Here’s how to tell if a neighborhood you want to move to is safe and livable

When you realize it’s time to leave the city life behind and move to the suburbs — it can sometimes feel like throwing a dart on a map to find a neighborhood to live in.

Of course, when touring a home, the realtor will often label an area as safe or kid-friendly — but how do you know if you can actually take their word for it?

Thankfully, the (sometimes) kind people on Reddit dedicated an entire thread to share tips and tricks to help figure out if a neighborhood you’re eyeing is worth moving to.

Here is some of the helpful advice they shared.

“When you see kids playing outside unsupervised and people walking dogs at night without looking over their shoulders,” one person wrote.

“Women jogging in the evening and at night,” someone else shared.

“How neighbors interact with each other. I moved into a neighborhood where everyone knows each other, and I’ve never felt more comfortable,” one user pointed out.

“The other day, a neighbor heard me playing guitar and asked if I want to jam. My Italian neighbor brings us extra pizzas from her son’s pizza truck. Next door neighbor and I mow each others (modest) from lawns when we do our own. It’s the neighborhood Mr. Rogers sent me to find,” they continued.

Another smart suggestion someone shared in the thread is the “wave test”: “…walking or driving down the street and waving at the neighbors who are out and about.”

One comment read: “Folks out and about at night. Those dudes making a bit of noise every night on the corner, drinking some beers and eating food on a little grill… They are ever present and keeping an eye on shit. Way safer than an empty, quiet block.”

And an unexpected but clever tip: “Sounds weird, but people parking correctly. Parking on the correct side of the street the cars are facing, not parked in yards or blocking sidewalks/fire hydrants, etc.”

And if you’re looking for a change of scenery but want to stay in NYC — it might be worth checking out the Upper West Side, which was ranked as one of America’s friendliest neighborhoods for newcomers.

Researchers from home store Hastha Kalalu, studied data from U.S. Census, Zillow and crime statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

They compared the cost of living and safety to come up with a score for each neighborhood.

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