How to Find the Right Suburb

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I recently heard of a company that helps people find the right suburb, so I thought I’d look into it and round up others — we’ve talked about what to consider before you move to the suburbs and talked about moving to an area with a low cost of living, but we haven’t discussed exactly HOW to pick a suburb.

(Years ago my friend wrote about how she went about leaving a company town (D.C.), as well as the pros and cons of moving to be closer to family… and I’ve shared my Type-A Guide to Moving. We’ve also talked about how where you live is one of the biggest money decisions!)

Readers, do you know of any great resources to help you find the right American suburb? Do you know of any resources that help you narrow down the right country or international city to live in?

How to Pick the Right Suburb

Suburban Jungle

Suburban Jungle is a collection of “local experts that learn about your lifestyle, wants and needs, and then match you with the right towns and real estate agents.” They have a number of “strategists” for the suburbs of major cities such as New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, San Francisco Bay Area, as well as an expert in Florida towns.

As they note, “[w]e are well versed in all commutable towns and will help you understand all options to make an informed decision based on lifestyle, not just real estate!”

The services of Suburban Jungle are free — they make their money by receiving a referral commission from the real estate agent once you close on your new home.

WhereShouldILive.Co

The website WhereShouldILive offers you a quiz, backed by stats, that helps you narrow down your choices. As they describe it:

When you click “begin”, you’ll start seeing descriptions of two hypothetical cities. All you have to do is select which one sounds like a better place to live, and we’ll figure out the rest.

Once you’ve finished all of your selections, we’ll present you with a list of real cities in the U.S. that fit your preferences. We’ll show you what makes each city great, so you know what you’re in for.

For all the data nerds, you’ll also get scores in eight categories for 500 different American cities, so you can search through and find the hidden gems that best fit your lifestyle. Then all you need to do is move!

WhereMightILive.Com

The website WhereMightILive.com is similar — they “guide you by matching your personal wishlist against our caringly curated datasets.”

They get their data from the most current and reliable sources we can find, including government, university, and reputable private sources. We cite the reference in several cases and offer links to explore further.”

They recommend using a computer or tablet for the best experience.

Liveability

The website Liveability.com is a third option, focusing on the best places to live in the United States. As they describe themselves,

Livability explores what makes small-to-medium sized cities great places to live. Through proprietary research studies, engaging articles and original photography and video, we examine topics related to community amenities, education, sustainability, transportation, housing and the economy. We then leverage that expertise to develop city rankings for a range of topics including small towns, college towns and our annual Top 100 Best Places to Live.

The Facebook Group “Into the Unknown”

If Facebook is an option for you, there is a group called “Into the Unknown” that helps those from NYC “who have decided or are considering – willingly or otherwise – to join the exodus from NYC to greener pastures, as it were.” It currently has 19,000 members, and has been in existence for at least 5 years — so you can either use it as a search engine to look up specific threads, or just follow the group and learn about different towns and concerns by osmosis.

A similar Reddit group exists: “Same Grass but Greener.“

Steps to Suburbia (NYC Only)

If you know you want to live in the “Northern NYC suburbs,” check out the website Steps to Suburbia. This site “offers you the the tools and resources to explore neighborhoods in your own style and at your own pace —without the pressure of real estate sales tactics. … And once you’ve found your ideal neighborhood, we’ll introduce you to a trusted partner agent only when you’re truly ready to embark on your home buying journey.”

Stock photo via Pexels / Tima Miroshnichenko.