notable public elected officials and yet there are many who think they are still worth voting for. Tsk.
Anyway should you plan to live in Metro Manila, also check on the history of our country. You’ll find plenty of articles online and videos on YouTube and Facebook.
If English is not your first language, not to worry, you can learn it with us! Many foreigners come here to learn English. Almost everyone can understand it but there are still those who cannot converse fluently.
Heck this is becoming a novel so that’s all. Hope this helps!
Let me know if you have questions, and I will try my best to answer? Hahaha. Google is also your friend. 😆
XOXO,
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Lead image is mine.
Two Metro Manila travel articles you might be interested in:
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Hope to visit all the places you've mentioned. I never been there before.. hope I could won a lottery lotto hahhaha