(MONEY Magazine) – Whether you're thinking about moving to one of our Best Places or somewhere else, follow these steps to find the ideal place for you:

WHILE YOU'RE STILL HOME

Call the town's chamber of commerce for free or low-cost written material about its major employers, the housing market, state and local taxes and the public schools. Also, phone local chapters of organizations you belong to and talk to a cross section of members about schools, jobs and your other big concerns.

Also, subscribe to the local newspaper to get a sense of job prospects, house prices, and the important social issues facing the community. For the name and phone number of the paper, look through Editor & Publisher International Yearbook at your library. Another reference book worth perusing there: the U.S. Commerce Department's County & City Data Book 1994, which has helpful statistics on everything from housing costs to commuting time.

Try computerized research too. The Money World Wide Web site, part of Pathfinder (http://path-finder.com/money), now lets you plug in the factors that would matter most to you when choosing a place to live so you can come up with your own Best Places list. The Smart Moves Windows-based software ($39.95; 800-210-8852) has data updated quarterly on crime, taxes, schools, cul ture, home prices and more.

WHEN YOU VISIT

Spend at least four days in an area you're considering. Talk with people at the chamber, relocation specialists, real estate agents and employment counselors. If you have a child, meet the school principal. "Good local test scores are one thing; whether the atmosphere will suit your child is another,'' says Camille Mims, a relocation specialist with Fonville Morisey Realty in Raleigh, N.C. Spend time at parks, malls or wherever the locals hang out to see if you would feel comfortable here.

WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO MOVE

You've found utopia. now you must get your stuff there. A relocation service like Consumer Relocation Services (800-839-move) can oversee every aspect of your move for about $100. Such consultants will negotiate costs with the mover and often secure a discount of 50% or so.

--S.N.N.