Finding Places To Live In Metropolitan Areas
It’s not always easy finding places to live in metropolitan areas. But there are some tips that you can follow to discover the locations that most suit your needs. In some cases, you’ll be looking for housing for just yourself, whereas in other situations you might be looking for places for yourself and roommates or your family.
So, as far as places to live go, there are multifamily properties, student housing options, arts districts that you can explore, and even potentially short-term leasing situations that might be ideal for you. Ultimately, the more you do your research on various housing situations, the more likely you’ll be able to find one that is closest to what you’re looking for.

photo David Holt
Multi-Family Properties
When you search for multifamily properties, you’re probably looking for something stable in a community that has good management. Multi-family apartment complexes in larger cities and metropolitan areas tend to have a wide variety of quality amenities and other benefits that need to match with your requirements. For example, some of these urban multifamily properties are near to schools. Or, if you’re moving to be closer to your job, you want to make sure that kind of proximity is in order.
Student Housing
Many times colleges are going to be in urban areas. If you’re looking for student housing, you should first go through the student admissions office and find out what kind of information they have on the subject. Especially if you’re a single student starting your first year or two, of there may be options that they have and can advise you about to prevent you from even needing to have to look. Freshman housing is often set up to help new students avoid the stress of trying to figure out where to live.
Arts Districts
Most urban and metropolitan areas have an arts district that offers housing. The idea of the starving artist often comes from the idea of the classic studio apartment in the city. You get the visual of a big, cluttered single room with one wall entirely made out of a window. The true artist works where he lives, after all!
Short-Term Situations
Short-term situations are common when people want to live in metropolitan areas as well. This can be as easy as finding someone with an extra bed in their house that you can stay with, or even serially renting out Airbnb rooms. As long as you’re willing to feel a little bit more itinerant, there are all sorts of inexpensive options that will get you inside of city centers, and thereby increase your opportunities to have the urban experience. Safety is paramount with short-term situations though, so make sure you read reviews about different possibilities first.
Author: Anna Johansson