How to Learn About Your New City Before You Move
A new city is a land of opportunity! Moving to a new city is a chance to explore, make new friends, learn about history, and try new activities. But it can be a daunting task to begin. To make things easier, find out about your new city before you move.
1. A New City by the Numbers
Many cities offer plenty of information on their websites. Check your city website for information on events, parks, trash removal, transportation, and jobs. The city will likely link you to booster organizations and the Chamber of Commerce, too. Those sites can give you real meat-and-potatoes information about local businesses, shops, restaurants, etc.
2. Look into New Neighborhoods
Check out different neighborhoods before you decide where to live.
- City-Data.com profiles cities with statistics like income levels and cost of living.
- NeighborhoodScout offers plenty of detail about demographics, schools, crime, and real estate.
- StreetAdvisor takes the TripAdvisor approach of ratings and reviews.
- Concerned about your new commute? Plus the route into Google’s traffic overview to get traffic estimates for rush hour.
- CrimeReports, Family Watchdog, and SpotCrime help you pinpoint where the undesirable action is.
3. Learn About Schools in Your New City
Educate yourself about schools to pinpoint the best neighborhood in your new city for kids.
- Find out the rules at your local Board of Education. Many schools have individual websites, too.
- GreatSchools ranks schools, mostly based on standardized test scores. And residents add their own reviews, which can be very helpful.
4. Put Your Finger on Your New City’s Pulse
- Subscribe to your new city’s newspaper. Most newspapers have an online-only version if you don’t want the paper version. But the paper version will give you even more details about events, and local news items, and you’ll get the store flyers so you know where to shop.
- Local weekly or monthly publications help you find out about events, theater, restaurants, etc.
- To get a taste of the interests of your new city’s residents, check out meetup.om. Chances are you’ll find people who share your own interests, and you can plug right in.
5. Check User Forums for News of Your New City
Hear the news straight from the horses’ mouth: the residents of your new city.
- Facebook and Instagram groups can help you hear from members of your new community.
- City subreddit lists on Reddit drill down to peek right into your new city.
- Nextdoor connects neighbors in a private networking site to learn what’s going on in your new area.
As you prepare for your move, don’t forget to call Few Moves Moving Company at (919) 999-6201 In Raleigh or (910) 512-6999 in Wilmington, NC. We’re standing by to help with all your moving needs as you get ready to move to a new city!
