In modern day life during Covid-19, a lot has presented challenges and changes for humanity, yet with the unprecedented world-wide pandemic comes a silver lining. People of all backgrounds, socioeconomic classes, gender, ages, and religion are now afforded more opportunity to investigate where they want to live or relocate. Similarly, for many who postponed plans to relocate, the added �down time� permits extra mental space to focus on finding their best place. To gain an insider perspective on the process of researching where to live, we were lucky to have the opportunity to interview Shane, one of our users who has moved over 25 times. Read on for his wise tips! |
1. What are a couple of things that a town must have in order for it to qualify as one you�d consider moving to? How do you go about researching the amenities and opportunities that towns have before moving? (BP)
The job situation is a big deciding factor weighing the decision to move somewhere for Shane. This factor includes includes variables such as whether he�s transferring, has a job lined up, etc. The cost of living, and access to sports, arts, community events, live music, and other concerts also significantly impact his decision on where to live. Another driver for his decision is the political climate. He also considers economics, weather, and proximity to other areas that he has on his bucket list to visit. For his internet research, Shane often evaluates government statistics on job growth and unemployment. To get a feel of any new place, Shane considers local magazines, newspapers, and websites for the prospective towns. In addition, Shane considers the extent to which corporations and companies are established in the area and he visits those entities� websites.
2. Out of all of the places you�ve lived, what are a few your favorite places and why? (BP)
Hamtramck, Michigan is one of Shane�s favorite places he�s called home thus far. While living in Hamtramck, Shane most appreciated its blue collar, down-to-earth midwestern charm. He also enjoyed its diversity and old school feel. Dunwoody, Michigan and Atlanta, Georgia are other places that Shane enjoyed, which were void of many of the usual pitfalls of being right in the city itself. He liked the suburban aspects and lower crime rates. Additionally, he appreciated that these cities offered affordable apartments, local restaurants and stores, great schools, and a quaint vibe.
Shane also sang praises for Belton and Austin, Texas because of their open spaces, great people and community, nice weather, multitude of job opportunities, and beautiful lake areas.
3. Do you have any tips for deciding where to live that you�d like to share or anything you�d like to add about your experience with the process of researching moving? (BP)
Shane suggested that it�s helpful to try to live like a local and get a feel for the area before moving there. He stressed the importance of being exposed to the new environment before committing to living there. In closing, Shane emphasized that true satisfaction is ultimately measured by whether you can see yourself falling in love with all the place has to offer- not just a job that just happens to be located there. Check out these tools on our website to help you with your BestPlace research!:
1. The Find Your Best Place Quiz- Answer a few simple questions to determine your BestPlace by interacting with a combination of Location-based Artificial Neural Architecture (LANA) and our 30-year-researched weighted hyper-parameters.
2. City Compare Tool- Work towards finding your BestPlace by comparing cities over a dozen categories and 100s of items. |