Best Place to Live
Are you relocating to a new city because of a new job, planning to retire in a fabulous
city or simply want to start a new life in a new town? Regardless of your reasons, you
should never just pack up and move to a new city without knowing if that city is a right
place for you.
You may have seen surveys or publications that show the best places to live and to work
in your country. For example, the top 3 best places to live in US are Raleigh, North
Carolina, Madison Wisconsin, and Austin, Texas according to Employment Review. But these
so-called 'best city to live' may not necessary go well with you as we all have different
lifestyle and personal preference. Here are few important guidelines to help you find your
own 'best' place to live.
Every city has its unique features and special in their own way. It is very important
that you consider the city weather, cost of living, safety, education, health care,
recreational, transportation, cultural offerings and etc that fit your personality, personal
finance, age, interest and lifestyle. For example, a place where four seasons, mountains,
seascapes and lakes are all within easy reach would be idea if you are an outdoor person.
Or, a college town may be good if you have kids that are going to college.
On top of that, you may want consider the risk of the natural disaster to a city, such as
hurricane, earthquake or tornadoes. We all learn, from Hurricane Katrina that hit the Gulf
Coast area in September 2005, that how a natural disaster could destroy your home and
threaten your life overnight!
Additionally, you may want to find out the employment opportunities or the leading
industries in various cities. Make sure you can locate cities that offer the best job
prospects based on your profession or job skill.
Unfortunately, a city with perfect climate, low crime rate, best college, great health
care with abundance of jobs doesn't seems to exist. It is almost impossible to find a
best place to live that meets all your criteria in the real world. However, there are
online tools that help you to narrow down to your idea city based on your criteria. You
can try to find the best places to live at
Real Estate Journal
or Best Places.
You can even try online salary calculators that lets you compare side-by-side the
cost of living of different cities.
Alternatively, you can research the city rankings by various surveys. For example,
Money Magazine's
list the 87 'Hottest Towns' to live in US. You're advised to to gather more
information in your selected cities by checking out local newspaper, Internet or even
the Chambers of Commerce. Lastly, you may consider visit your 'perfect city' several
times during different seasons before you make your final decision. With some effort and
careful research, you'll find the best place to live in no time.
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