Moving to a new city can be both exciting and a little intimidating. The move might give you the opportunity to live a new lifestyle. The process will be less daunting if you take the time to “get to know” the area before actually relocating there. You can compile a list of important questions to ask. Here are a few:

Schools

Schools will be an important topic for you, If you are moving with children. Go online and investigate the school that your child might be attending. Redding schools are highly diversified. Some schools are very active in sports while others are credited for academics. There are several Schools Of The Arts where students are offered a creative path of learning. For college-bound students, Shasta College is a junior college located in the heart of Redding. Simpson University is centrally located as well and offers degrees in most subjects. Recently, Simpson began a full nursing program.

Medical Care

If you are retiring and moving to a new city, one of the most important subjects should be health resources. You should gather information about the local hospitals and doctors and what their specialties are. Because Redding is such a beautiful place to live, some of the most talented specialists practice at Redding’s hospitals. Mercy Hospital is renown for having state-of-the-art equipment unavailable to other hospitals north of Sacramento. Some of this equipment has been provided by a group of philanthropists raising money to help pay for it, saving lives by cutting down on the time to get treatment.

Cost of Housing

Housing costs should be on your list of things to learn about before moving. Redding is still an affordable place to purchase a home in California with the average price being $209,000. Fifty percent of the population owns their own home and the average appreciation factor is over 10 percent.

Recreation

Recreation should be on every relocation list. In a large city, there are numerous theaters to choose from and a never ending choice of places to eat out. In a small town, those amenities are limited. Living in a place like Redding is a lot different than living in a large city.

In Redding, there are many opportunities for families to share adventures practically in their own back yard. Going to a lake will only take minutes. They can pack the fishing poles, a small ice chest of drinks, drive to the lake, throw in their fishing hook, and have a fish on the line within the hour. They might even catch enough of them to have a fish fry for dinner.

Lifestyles

Maybe you’re used to hearing the freeway and can’t imagine trading that for the sounds of crickets and frogs. Sticking a fish hook through the body of a worm might make you never want to eat fish again, and maybe going to the freezer section for your vegetables is OK. If this sounds like you, then maybe large city living is more your style.

Regardless what you settle on, making a list of “must haves” will save you a lot of time and money. The more familiar you are with the new area that you’re moving to, the more confident you will be when making decisions.

As soon as you know for sure that you’re moving, go online and look for a real estate professional in your new area. Getting connected with one of these folks will be invaluable. He or she will answer questions you haven’t even thought of yet.

Image Source: Flickr/David Goehring

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