We are in Zurich (gotta update my location) and looking for a place to live. My husband has a friend who lives in Nanikon and we went out there last weekend. It seems like a great place to be with my 4 year old who loves nature and running around. Myself, I have been tense with her around cars and streets since we got here and it was nice to relax. There is a Migros, Denner, Post, and bakery within walking distance (instead of 1 tram & 1 bus). Basically, it seems great.

So, what's the catch? The S-Bahn stop is right there but it didn't seem too loud at all and it would go to Zurich in 13 minutes every half hour.

What would the downsides of living there be?

And most importantly, I am trying to figure out how to give birth while living there. Do most people go to the city (by train?) or what? I was thinking of a home birth. Does anyone have experience with that in Nanikon or one of the other small towns around Zurich?

So it's now 14 years later and I'm in your shoes :-) Just visited an apartment in Nanikon which seems good for our family. Have you ever moved there ? any experience you can share ?

It looks like a very nice and quiet place, a little too quiet if you ask me. You'll have decent connections with Zurich and Uster, which is the closest and more decently sized town.

I live in Greifensee, which is the village next to Nanikon, and have lived here for almost 13 years. Our close friends live in Nanikon, so we have spent quite a bit of time there (they live in a new apartment building that is situated somewhat across the street from the Spar store there in Nanikon). In fact, we were just there for New Year's Eve.

I know that they very much enjoy living there. It does have a somewhat rural feel to it, but is close enough to Uster and Volketswil, etc. for shopping and is a very short walk to the Nanikon-Greifensee train station. The one thing I did notice is that there seems to be a LOT of new construction going on in that small area, so if construction noise is an issue for you, you might want to be sure you don't move too close to one of the new construction sites there.

Every Spring, there is a chilbi (festival) in Nanikon, which is fun. There are bumper cars and a few small rides for kids and lots of food stalls, etc. They block off Stationstrasse one weekend for it (that's the street that the Volg store is on).

As for this area in general... We absolutely LOVE it. It's so close to the lake (and also the nature pool at Milandia) and is perfect for nice walks or bike rides around the lake or through the countryside or forest and of course, swimming and grilling down at the lake during the warmer season. There are also some really nice grill spots located in the forests around here. We have get-togethers in the forest sometimes, and do marshmallows over the fire, which the kids enjoy.

My son's best friend goes to the primary school in Nanikon (he's in the 4th class now) and I've never heard any complaints from them. They seem happy with the school.

I think Nanikon would be a great place to raise kids as long as your house isn't too close to a busy street so that you can let them play outside without worrying too much. (When our son was younger, I really appreciated that our apartment is located far away from any streets).

Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions or anything.