CHOOSIING THE BEST LOCATTION FOR YOU Jenn Corb
bett and Maria a Tran AN IMPORTANT DECISSION Where yo
ou live impactts your job op
pportunities, yyour relationsships and you
ur lifestyle. Ass such, decidiing where to live is a critical decision th
hat should be taken as seriiously as any other major life decision ssuch wever, many p
people do not take a meassured as what career to pursue or who to spend your life with. How
approach to choosing ttheir city; lettting their care
eer, educatioon or the decisions of significant others med approac h to this decision and seriously consideering influence where they live. By takingg a well‐inform
o live that best helps you m
meet the factorrs and criteriaa that matter most to you, you can chooose a place to
you goals throughout tthe different stages of you
ur life. BIG MOVES AND LIFE SSTAGES The right city for you m
might change as you move through diffeerent stages in your life. Itt’s important to continually evaluate w
whether or not your curren
nt city best meeets the need
ds of your currrent life stagge. At certain tim
mes in your life your prioriities can shift and differennt elements off a city may m
matter more o
or less to you. Generally sspeaking, we see three bigg moves in peeople’s lives aas well as five distinct life stages: 3 Big Movves When we graduate fro
om college When we have kids When the
e kids move out 5 Life SStages Recent college gradu
uates Young pprofessionalss Familiees with childreen Empty nnesters Retireees TOOLS AN
ND RESOURCES As you go
o through the exercise of choosing yourr city it is impoortant to do tthorough quaalitative and quantitatiive research. In addition to
o collecting sttatistical dataa you can look at local med
dia and try to
o talk to people who live in the cities you are consideriing. Additionaally, you shou
uld try to visitt as least threee of pend enough ttime in each city to really get to know tthe the placess you are considering movving to and sp
place. Once you have aa shortlist, some tools for comparing ci ties include:



he Place Find
der on www.w
whosyourcity.com providees a framewo
ork to draw co
omparisons Th
between the ccity you currently live in an
nd 4 other citiies you would
d consider mo
oving to. perling’s Bestt Places http:://www.bestp
places.net/ ennables you to
o compare characteristics (ie. Sp
quality of scho
ools, crime rattes and cost o
of living) betw
ween differen
nt cities. Notee: this tool on
nly onsiders US ccities. co
Th
he Place Pyra
amid gives a fframework to
o Asthetics
co
ompare citiess based on ho
ow they fulfill your Values
needs in differrent categorie
es. Find a cityy that ull‐fills your needs in these
e categories from the fu
Leadership
p
bottom up. Basic Servicces
Opportunitty
AGENDA FOR NEXT CLASS This class should get you thinking about how you’ve chosen where to live in the past and provide you with the knowledge and tools to make the best decisions about where to live throughout your life. We will recap the concepts outlined above that will help you in determining WHO’S YOUR CITY in the upcoming assignment. We will then get the class involved in a series of i‐clicker questions and an activity meant to get you thinking about and discussing what is most important to you when considering where you want to live. As you work through the exercise consider the following qualities and how you will prioritise them in your location decision. Job Opportunities Life Stage Proximity to Friends/Family Lifestyle Personality and Environment What industries would you like to work in? Is a large/diverse job market important to you? Are you looking for a job in a specific field or do you want to make a career change? What is the overall economic climate of the places you are considering? What are your ideal demographics? Is it important for you make friends, find a mate? Do you have children? Do you need to be in a place that’s child friendly? Think about how your preferences will change at different life stages. How important is it for you to be close to your friends and family? How affordable and feasible is the transportation between your friends and family and the cities you are considering living in? What leisure activities do you enjoy? Do you prefer a place with lots of bars and restaurants? Do you like cultural activities? Do you like outdoor activities? Do you crave new experiences? What are the attitudes and values that matter most to you? Consider: diversity, safety, tolerance and friendliness. Does political climate matter to you? How important are the aesthetics of a city to you? Do you need to live in a physically beautiful space? What does that mean to you? Are weather and climate important to you?