Six things to know about Chicago before you move there

arimaster — Wed, 17 May 2017 22:10:05 +0000

There are many nicknames for Chicago, Second City, the Windy City and Chi-Town; we prefer to know it as one of the country’s best places to relocate. Here are some things to know about the city before you move there.

1. Within Chicago’s 227 square miles there are actually 77 communities and more than 100 different neighborhoods. That means whatever your interests or community needs may be; you can probably find a place that will meet your criteria within Chicago’s city limits. Locals divide the city into four distinct areas, Chicago’s North Side, Downtown, the West Side and Chicago’s South Side.

2. Compared to the West and East Coast big cities, Chicago is a pretty affordable place to relocate. In 2015, Zillow estimated the median home value in Chicago to be $194,800 and average monthly housing costs are $1,254.00. Chicago is also known to have a greater inventory of rentals available compared to big metro areas on the coasts. The average rental price for a one bedroom apartment is just under $1400 a month.

3. If you are moving to Chicago, you need to know about “dibs”. Residents of Chicago routinely claim dibs with parking spots, especially in the winter months. This means that if you find a spot that has been cleared of snow, or you dig one out yourself on the street, you can mark the spot with something you have on hand and save it or call “dibs” on it.

4. This city loves to eat. There are many famous foods that Chicago is known for, but probably the food most associated with the city is its famous deep dish pizza. Where the best place for deep dish is in Chicago is up for debate but rest assured you can get some great pizza in the city. You will also need to try Chicago’s famous beef sandwiches, hot dogs and popcorn.

5. Chicago is known for its frigid winters but rest assured summer is pretty epic in the city. Chicago is located on Lake Michigan and as such it has many great beaches to enjoy during the warmer months. There is 26 miles of sand along Lake Michigan and a great beach scene on most of those miles. Each beach has a distinct personality and along the lake also has many fun water activities.

6. Finally, the city is a great place for the whole family to enjoy. It has renowned local museums, one of the last free zoos to enjoy in the country, tons of festivals throughout the year, famous architecture to appreciate and incredible parks and beaches to have fun in. The city has a rich musical history so there are many places to take in a concert and of course if you r family is full of sports lovers you can’t go wrong in Chicago.

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5 fun facts about moving to the Conejo Valley

arimaster — Sat, 28 Jan 2017 00:14:00 +0000

So you are moving to the Conejo Valley, lucky you! We think you will quickly find that this is not only a beautiful place to live but a great place to raise a family and offers a wonderful quality of life. Here are some fun facts that you might not know about the area.

1. The Conejo Valley is located in an ideal spot within Southern California. You are an hour drive away from downtown Los Angeles and an hour drive away from downtown Santa Barbara. It is short 20 minute drive or less to Malibu and the Conejo Valley borders the San Fernando Valley to the east. With all these great locations so close there are endless possibilities of activities to occupy your free time.

2. The Conejo Valley includes Agoura, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, and Newbury Park. The Santa Monica Mountain Range borders the community to the West and the Simi Hills border the area to the North East. With all of these Mountains and Hills comes plenty of areas to hike, mountain bike and trail run. It is an ideal place for any outdoor enthusiast.

3. The Conejo Valley Unified School District is exceptional. Out of the 17 elementary schools the compromise the district 5 are 2016 Gold Ribbon Award recipients, 4 are National Blue Ribbon schools, 8 are California Distinguished Schools, 1 is a Honor Roll School and Westlake Hills Elementary is a two times Governors Performance Award recipient. Each Middle School and High School in the district is a CA Distinguished School, National Blue Ribbon School or Gold Ribbon Award recipient. Needless to say, it is a great place to live if your children are school aged.

4. There are always activities to keep you occupied. The area has its own Performing Arts Center in Thousand Oaks, a live performance venue in Agoura, tons of good restaurants, botanical gardens, three beautiful lakes to go fishing or go out on a boat ride, lots of lively bars and breweries, wineries with wine tasting tours, museums, libraries, country clubs and historical sites.

5. Finally, it is one of the friendlies and safest areas you will find. It is full of transplants which makes it unique in that there are always new people to meet and new perspectives to hear about. Thousand Oaks is routinely ranked on of the safest cities in the nation and in 2016 it ranked 4th by the FBI in their annual report of safest cities in the country. The great climate means people are always outside walking dogs, enjoying parks or just eating outside ready to meet their neighbors and enjoy the beautiful weather.

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