As about 80 percent of the 5,000-hectare area around the town consists of farmland, and about 70 percent of its 51,000 inhabitants are farmers, Hsilo has inevitably become a leading agricultural center in Taiwan.
它那悠緩的生活步調，與頗具古風的人情味，卻是在大都會生活中難以享受得到的。西螺鎮居民九千多戶，共計五萬一千多人，務農人口佔百分之七十，大多數的鎮民都姓「張廖」。