Suburban living is a deceptively beautiful transition to a much calmer, easier life. But there are adjustments that have to be made in order to deal with the requirements, hazards, and additional chores that go along with suburban living. Suburban living is an economical and practical mid point between isolated, slow country living and high speed, congested urban life.

Driving is the first issue. The car must be well maintained and reliable, not to mention covered by good insurance and towing service. A reliable and honest car repair place is one of the first issues to take care of, as suburban car repair can be an adventure in ripoffs.

A lot more driving and good planning is required for suburban living. There are longer driving commutes to work and there is driving to get the children to school.  Even a quick visit to the store to resolve an emergency grocery shortage can involve a two to five mile round trip drive. Planning and organizing the shopping for staples, special events and essentials helps to prevent constant trips to the stores.

In many cases, suburbanites simply love to drive! They enjoy getting into the car and going somewhere, but in a tight economy, good planning and organizing for routine and special events helps to reduce the number of unnecessary trips.

Mobile communication is essential in the suburbs. The children and parents will be spread out during the day at various jobs, schools, activities, and social visits, and will need to communicate. It is highly possible that a car breakdown or fender bender will require the aid of a cell phone, especially on an isolated or unsafe street or roadway. Navigation programs and devices help to find businesses and other places for the first time.

Personal safety and security is a different matter in the suburbs. It might look safe and inviting to go out for a jog in a beautiful open space or on a peaceful street, but there are human and animal predators galore these days. Not everyone is a good candidate for owning five or six pit bulls, who frequently escape for example.  It is best to go walking and jogging with a buddy, or to at least notify someone about the leaving time, route, and expected return time.

Children should never be allowed to go out on isolated and “dead” streets or areas alone. The smaller ones need to be escorted to the bus or escorted to school. They to be picked up on time and never left alone at isolated school facilities or bus stops. Sadly, too many predators exist in the world, and virtually every suburban neighborhood has some form of registered and unregistered sex offender living in the area.

People may think that a person’s suburban home is their castle, but many communities have extensive codes, especially when homeowner’s associations are involved. There may be restrictions about paint color, the time of day when construction work can be done, fence height, yard maintenance, extra vehicles, where to park boats and RV’s, and other issues. It is easy to research the relevant county codes or the covenants, codes and restrictions (CC&R) of the homeowner’s association when there are plans or issues that might be a problem.

Also, good neighbors make good neighbors. There may be issues with burrowing dogs, overhanging trees, constant guests who take up the street parking and party all of the time, terrible renters who move in next door and so on. There is simply more to have in the suburbs, which means that there can be more to fight over. Suburban kids can find incredible ways to get into or to cause troubles that range from vandalism to the onset of psycopathic behavior, substance abuse and even murder.

When “visitors” arrive, stay for a few minutes, then leave, it is a sign of drug dealing, for example. There are other indicators to look for before ever committing to a particular suburban home. These include funky vehicles, RV’s and boats parked on the streets, bad yard and home maintenance, abandoned homes, too many homes for sale, too many renters in a neighborhood, and so on.

Fortunately, it only takes a few visits, during different times of the day, night and weekends, to see if a prospective neighborhood has activity that the real estate agent did not want the buyer to know about. Also there are excellent ways online, at the hall of records, and in the local newspapers, to get details about crime statistics, significant past events, future events that might be improvements or pose problems, and registered sex offenders in the area.

Also, knowing the property boundaries, dealing with pets and children who need to adjust to a new biome, and getting to know neighbors, local government, community organizations and clubs, and how the local provate security or public safety agencies work is a good way to adjust to life in the suburbs.

In summary, getting to know as much as possible about the community, the neighborhood, and the people is good preparation for a smoother transition from urban or rural life to life in the suburbs.