Moving long distance can be a hard transition, you’re not only moving away from friends you’ve made in your community, but you’re moving away from everything that is familiar. With years of experience in moving people across the country, we have learned a few tips on how to help you adjust to a new neighborhood, no matter how different it is from your previous one.

After moving to your new city or town it’s always good to find a new grocery store, doctor, some good local restaurants, shops etc. It always takes some time and a little trial-and-error to find your favorite places, but that is part of the fun of moving to a new place. It’s important to remember that it that it takes a while to settle-in and learn the lay of the land in your new community but here are a few resources that can help you learn from others experiences in your community.

Google Maps
https://www.google.com/maps/

Maps are a great way to learn about your new community and to get a visual sense of what’s around you and where things are in relation to your home, work, and other landmarks. Start by searching for your home address and you can look at a traditional map view or of actual satellite imagery. As you zoom into the map, Google will display local restaurants and other businesses on the map. You can click into each business listing and learn more about the business, see customer ratings, their hours of operation, or visit their website. You can also search for specific types of businesses in your area and see multiple options with customer ratings and their proximity to your location.

Yelp
https://www.yelp.com

If you a looking for that new favorite restaurant in your new community, Yelp is a great place to start. Yelp has great information on a wide range of services but is particularly great for restaurants. You can search by type of cuisine, customer rating, and proximity to your location. Read user reviews to get a real feel for the food and dining experience for each restraunt to make the process of finding your new favorites much quicker and easier.

Trip Advisor
https://www.tripadvisor.com

When you are new to a community, TripAdvisor is a great website to look at all the things to do in your local area. Trip Advisor ranks top activities in a location and provides a huge community of people always adding the latest and greatest activities, things to do, places to eat, and experiences to be had. Browsing through the various Trip Advisor categories will give you a good feel for the popular activities, parks, restaurants, museums, and other activities in your area with comments from users that will give you great insider tips on how to have a great expereince.

Health Grades
https://www.healthgrades.com/

Finding new healthcare providers can be one of the more difficult aspects of moving to a new location, especially if you had a great provider in your past community. While it is always great to see referrals from friends in the area, you may not have a large local network when you first move into your new community. A great place to get information on the doctors and health care professionals in your area is through websites like Health Grades that provide information and ratings on a wide range of doctors, hospitals, and specialty clinics.

Angies List
https://www.angieslist.com

One of the things many people don’t think about when moving, especially long distances, is that you lose all your “go to” people and businesses for getting things done. From lawn service to cleaning to auto repair, it can be a pain to find all new providers that you can trust and do a great job on things you need. Websites like Angie’s List, Home Advisor, and others can provide a list of reputable companies in a wide range of service categories complete with customer reviews, services offered, and contact information. These sites can be invaluable in getting settled in to your new community quickly.

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com

If you are looking to get plugged into what’s happening in your new community, Facebook has many local groups in most communities based on various interests or commonalities you may have with other people. Joining a Facebook group can help you quickly get the pulse of what’s going on in your local community and meet others with similar interests.

Local Government and Chamber of Commerce Sites
It’s always good to check out the website for your local government and chamber of commerce to get a feel for what’s happening in the local community. Try to familiarize yourself with any local ordinances that may be different from your past community as small differences often exist between communities and how they do things locally.

You don’t have to worry too much about finding new things by yourself right away, as you get to know the people in your neighborhood and town they will be great resources to learn about all the inside tips about your town. The people who live in your town are the ones who know the best places, so get recommendations from them on where you should go for the best healthcare, grocery stores, and to have a good time. Not only will becoming friends with locals help you learn about the best parts of town, but it will help you to feel at home in your new location.

We understand that moving can be hard and the transition to a new is not always as smooth as expected. Remember that moving can be a difficult transition period for everyone. Getting comfortable in your new home will take some time, but try to enjoy the new experiences that a new community brings. At Palmer Moving Services, our customers have found that the best way to adjust quickly is to have people to talk to, whether that means reaching out to neighbors, getting involved in activities, or even having friends and family visit to keep you company while you develop new relationships in your new home.