Tips for PCSING (aka moving!):

(Map Template Source)

Last night I had the pleasant (yes, that last word should be read with extreme sarcasim) of calling 9-1-1. It started out as a semi quiet night...our upstairs neighbors are incredibly loud but I have managed to tune it out...mostly. Then I heard some more distinct yelling coming from outside my open kitchen window. I crawled on all fours and sat on my kitchen floor as I listened to a very irate man screaming at his female partner. Going on about how he was going to beat someone up and then come back and beat her up, just because. I dared to peak out and get a rough description and I called the police. Unfortunately, the man and woman stormed off just as I got them on the phone. I don't know what happened after that. 

I wish I could say this was my first rodeo here. But sadly its not. I have had to call 9-1-1, our apartment security patrol and child services more times than I ever have in my entire life in the past year we have lived here. Let me tell you, there has been some bad stuff going on all around me. 

How did we get stuck in such a rough part of town? Why did we move here?

Ignorance is one: I am not a big city girl. I have always lived in very safe areas! I have never lived in a city where there seemed to be more dangerous places than good. I just assumed that was the standard. It sounds stupid to say that now, I know! 

We gave ourselves only three days to find a place: We didn't have much of a choice the way things worked out, never being to the area definitely played a role. But sometimes in the military that's just your lot in life. 

We saw the first red flag our first week here when our car got broken into. I really hope they needed those bags of jumper cables since that is all they got. 

 It all went down hill from there!

(Most members of our ward will only visit us during the day if that gives you any idea! Or some not at all...)

When our lease was coming to a close, the apartment asked if we were planning on renewing...we gave them a big HECK NO! 

We are moving, THANK GOODNESS! And this time we decided to be smart about it. We really did our research! These websites really helped us make our final choice:

Crimereports.com:

This website lists the reported crimes in the area! You can look back six months and it

also gives you the location of sex offenders.

Apartmentratings.com:

Want to know what the residence of the apartment complex really think? I plan on leaving quite a 

warning for our current place!

Google Maps
This is a great way to take your future neighborhood for a test drive. Use the street view setting!

Neighborhoodscout.com
This website gives you a rating for the city you are moving too. Our last city was rated 2 out 100!! Scary!! Meaning 98% of cities in the US are safer than that one. So glad to have found this! You can get a more specific details for your perspective neighborhood for a fee. Definitely one to use!

Facebook
Now has a great way to search your friends. In the search box just type in something like "friends that live in (enter city and state here)" and if you have friends there or nearby they will pop up! Nothing beats getting a first hand account of what an area is like! Ask as many people as you can think of and get many different opinions!

Greatschools.org
Have kids that are school age? This is an excellent website that can give you an idea of where the best schools are for your children!

I will never NOT do my research ever again. This year has been awful! We are so excited for our new place that is much quieter, next to a beautiful park and surrounded by really nice neighborhoods. Adios old apartment!!

****UPDATE 3/24/2014****
 Since I wrote this post we have moved two times and are preparing to move AGAIN! Thankfully not because of the same issues we had before but because we actually had to move for the army. Thus far the websites above have again proven to be paramount in our search for safe and family friendly areas to live! I can not emphasize enough the importance of research as soon as you know where you are going! It has saved us so many headaches and heartaches!