This city is your dream place. It has a beautiful setting, good weather, vibrant economy and superior social institutions. You've been imagining this move for many years. Your dream has finally come true. You now live in your fantasy place. However, you find it doesn't meet your expectations; you learn that this city really has many limited opportunities.

I had the same experience when I moved to Las Vegas about a year ago. I didn't realize the challenges that I would face when moving to this city. In my hometown, I was living the good life. I had a professional job (I was a librarian), owned a cute home, took vacations often and was very close to my family and friends. So, I dropped all of these "luxuries" and moved to Las Vegas to do my "dream" job, running my own business.

However, my dream turned sour when I was forced to close my business. I tried to return to my first profession as a librarian but I learned that going back to "the profession" was nearly impossible in Las Vegas. I learned from local library staff that getting a gig at any of the libraries in Las Vegas was very hard. There weren't many library systems in this area, so demand for people in my profession was low. Thus, the competition for open librarian positions was very stiff.

The first scenario and my own experience with relocating to a new area would have been avoided if a good plan was written. A good plan would have helped me to determine if moving to Las Vegas was worth it. It would have also helped me to prepare for the challenges living in a new city. So, before you move to your dream city, I suggest that you create a relocation plan.

Research

Before writing your plan, you want to do research about your dream area. The two best places to begin this process are your local library or your dream place's chamber of commerce. Your local library will carry books about relocating and general information about your dream place. A good book to read about your dream area is City Ranked and Rated by Bert Sperling; most libraries should carry it. It rates 400 metropolitan areas through out the United States. You may also want to check out the latest almanacs, encyclopedias and travel books. The first two sources will give you give you basic facts about your dream area. You can learn about the make up of its population, educational opportunities, crime rates, etc. Travel books will help you learn about the social life of your "ideal place."

The chamber of commerce of your dream city is another good starting place for information. Not only will you learn about the economic vibrancy of this area, you can also gain knowledge about its life expanding opportunities. Go to your local library and asked for the World Chamber of Commerce Directory. This book lists nearly all chamber of commerces through out the world. You should be able to find the contact information of your dream city's chamber in this directory. You can also find information about your dream area's chamber by doing a search on the Internet. Use the name of your future city and "chamber of commerce" as keywords. When you contact this organization, ask them to send you as much information as they can about your dream area.

In addition, you may want to visit your future city during its off season. This season usually has the least tourist activity, and you will be able to see how the "real folks" live. If you have the time, you may want to visit it for about 2 weeks or more. You also want to stay in non-tourist areas if this is possible. Cities with large transplants or that are hot vacation destinations often have short-term leases for apartments and houses. So, you may be able to rent a residential property for a few weeks to a couple of months.

You should visit all the institutions that are consistently used by the locals, such as local government offices, libraries and stores in residential areas. You also want to ask locals how they really feel about their city. Most people will tell you the truth. By visiting your dream area for a long period of time, you'll be able to determine if this area is really your dream. If you find that you truly fall in love with your fantasy city, you want to proceed writing your relocation plan.

The Plan

After you've finished your research, you want to start your plan. It doesn't have to be very long. It can even be a simple outline. The main objective of your relocation plan is to give you a realistic view of your dream area. I suggest that you divide your relocation plan in these categories:

Purpose

In this part of the plan, you want to state truthfully why you want to move from your current location. You may want to ask yourself if you are moving for better opportunities, escaping a bad relationship, feeling trapped by overburden obligations, etc.

Economic Opportunities

This is the most important part of the plan. To be frank, if you cannot make money in your dream city, you cannot survive. As this old expression states, "Love doesn't pay the bills." Therefore, if your new city-to-be cannot support you, I strongly suggest that you reevaluate your move.

From your research you should have a good idea about the economic vibrancy of your new city-to-be. List all of this data in this section. You also want to know if you can do well in your line of work in your city-to-be. If you decide to do a different career, such as running your own business, you want to note from your research if your dream city will support this new career opportunity. Just in case your new line of work doesn't work out, you want to note if can go back to your old profession in your new place-to-be. In addition, this section should cover basic costs: rent or mortgage, utilities, transportation, food, etc.

Quality of Life

The quality of life of your dream area should be heavily considered. For instance, your new city-to-be may be a hot tourist spot, but the quality of life for locals may be below average. Your research should give you a good indication if your ideal place gives its residents a good lifestyle. You should list all health facilities, recreational opportunities and cultural opportunities in this section. If you happen to be a person of color or enjoy living in an area that is tolerant of diversity, you may want to list the break down of its population.

You may also want to note the number of institutions that serve people who live alternative lifestyles. If you are a religious person, you may want to write the number of religious institutions in this section. Lastly, if a good nightlife is important to you, you probably want to note the number of bars, clubs and concert halls in this area. Overall, this area should help you determine if the quality of life in your dream area meets your lifestyle needs.

The Summary

In this part of your plan, you want to summarize all of the above categories. You should also note if your new area would truly be a good area to relocate.

You probably are wondering why I only list four categories. I believe that a relocation plan should be as simple as possible. Also, a simple plan will not overwhelm you; thus, you will most likely write it. You can also add more sections if you wish. Overall, your plan should be customized to meet your needs.

In conclusion, by researching and writing a plan about your dream city, you'll be able to intelligently determine if this city is really your dream. If you learn by using this process that your dream area is a nightmare, congratulate yourself. You'll be saving yourself from bad financial and emotional stress. If you find that your dream city is truly heavenly, plan your move. I know you'll be very happy in your new area.