It’s all too common for people to live in an apartment for several months or years without ever actually taking the time to get to know their neighborhood. While you may be busy with work, school, friends, family and other commitments, taking the time to explore your neighborhood can help make your apartment feel more like home. Plus, it’s fun.
Take a Walk
Walking out of your apartment and around the neighborhood is one of the best ways you can really get to know where you’re living. You can move slowly enough to be able to take everything in, so you won’t miss the small stuff. Getting “lost” on a neighborhood walk helps you find your way around and see where useful places may be, like a community pool, post office, convenience store or 24-hour pharmacy. If you think you might actually get lost, bring a map.
Say Hello to Your Neighbors
Striking up a casual conversation with your neighbors, whether it’s the person who lives in the apartment below you or the person who owns the Mom ‘n’ Pop shop on the corner, is another great way to get to know the neighborhood. Don’t be afraid to ask them questions or recommendations for restaurants and stores. Their experience living in the area means they may be able to pass on some useful information, so take advantage of that!
Pick Up the Paper
Does your neighborhood have its own newspaper or other type of publication? Maybe its own website? Some residents may even have blogs. Ask your neighbors or your apartment manager if you have trouble finding these things on your own. And if you’re new to the whole city, be sure and pick up the local publications. All of these could be excellent sources for local events and news, restaurant openings, club meetings, store openings and more. If you’re looking for a job in the area, newspapers will likely have some job listings.
These are just a few ways to get to know your neighborhood after you move into an apartment. And if you’d like help with finding an apartment in a specific neighborhood, you should definitely utilize our site’s free apartment search tools, which allow you to search listings from all over the country. What’s more is that when you rent with us, we pay you up to $200 in renter rewards. No fee, no obligation, no strings.
