How to Make Your New City Feel Like Home (Fast)

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve just matched, graduated, or been hired—and now it’s time to move… again.

For physician families, relocation is practically a rite of passage. But just because it’s common doesn’t make it easy.

Whether you’re moving for residency, fellowship, or a new attending position, the truth is: you’re not just changing homes—you’re rebuilding a life from scratch. New city, new job, new daycare, new grocery store, new everything.

And while your partner might be thrown headfirst into 80-hour workweeks, you’re often left holding the emotional logistics:
How do I build community? How do I help the kids adjust? How do I make this unfamiliar place feel like ours?

We’ve got you.

At Moving Medicine Partners, we’re not just real estate agents—we’re physician spouses who’ve done this many times. We know the overwhelm, the loneliness, and the weird frustration of trying to remember where the forks go in yet another new kitchen.

Here are our best tips for making your new city feel like home—fast.

1. Unpack the Entryway First

It sounds simple, but setting up a functional, welcoming entryway can immediately reduce chaos. Hang the hooks, drop a rug, set the tone. It’s the first space you see when you walk in—and the first reminder that this is your space now.

2. Do the Grocery Store Recon Early

Find your local go-to grocery store, coffee shop, and Target equivalent within the first week. Familiar routines give your brain something to rely on in the middle of everything else feeling foreign.

3. Don’t Wait to Hang Photos

Seriously. Personal photos, kids’ art, familiar decor—get it on the walls. You don’t need to “finish” decorating to start making the space emotionally yours.

4. Say Yes to the Awkward Coffee

Whether it’s a neighbor, a co-worker’s spouse, or a “you should meet my friend” connection, say yes. Even if it’s awkward. Even if you’re tired. Most deep friendships start with one slightly-forced meetup. 

5. Find Your Community (Not Just Your Partner’s)

Hospitals are insular. It’s easy to feel like your spouse is plugged into a world you’re orbiting from the outside. Find your thing—whether it’s a book club, barre class, MOPS group, synagogue, church, or professional network. This is your city too.

6. Schedule Joy

Set one thing on the calendar every week that brings you joy. A walk in a park, a solo coffee outing, a FaceTime with your best friend. Don’t wait until life calms down—you are in the middle of your life.

7. Don’t Wait to Explore

You don’t need to feel settled to start exploring. Do the local things. Try the weird pizza place. Go to the zoo. Make “fun” a way of getting familiar with your city instead of waiting for it to feel like home first.

8. Join a Group That Gets You

Our Moving Medicine Partners network was created for this reason. Whether you’re buying a home, looking for recommendations, or just craving a little solidarity, we’re here. Every agent in our network is married to a physician and knows exactly what you’re navigating—because we’ve done it too.