Tips on Choosing a Walkable Neighborhood

Not every neighborhood is pedestrian-friendly, especially if you live on a busy highway or have no access to sidewalks. However, if you’re fortunate enough to live in a walkable area (or have a chance to move to one), why not take advantage of it?

Walking in your neighborhood is a free way to stay healthier, happier, and more relaxed. As long as you don’t have any health conditions that would stand in the way of taking regular walks, a daily constitutional can provide you and your family with an array of benefits.

Healthy Lifestyle: Staying physically and mentally healthy is not the result of one or two positive habits, but rather a variety of lifestyle decisions you make throughout the day. Walking on a regular basis can help you achieve weight loss goals, maintain muscle tone, and increase your energy level. A moderate exercise program can also help relieve stress, enhance your mood, and slow down the aging process.

Family Bonding: Walking in the neighborhood or at a nearby public park can be a great way for your family to spend quality time together. It’s also an opportunity to take a refreshing break from television watching, social media use, the Internet, and video games. Going for family walks is a simple activity, but the benefits can be far reaching.

Neighborhood Connections: The very act of walking around in your neighborhood, every day, makes you feel more connected to your environment. It also gives you a chance to chat with neighbors, meet new ones, and observe any changes that may affect the character of the neighborhood.

Critique Your Property: When you walk past your house and yard, you can often see features and flaws that may have escaped your notice when you last drove by in your car. Looking at your property from different angles and directions can help give you landscaping ideas and point out ways you can improve the outward appearance of your home. You can also pick up landscaping and property ideas by seeing what your neighbors are doing. Curb appeal is especially important if you’re planning to sell your property.

Bargain Hunting: If you happen to be taking a walk in the neighborhood when yard sales are underway, it’s easy to stop and scope out the treasures being offered. One caveat: If you do find something you want to buy, especially if it’s a large piece of furniture, you may have to return later with your vehicle to pick it up.

Find a New Neighborhood: If you’re in the market for a new home, the walkability of neighborhoods is an important feature worth keeping in mind.

Save Gas: Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from driving and walk over to your neighborhood grocery store, pharmacy, or post office. On those occasions when you only need to pick up a few small items, hoofing it over to your local retailer is an alternative worth considering!

Finding the Right Neighborhood: 3 Things to Look For

Photo by Samson Katt from Pexels

When buying a new home, the house itself is only part of the purchase. The surrounding area is just as important and there are many factors to consider when choosing not only the property but the neighborhood. However, it can be very difficult to evaluate a neighborhood you don’t already live in. How can you learn whether a neighborhood is right for you? There are many things to look for, but here are 3 of the most important things:

Safety

Looking at an area’s crime statistics won’t tell you everything. It’s still a good idea to check on, but there are other ways to get a sense of how safe you’ll feel in a specific neighborhood. Some things you can look for:

  • Are there “neighborhood watch” signs or similar evidence of organized security?

  • Is there proper street lighting at night?

  • Are the home exteriors generally well-kept?

  • Are there lots of other properties for sale or rent?

These are all good questions to guide you when scouting out possible new homes. It’s ideal to visit at different times of day and weekends to get a sense of the activity level, noise and other things that could affect your comfort level. When in doubt: go with your gut. If you have a bad feeling about a place for any reason, you shouldn’t ignore it.

Schools

If you have children or are planning to have children in the future, the quality and choice of schools in the area is something important to look for. Research the nearby school districts to see where your choice of home would fall among the options. Many online sources allow you to access and compare statistics like dropout rates and test scores for chosen districts, as well as “score” schools based on other factors like parental (and even student) reviews. Regardless of whether you have children, knowing how local schools compare can help get a bigger picture of the neighborhood.

Lifestyle

Don’t forget your life outside of your house. The type of lifestyle you want to live or want to avoid should be top of mind when evaluating a potential neighborhood. Are there community organizations or specific activities you want to live nearby? Are you specifically trying to find a place that’s quieter or a place where there is always something going on? Do you need a place to walk your dog? All of this should factor in to your choice. Look for the proximity of local businesses and activities and calendars or advertisements for local events. It helps to make a “wish list” of things you would prefer in a neighborhood as well as to identify any potential deal-breakers. Being clear about what you do and don’t want will help guide your research.

These are just a few of the things to look for when learning about a potential new neighborhood. Make use of all the resources available and don’t underestimate the effectiveness of simply visiting yourself. Your life and comfort level in your new home doesn’t end at your property line.