How to Learn All about a New City Without Ever Leaving Your Old City
Some of us are spending the summer getting ready to move into Davis, some of us are getting ready to move out of Davis, and some of us are sitting around the pool sucking down iced tea.
If you’re not in the latter group, you’re probably plenty curious about your new home. What neighborhood should you move to, what are the crime statistics, which elementary school should you put your kids into, where can you get the best Thais food? There are a lot of online resources to help you get the information you want and need. Lifehacker.com put together an extensive article on the topic consolidtaing that info, which you can read in its entirety here. Below is the first section.
Find and Explore the Best Neighborhoods
Cities and towns are big places, and you’ll probably want an idea of where in town you should live before you even begin looking at stats, prices, and other data. We’ve offered some great tips to help you pin them down, including visiting sites like StreetAdvisor, which is entirely dedicated to neighborhood reviews and information. We’d also suggest checking out neighborhood details on Foursquare or Yelp, even if you’re not specifically looking for nightlife or restaurants—both apps have a wealth of information entered by locals for locals, and don’t be fooled, there are reviews for entire neighborhoods at Yelp, and some of them are both hilarious and useful.
Similarly, City Data offers a wealth of information about the entire city, as well as specific neighborhoods. The site includes cost of living, average home prices, and even local attractions or famous destinations in the area. Plus, their forums are an invaluable resource—a treasure trove of information and locals who are willing to help you decide where in town you’d like to move, visit, or just learn more about. Similarly, Neighborhood Scout can help you learn more about specific neighborhoods once you’ve pinned down a few you’d like to live in. You can start with a bird’s eye view of a city, and then zoom in on popular neighborhoods, up-and-coming ones, or test your luck with neighborhoods that are more affordable but offer a more authentic and less glossy experience. Whatever you’re looking for, both sites will help you find a few neighborhoods you might want to look into.