When you first move to a new city or town, you are consumed with the necessary tasks of creating a new life: hooking up the utilities, unpacking and finding new places to put all of your things, starting a new job, and so on. Once you are settled in, the less defined business of settling into your new locale presents itself. How do you become connected with your new community? How do you meet people with similar interests?
Here are five tips to help make a strange new place into a home:
Tap into your interests, hobbies and sports Whether it's a sport, a hobby or a special interest, chances are that there is a group or groups that are formed around it. So, if you cross-stitch, scrapbook or quilt, check in at the specialty craft stores in your new town. They probably have groups that meet up or can tell you about them. This is true of many crafts as well as specialty collecting such as stamps, coins, memorabilia, comic books or sports cards. Along the same lines, if your love is sports or dancing, joining up at a gym or dance hall can allow you to meet others who share your passion. Finally, if you are a pet lover, local pet stores and humane societies can connect you with dog walking groups, charities and events.
Investigate civic organizations and special interest groups Most people enroll their kids in a new school system and join a new church soon after they move to a new town. But what if you don't have school age children or what if you don't belong to or can't find a church? There are many community and social organizations that may appeal to you and provide a great way to meet other people who share your interests and worldview. Examples of civic organizations include the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, Lion's Club, YWCA, YMCA, Toastmasters, Neighborhood Watch and United Way. Special interest groups include the Sierra Club, the Humane Society and Habitat for Humanity.
Volunteer your time In addition to volunteering with a not-for-profit organization, there are an abundance of volunteer opportunities with a variety of groups in your community. Among the choices are hospitals, nursing homes, retirement homes, libraries, museums, local attractions, police stations, firehouses, schools, and colleges.
Locate a Newcomer's Group Many cities offer a Newcomer's Group to welcome recent additions to their new home. Check out the meetings and events calendar in your newspaper or ask at the local library to find out when they meet. It's a great way to meet people who may know a lot about the city, who can perhaps point you towards other resources and groups and who want to welcome strangers.
Take a class Enrolling yourself in a local community college to brush up on skills or take on a new interest is a great way to meet people. If the classroom environment isn't a match for you, try signing up for a class at a hobby store or home improvement center where the instruction is more hands-on. You can also tackle personal development or a new activity or sport at a sports club or wellness center. And, in the process, meet others of like mind.
There is an overused (but sometimes true) saying that all good things come to those who wait. Such is the case with the massive 5,000 acre Wiregrass Ranch development. After nearly two years of wrangling and negotiations, the developers of Wiregrass Ranch finally reached agreement Board of County Commissioners on the responsibility for costs associated with building of roads in and through the new development. The total cost of road work is expected to reach $1.7 billion and will be divided between the developers and the county.
The agreement pertaining to the issue of road construction represented the final hurdle that needed to be mounted on the way to commencing actual construction of what ultimately will be a truly extraordinary community development. (The fact is that Wiregrass Ranch truly is much more than a simple housing development. In the end, when the last hammer falls, Wiregrass Ranch will be a truly comprehensive living space that will include residential property, retail spaces, commercial construction and beautiful green spaces).
The total development process is expected to take about a dozen years. Construction will be undertaken in four phases. Once completed, Wiregrass Ranch will consist of over 16,000 residences, including over 10,000 single family residences and over 5,000 multi-family properties.
Beyond the significant number of residential properties that are to be constructed in the four phases of development at Wiregrass Ranch there will also a remarkable 3,000,000 square feet of retail space constructed as well.
One of the more interesting aspects of the Wiregrass Ranch plans when considering the retail spaces that will be created through the development process is what will be an open air mall in what will be the Wiregrass Ranch town center. Indeed, developers intend to spend over $100,000,000 in building this magnificent town center open mall. When completed, there will be approximately 1,000,000 square feet of available retail space available in this open air mart.
As mentioned, there will be commercial development as well. The comprehensive plans include the construction of nearly 2,300,000 square feet of office space. Again, in regard to the residential, retail and commercial development, all construction is being undertaken with an eye to ensuring the preservation of green space and with the goal of rendering Wiregrass Ranch a truly livable community on all levels.
Education is also an important element of the overall plan for Wiregrass Ranch. The public schools will include a high school and a middle school (both of which have been constructed) as well as four elementary schools when the development is fully completed.
Plans have also been made for the construction of a Pasco County Government Center and for a branch campus of the Pasco-Hillsborough Community College. Finally, efforts are underway to obtain funding from the State of Florida to construct a 100 bed hospital as well.
Both Vivian Banta & Lance Mohr are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Lance Mohr has sinced written about articles on various topics from Real Estate, Mortgage and Environment. Lance Mohr is your Tampa real estate expert, with over 10 years of experience in real estate sales and 18 years of investing. He holds a real estate broker license in the state of Florida, and is a member of top relocation firms. Lance can be reached at l. Lance Mohr's top article generates over 5400 views. to your Favourites.