Researching Your New Neighborhood

Ayla PR Representative at Moving Made Smooth, Inc.

A lot of factors must be considered when deciding upon your new home. One of the most important factors is whether or not the new neighborhood is a good fit for you and your family. Moving Made Smooth, Inc. has made a helpful list of attributes that you will want to research before deciding on where to relocate.

What is the crime rate in the neighborhood?
An important factor to research is you and your family's personal safety. If a particular area has a large number of crimes or registered sex offenders in the vicinity, you may want to consider relocating to a different neighborhood. Below I have links to the different sex offender registry sites and other general crimes.

Useful links:
Search for crimes in any area
Nebraska sex offender registry
Iowa sex offender registry
Links to any state sex offender registry

Are there any nearby schools that are a good match for my children?
One of the hardest parts of moving when you have little ones is finding the right school. Some kids want to go to a school with the best drama or football departments. As parents, you may be interested in schools that have good before and after school programs. Be sure to thoroughly research a school before enrolling your kids. We have collected a few links to get you started if you are new to the Omaha area.
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Useful links:
Omaha Public Schools (OPS)
Catholic Schools in Omaha
Private Schools in Omaha
Council Bluffs Community School District

Are there any activities available for me and my family in the vicinity?
​It is important for families to do activities together to facilitate bonding. Or maybe you justaren't interested in becoming a hermit in your new city. Either way, it can be difficult to find new routines in a new environment. We have a few attractions in the Omaha area that may interest you.

Useful links:
Henry Doorly Zoo
Joslyn Art Museum
Durham Museum
Lauritzen Gardens
Centurylink Center
Old Market
TD Ameritrade Park
Holland Performing Arts Center

Is the neighborhood quiet? What is the Community like?
Everyone is looking for a quiet and safe place to live, right? Maybe you like old houses or modern ones. Or possibly you want to get Cantonese for dinner on Wednesday night and Mexican food the next. Whatever it is you are looking for in your new neighborhood, doing research will help you find the right place.

Useful links:
Statistics & Demographics About Any City (some information on this site requires a fee, but the site is very helpful without paying a cent).

Will I have job opportunities after I relocate?
Omaha is home to many small businesses and large corporations. It is relatively easy to find work and many businesses in Nebraska have been little affected by recession. This is pretty attractive to many people who move into the Omaha area. If you are moving out of the area it may be useful to look up unemployment statistics for the new city or search job websites for jobs in your field.

Useful links:
​Unemployment rates for metropolitan areas (I suggest using ctrl+F to find a particular city)
Cost of living

What is the Natural Disaster Risk in the New Neighborhood?
This may not be the first thing you think of when moving to a new area, but it is nonetheless important.  Below I have a link where you can see the disaster risks as reported by FEMA. You can check a disaster risk by region on the left menu.
Useful Links:
Disaster Risk