If you are like millions of other folks, you have decided to make a fresh start of things and simply move to a beautiful new city like Dallas from another part of the state or country. While travel guides and websites can gloss over various neighborhoods and give you basic information, how are you supposed to know where the best places to live in the city really are? Here are a few tips.

If you own a car like most people, the closer you live to work, the less you will have to pay in car insurance, and that can be worth its weight in gold. Of course, if your job is located in a part of the city that predominantly business, like an industrial or business park, it might not be worth it since you would have to drive a lot for entertainment, shopping, etc. However, most people would agree that living near work is more than worth it.

If you don’t own a car, try to find an area close to a public transportation hub. Unlike most American cities, Dallas has quite a good public transit system, so living near a spot frequently serviced by transit is always a good idea.

We all want to live in the “nicest” part of town we can, so do some research on crime statistics to find out what areas you should avoid and which ones you can call home. Thanks to the Internet, all of that information is readily available.

It has become a ritual as old as time: move into a nice new apartment and then throw a party to celebrate, but while you may have the best of intentions, poor planning can make even the simplest apartment party a nightmare. Here are a few essential tips you can follow to help make your first apartment party a smashing success.

First, make sure you notify the people who run your apartment complex or your building that you’re throwing a shindig, that way, if they get any calls about noise or anything like that, they will know in advance what’s going on. This is purely out of common courtesy.

Going hand in hand with the previous tip, make sure you invite everyone on your floor or all of your immediate neighbors so you can get to know them. An added bonus: if all of your neighbors are over at your place having fun, they can’t call and complain about the noise.

You also want to start a bit earlier than you normally would if you had a house so you can wrap things up a bit earlier, too. Remember, not everyone works 9 to 5 and you are likely bothering someone in your building. You don’t want to start off your stay in your new apartment complex by making enemies.

Finally, be watchful if you choose to serve alcoholic drinks. If someone at your party gets completely plastered and then goes out and has an accident, several states will hold YOU responsible.

Depending on the apartment complex you live in, you may have access to a small amount of green space that you can cultivate into a garden. Many of the larger, multi-building apartment complexes are starting to set aside a small amount of green space for every resident thanks to the extraordinary demand for a tiny plot of land to do some gardening. If your complex doesn’t have the extra space, there are a few options you can look to to grow your own food.

If your apartment complex doesn’t allow a space for outdoor gardening, you might still be able to use window boxes. Of course, you will want to check with your apartment complex first, but you can grow a surprising amount of herbs and even small vegetables in a window box. Check with your local greenhouse to see about the right soil to use and the plants that have the best success rate in a window box environment.

If the idea of window boxes is nixed, you can think about using a regular old potted plant to grow herbs and even some veggies. Of course, if you choose something big, you’ll need a big ceramic pot, so make sure you have the space to spare before you start. Post a watering and care schedule someplace where you’ll see it every day.

Finally, if all else fails, many large cities have gardening spaces you can rent in other parts of the city that are perfect for individuals to grow a few veggies on their own. Call a local greenhouse to find out more.

It is the worst nightmare of all apartment dwellers: a fire that not only destroys your belongings but leaves you homeless, too. We’ve all heard that fire alarm go off before and that feeling of dread soon follows. Here are a few essential tips you can follow to keep yourself and your things safe during your next fire.

It has become commonplace that most fire alarms in most apartment complexes are false alarms. Some buildings have so many false alarms that people hardly even react to the sound of the alarm going off anymore, especially if they live 15 floors up and have to walk down all those stairs. However, even a false alarm should be treated with respect and followed. Once you hear the alarm, make sure you turn off your stove or oven if you’re cooking, turn off any running water you have anywhere in your unit and then grab a coat if its cold and head out the door. If you have kids, you obviously want to prepare them as best you can. Don’t yell or panic, that will only make the situation worse. If you have pets, try to have their cages or carriers ready to go at all times so preparing them to leave is easy. They will likely be quite scared by the sound of the alarm, so try to act as calmly as possible. Respect what the fire fighters tell you and don’t try to go back into your apartment until the folks who run your complex tell you its safe.