8 Tips for Moving From a Rural to an Urban Area

The following contribution is from another author.

We’ve been changing how we live since the industrial revolution, but things have been changing even quicker and more significantly in recent decades. Whereas the world was once rural, now it’s metropolitan. More people than ever before are moving to the city — indeed, somewhere in the region of three million people each week are moving there. Around 60% of people in the world now live in cities (in 1950, it was 30%), and the numbers are only expected to grow. 

While there are advantages to moving to a city, it’s not something that you’ll want to rush in to. If you’re thinking about making the move, take a look at some of the tips that we’ve outlined below. 

Spend Time in the City

It’s really important that you spend some time in the city that you’re moving to before making a move permanent. It’s one thing to visit there for a day or two, another thing to live there. If you have a sense that you’re going to move to a city, then look at taking a few trips there, and avoid doing any of the popular touristy stuff. Just take strolls around the different neighborhoods, in order to get a sense of what life is really like there. Always keep in mind that the tourist experience of a city can be at odds with the lived experience — you can’t trust tourist agencies to provide any kind of insight. 

Learn the Downsides

If you’re looking for the perfect city to move to, then we’ve got some bad news for you: it doesn’t exist. Every city has its good points and bad points. While it’s important to understand what the good points are, it’s better to have an understanding of the downsides. After all, you’re going to be living there, and you won’t want to slowly figure out that there are things that you dislike. It’s much better to at least have an inkling of the downsides beforehand. Everyone is different, the bad points might not seem like a big deal to you anyway — but you have to know what they are first. 

Figure Out Your Finances

One of the advantages of living in a rural area is that it can be much more affordable, especially when it comes to things like real estate. In certain cities, the money that would get you a house in a rural area would only get you a room in a shared apartment. Also, it’s worth remembering that the costs of going out and utilities can be more expensive, too. So you’ll need to figure out your finances. Don’t be lured into the trap of taking an improved salary at face value. You might earn $3000 more each year, but if your costs are significantly higher, then you will be worse off in real terms. Compare your increased wage with your added expenses, and make sure that it’s manageable. 

Downsize Your Belongings

As we mentioned earlier, there’s a big difference between rural and city areas when it comes to real estate. And this should come as no surprise: one of the charms of rural life is that there’s so much space, so homes can be bigger. In cities, people are crammed in, so finding a home with any kind of space can be challenging. As such, it’s recommended to have a clear out of your goods before you move. You won’t have the space to adequately store everything once you move; plus, it’s generally a good idea to have a purge from time to time anyway. Take a look at the best skip bin hire cost, make a booking, and then fill it with your old and unused goods. You’ll almost certainly be downsizing once you move — don’t create added problems by taking too much stuff with you. 

Professional Movers

But of course, no matter how much stuff you throw away, you’re still going to end up with a bunch of items to transport. And as with any move, this can be stressful. As such, it’s recommended that you hire professional movers to help you. There are a couple of ways you can do this. You can hire them to transport all of your stuff from your current home to the city. Alternatively, you can drive a truck filled with your belongings to the city, and then just have local movers take your items from the truck into your new place. 

Talk to New Colleagues

If you’re moving to the city for work purposes, then you’ll want to ask HR to put you in touch with some of your new colleagues in the run up to your move. They can be an excellent source of essential information when it comes to your move because they will be the people who are most similar to you in the city. They can help give detailed information about which neighbourhoods are best for your lifestyle, and which areas are best for the daily commute. 

Making Friends

One of the challenges of moving to a new city is figuring out how to make friends. Some people think that living in a city makes it easy to make friends, because there are so many people, but this actually isn’t the case — the opposite is true. It’s easier to make friends in small towns. While it might not happen naturally, however, you can manufacture friendships! Get involved with clubs, play sports, take a look at meetup.com events, and you’ll find that you have plenty of opportunities for friendship. 

Give it Time

Finally, remember that no matter how prepared you are, and how excited you are to be living in your chosen city, there’s always going to be a transition period when you essentially wonder if you’ve made a mistake. You haven’t! Everyone has these thoughts from time to time. It’s all about riding out these uncomfortable moments, and taking steps to reduce the sense of homesickness. Even simple things like having a favorite cafe and shop can help make a place feel like home.