When you have children, choosing to live in a family friendly neighbourhood gains greater importance.
With the school holidays fast approaching, Grace Removals knows from experience that many families will choose this time to move house so children can start the new school year afresh.
So what things should you look for when selecting a child friendly neighbourhood?
1. Location
Choosing the right location depends on whether you plan to drive or use public transport and how far you are willing to travel. For some families, it’s important to be close to shops, recreational facilities, places of worship and local libraries, while others are happy to drive to these places. Whatever your choice, consider whether your preferred neighbourhood meets your needs. Is it close to the amenities? Does it have easy access to main roads? What are the public transport options?
2. Safety
Getting out and about with children is great and the best way to do that is by walking around your local neighbourhood. For this reason, it’s important to check if the neighbourhood has adequate footpaths.
Traffic is also an important factor to consider. Take note of local traffic, what the speed limit is, whether it has speed humps to slow cars down and street lighting.
A suburb with a low crime rate is preferred so look at available crime statistics before selecting the suburb.
3. Schools
When choosing a neighbourhood, its proximity to your child’s school is important. Is there a good local school your child could walk to? If not, is there a bus stop they can easily access? If your day includes a lot of school driving time, you’ll want to factor that into your decision.
4. Playgrounds
Any parent of a toddler will tell you that a local playground is a must. Ideally, the playground is in walking distance and easy to access with a pram or stroller. Make sure the local playground is well looked after, reasonably clean and has safe equipment for your child to enjoy. Local playgrounds are also a great way to meet other families when you are new to an area.
5. Other families
An important part of being a child friendly neighbourhood, is actually having a lot of children live there. The best neighbourhoods allow for children to play together in the street or meet up at local parks. A good sign a neighbourhood has lots of children is if there are houses with strollers or trikes out the front. Carseats in the back or ‘Baby on Board’ signs are also a good indicator.
Once you’ve found where you want to live, let Grace Removals help make the move stress free. We can take care of all aspects of your move from packing, moving and even unpacking.
