Welcome to the Northfield Landing blog and our first ever post! Since this page is all about sharing information and fostering a sense of community, we thought we’d start with a few tips about getting to know yours. Whether you recently arrived or have lived here for some time, these points should help you start feeling at home, or give you an idea of how you can help others feel at home.

Figure out the practicalities: The sooner you settle in and figure out practical logistics, the sooner you can focus on the more enjoyable aspects of life. Familiarise yourself with transit options, driving routes, medical, schools,  banking and where to go for household basics. Once you have those things sorted, you be less stressed and more ‘present’.

Be a good neighbour:  The saying is that if you have always had bad neighbours, it’s probably not your neighbours. Likewise, they also say that the best way to have a friend, is to be a friend. This seems to be a common approach in Grande Prairie where there are yearly nominations for the “Good Neighbour Award”.

Get involved: Whether it’s a run club, a book club, volunteering or joining an association, participating in an activity with like-minded people is a great way to develop a social network and greater awareness of various aspects of your community.

Join the conversation online: We hope you come back and visit our blog often, but don’t stop there. Facebook is a great tool for finding out about events, news and community groups in Northfield Landing and Grande Prairie, and you can also keep up to date with all the latest on Twitter.  Better yet, create and post a meet-up group or activity of your own.

Tourism associations: Although tourism associations are usually perceived as being for out-of-towners, they can also be a great resource for residents. Information about key attractions, major events, shopping, realtors, maps and popular activities is all available in one place. Check out the Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association at http://gptourism.ca/.