Congratulations on your new home! This must be an exciting and thrilling time for you as you start to settle in and get an idea of how to adapt to your new living space.
Moving is already stressful as it is, especially if you’re moving to a brand-new place where family and friends are a touch too far to lean on. It may be easy to find comfort in your new place, but what about finding comfort in your new neighborhood?
If you’ve just moved out of state or into a new city, it can be difficult to embrace your surroundings in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar faces. Nonetheless, it can be valuable to try fitting into your community to add you’re your moving experience Whether you’re in a single-family home, condo, townhome, or other residential property, we have several ways to adapt to this new scene and lifestyle as you continue to settle in.
Get to Know Your Neighbors
One of the first steps to adapting to your community is to try to connect with your neighbors. This isn’t always an easy task, as maybe you aren’t used to talking with strangers right off the bat or your neighbors prefer to keep to themselves, which is completely fine! Regardless, it doesn’t hurt to try and introduce yourselves if they haven’t done so already since these will be your neighbors for the next few years or more.
A few ways you can do this are to either knock on their door to introduce yourself or leave a letter at their doorstep in case they aren’t home. If you feel comfortable enough to do this, you can also leave your contact info in the letter to let them know that they can reach out to you should they need anything. You can also meet them “accidentally” such as when you get your mail from a shared mailbox, on trash/recycling day, when you’re taking a stroll around the block with yourself or your family, when you’re walking your dog, or even if you’re on a morning run around the neighborhood. These can be the best ways to meet your neighbors because it doesn’t put any pressure on you or them to make contact directly. It’s a passive and casual way to meet without the formality of a knock on the door or a letter.
Now, getting to know your neighbors is not a requirement in adapting your community, but remember that they have likely lived in your area longer than you have. Their experience could be helpful in case you need suggestions on where to eat, what local spots are the best, or even a rundown of what the community is like and what they enjoy about it.
Find Local Groups Online
Finding local groups online is a privilege for us who live in a tech-driven world. Prior to the technology era, you might have had to rely on your coworkers or neighbors to discover other people living in your area, and it would have even been harder to stay in touch and communicate. Luckily, there are several digital outlets to find these local groups easier, such as Facebook and Nextdoor.
There are billions of active users on Facebook every month, increasing your chances of finding people who live in your community! Social media platforms like Facebook have made it easy for users to discover others who share the same interests, hobbies, and more. When it comes time to connect with people in your new city, search your city name in the search bar and see what comes up. For example, if I recently moved to Las Vegas, NV, I would search “Las Vegas” in the search bar and filter by Groups. The results will show you several groups available to join, some of which will be for niche topics, such as networking, dog/cat lovers, or local events. While these only scratch the surface, we recommend browsing to see which ones pique your interest, then joining the group and possibly introducing yourself or engaging with others through their posts. It’s a great way to get a sense of what goes in your new area and how to be a part of it.
Nextdoor is another social outlet for all things happening around you. As its name implies, Nextdoor is a social platform exclusively for neighborhoods to engage, inform, and communicate with next-door or nearby residents. It removes the noise and distraction of other unrelated media that other social platforms offer and focuses on bringing communities together through local-based technology. Similar to finding local groups on Facebook, Nextdoor will ask you what neighborhoods you want to join based on your ZIP code or city. Then you’re good to go!
Join Local Clubs/Communities
If social media isn’t your thing, luckily, traditional ways of getting to know your neighbors are still as effective. Try searching online for local groups or communities that share common hobbies and interests. For example, if you’re really into reading and want to find a local book club, try visiting your local library to see if there are any groups for you to join. Are you trying to improve your bowling skills? Swing by your local bowling alley and see if any leagues have openings.
You can also search online to see if there are any postings or organizations you can get in touch with and ask questions about before joining immediately. What’s important is that you think of the things you have a high interest in and find others who feel the same. Doing so will make it easier to not only meet new people but also discover a community where you can talk about the things you like and maybe even learn other activities you haven’t tried before.
Discover Your Favorite Local Spots
Discovering your favorite local spots goes together with finding local groups, but with a twist that caters to your interests only. Say you had a favorite sandwich spot in your old city that you would frequent now and then. Wouldn’t it be great to find another top-tier sandwich spot in your new neighborhood? Again, the growing rate of technology available to us is only getting better with time and becoming more accessible for our society to conveniently find places that align with our interests. Leveraging Google and Yelp is your best bet when it comes to finding your favorite local spots. Their many capabilities allow you to look at a place’s information and photos to see how they are from where you live, if their prices are within your budget, what the environment is like, and so much more.
In addition to finding your favorite park, ice cream shop, karaoke place, grocery store, or whatever it may be, it’s good to support your local businesses! Not only does it satisfy your goal of finding your favorite spots, but you also contribute to giving back to your community by being a part of their business or environment. It’s a great feeling when you can find hidden gems in your new area and start to feel like a resident instead of someone who just moved there. And who knows, maybe you will meet new people along the way!
Be a Good Neighbor
Our last recommendation for adapting to your community is quite simple, though it has a strong impact: be a good neighbor. What does it mean to be a good neighbor? Being voluntarily helpful and nice without any obligated duty.
Being a stranger to your neighbors can be intimidating since you are considered a “newbie” to the area. Nevertheless, remind yourself that these are people you will probably see very frequently while living in your new home. To add to the welcoming experience of moving to a new place, being a good neighbor to those around you can be beneficial in the long run and create nurturing and respectful relationships that go a long way.
So how do you be a good neighbor? The good news is that it doesn’t take much effort. It can be as simple as just saying “Hi!” when you see them and ask them how they’re doing. If trash day has come and gone and their trash bins are still on the street, perhaps you can do them a favor by pulling them into their driveway so that the wind doesn’t blow them over or worse, get stolen (it happens). The same applies when exploring your city. You can open the doors for others, make small talk with the owners of local businesses, and lend an extra hand where needed. Our actions, no matter how little they may seem, can speak louder than words, as the saying goes. Being one of the new neighbors on the block can make you feel some social pressure at times, but doing your part one day at a time, can also make a difference in your community.
Your New Community Awaits You!
If you’re feeling stressed or intimidated by your new neighborhood, we hope this blog gave you a few good suggestions on overcoming those obstacles and fitting into your community. It’s one thing to feel at home in your living space, but you want to feel at home anywhere you go in your city, now that it may be your permanent stay. By leveraging the online platforms available to you and engaging with your neighbors, you will become an experienced resident in no time. Congrats on your move and good luck!
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