Choosing A Safe Neighborhood To Live In

When you are moving to a new town or city, finding a safe neighborhood for you and your family to live in will be uppermost in your mind. Feeling safe at home is essential to a family's sense of peace and well-being. Here are a few tips to help you determine if a neighborhood you are considering is likely to be a safe place to plant your roots.

-- Go to the best source of information possible about a neighborhood: the local police. Although not all stations keep detailed crime statistics, many of them do. Even if they can't give you actual numbers, local police have their fingers on the pulse of the different areas which they serve. They will know if the street you are considering is in a good area or not, and since they don't have a financial interest (like a realtor does) in whether or not you move in, their advice can be considered impartial.

-- After the police, you should seek information from the next best source: your potential future neighbors. Long-time residents who know their neighbors intimately and who actually live on the street will be able to tell you all about the local feel and flavor even if they are not completely aware of all of the criminal activity. It is a guarantee that they will know if the house next door to yours is a "drug house" or if its residents regularly hold drunken parties.

-- Once you have talked to the police and the residents, it's time to consider your own gut instincts. Make sure to drive around a neighborhood at all hours of the day and evening to get a feel for what's happening there. Do children play in front of their homes and travel freely to other kids' yards? By performing such a simple task, you'll really be able to get a sense of what kinds of activities are occurring in a neighborhood on a daily basis. Take your time and be sensitive to your feelings.

-- If you have children, check out the local schools. Neighborhood safety can be rated based on the schools' standardized test scores, the level of parental involvement, drug and alcohol statistics, and other valuable information.

Good neighborhoods produce good school populations. You may want to request a tour or schedule an appointment with the principal to get the whole scoop. Of course, you should rely on your own powers of observation: plan on visiting when school convenes and dismisses and take note of the kinds of parents and children who make up the school community.

Buying a home or renting in a new area is a big financial and emotional commitment: you want to make sure you are settling where you want to be for a long time to come.