When you're moving to a new city, you likely know to check into the crime rates, the job opportunities and the programs available for your children. However, researching the history might not seem like an important task. Pursuing this inquiry is wise for several reasons.
Weather Conditions
Knowing the history of weather in the city can help you know what to expect. For example, you would want to know if a particular time of the year is prone to hurricanes or tornadoes. You may also discover that the city has been home to major earthquakes or that certain parts of the community have been ravaged by floods in the past. Knowing this information may lead to you avoid certain neighborhoods, or it may encourage you to look for houses that have implemented precautions against these conditions.
Safety Concerns
Working with a local real estate agent can introduce you to resources for investigating the crime rates of the city. For example, you might think that it is enough to look at only the current crime rate. However, if you research, you may find that the rate of crime has been steadily increasing over the past years or decades. This information may act as a signal to buy somewhere else. On the other hand, you may see a steady decrease in crime, which can signal a community on the rise.
Neighborhood Flavors
Learning about the people who live in a community can help you to choose a neighborhood in the city that is the right fit for you. You may want to live in a neighborhood with people who are predominantly of the same religion as you. In fact, your religion may preclude you from operating a vehicle on certain days of the week, which would mean you might need to live near a house of worship. Knowing if a particular area is increasing or decreasing in terms of your population can help you to make a decision. You may even be fortunate enough to learn about the history as far back to Native American settlement times—as Kathy Lafuse of Coldewell Banker Shook talks about with Tippecanoe County.
Tensions
You might move into a city not knowing that it was the home of riots or major tensions just a few years before. Selecting a certain location in the city could tell others that you are siding with the people who live here even if you have no concept of what even happened. Understanding that tensions and divisions exist in some cities is important. This information doesn't have to stop you from living there, but it does help you to stay informed.
Knowing the history of a city is important. Undertaking this project can help you to better determine where to settle.
