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Reasons For Moving
The pioneer spirit has fueled Americans since the first
Europeans set foot on the nation's eastern shores. Today,
not much virgin land remains, but wanderlust still compels
some U.S. citizens to pull up roots in search of variety
and adventure.
Even so, far less glamorous motives, such as financial
issues, job transfers, climate and dozens of other factors,
likewise push thousands of people out of their comfort
zones into new territory. The numbers bear this out.
The United States Census Bureau's most recent statistics reveal
that in one year, more than 39.4 million people nationwide
relocated to other areas. The main reasons included:
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Cost: About 2.6 million U.S. residents sought
cheaper housing, along with lower related expenses, such
as taxes, insurance and utilities.
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Accessibility: Roughly 217,000 persons relocated
due to retirement, often to areas with lower housing
costs and an abundance of easily reachable health care
facilities, senior services, shopping, recreational
opportunities and other amenities.
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Ambiance and demographics: More than 1.5 million
persons moved to areas with better neighborhoods,
equivalent or higher socio-economic status and lower
crime rates, while 231,000 sought more favorable climates
and 625,000 claimed health concerns. About 10.7 million
relocated for family reasons, such as marriage and
proximity of other relatives.
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Employment: New jobs and transfers accounted for
approximately 4.1 million relocations, while lost jobs
forced 749,000 people to leave their area in search of
employment. A whopping 1.34 million individuals moved to
be closer to their jobs, either through driving or public
transportation.
While statistics go a long way to painting a composite
portrait of America on the move, they do not address how to
make the process of relocation any easier.
Fortunately, dozens of experts in this field offer hundreds
of tips and guidelines - on planning to packing to
paperwork. And regardless of their strategies, most agree
on one key point: A checklist system will
guarantee that everything critical gets done.
The Devil's In The Details
When you think about it, moving day comes at the end
of a long, complex process. Ideally, planning should start
at least three months before the van pulls up in the
driveway and even further out if the move crosses state or
national borders.
With this in mind, the following checklist follows a
three-stage model: The pre-move phase which
details local and interstate moves, along with suggested
timelines; moving day, an itemization of
critical last-minute tasks; and international
moves, addressing additional points specific to
relocation outside of the U.S.
To keep the process humming along, read the entire list
before tackling individual chores. Bear in mind that many
"pre-move" points in Part 1 apply to international moves,
too.
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