c h.

As an ex-New Yorker, living in Virginia for 32 years and now looking to move to another state I have found City Data to be extremely helpful in weeding out places I would not want to live. The forums are very helpful because they put you in touch with people who actually live in those places and the pages on City Data are overwhelmingly helpful when it comes to things like population and crime statistics. Real estate agents are by law not allowed to discuss things I feel I have a right to know before I move someplace. I check City Data for every city I consider. There are other sites I check also, and the truth is when I do actually visit those cities, while house hunting, I find that the majority of what is written, whether it is good or bad turns out to be true. City Data isn't just helpful, it's a necessity.