FINDING A PLACE TO STAY IN THE USA: Immigrant Living

There is a famous expression “Birds of a feather flock together.” This means people of the same background and tastes are likely to stay together. This expression applies to new immigrants arriving to the USA. For they wish to move to a neighborhood that shares the same language, customs, food or religion. Every single ethnic group can be found in the USA, making it quite easy for an immigrant to find his home away from home in America. However, the purpose to move to this new land of opportunity is to make a better life and the question remains is moving to an American neighborhood that feels like home the best decision to make? What an immigrant wants in cultural comfort may be at the risk of his/her financial vision. Many ethnic communities are based in major cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Living in big cities is quite expensive. Rent, food, transportation, and car insurance are very costly. For example, renting a studio apartment in Manhattan can easily cost $1200.00 or more a month. Whereas, the same amount of money can get you a 3 bedroom house in McKinney, Texas. Of course, living in McKinney is probably not an immigrant’s first choice, but the neighborhood is considered one of the top ten places to live in the USA. It may not be a area that has food and cultural services a person would be used to from his or her country of birth, but it has a great public educational school system and job opportunities. While one can easily research the internet to find the best place to live in the USA, USAFIS suggests the following web resources as a way to get started: Kiplinger , U.S. News and World Report ,and www.Moving.com. Realize there is a difference between “need” and “want” when buying or renting a house/apartment. For example, you need three bedrooms in the house because you have four kids. You want a skylight in the roof to bring in more light in the living room. Be prepared to compromise on some things that you don't really need. USAFIS suggest writing a list of your absolute needs, as well as a list of the things you want in a house or apartment. Then prioritize it all. If you find the house/apartment is close to having all of your NEEDS but doesn't have everything you WANT, give it a second look. By keeping these differences in mind will prevent you from ruling out certain houses/apartments without seeing them first.