America is a mobile country and people move frequently. When companies relocate employees (a deplorable habit of theirs), or when people move to a new state, or city, or even just a new neighborhood, adjusting takes time.
And it's not just moving that takes people to new cities. Sometimes, we vacation in them.
Severed from the local networks of friends, businesses, and family, you have to rebuild them in the new location.
If your new location has a transit system (sadly, not all cities have even a passing fair transit system) the best way to learn about your new location is to buy a bus pass and use it to explore the new city. You won't have to worry about driving the wrong way down one-way streets, finding parking, trying to find an address while steering and watching traffic, and getting lost is different and less costly.
Skip any touristy areas. Look for the little hole-in-the-wall places and the businesses located in or near residential areas. You'll find the thrift stores, the smaller restaurants, and the ethnic stores. You'll quickly find the best places to shop and probably make friends along the way.
You can then ask your new friends where things are and find even more places of interest to you, everything from restaurants to the best parks and coffee shops and such.
Before you get relocated, do a bit of research - google the area and check social media for groups in the area. Try "things to do in X City". Don't forget to see if the city has a website and look through it - you can learn a lot about the basics of a city by the website - trash, recycling, water, other utilities, zoning codes, location of emergency services, and so on.
Walk your immediate neighborhood. You'll meet some of your neighbors, you'll almost certainly meet their kids and dogs and maybe even the cats. You'll see what's available and get a feel for the place. Don't hesitate to walk around down town, either, and in strip malls. If you're riding the bus, don't hesitate to hop off the bus and walk around a while when you see something interesting.
Talk to the shop people. They'll answer questions and usually are happy to tell you about the area, or about areas they like. Then you can check them out.
I like vacationing for a weekend in a new city, wandering it and looking around and learning about it. If I like what I see, I mark it down for deeper exploration. When I retire (however long that will be, but at least 8 years more until I'm fully vested here), it might even be a place I will live in forever.
There's also this running commentary in the back of my head as to whether it would be suitable for a Numenist community, or possibly an outpost for Terra Mer.
Exploring new cities is fun. It's not only a cheap vacation, it's a way of widening your knowledge base. You never know when a tidbit you picked up in another city or a new city will be useful. And it never hurts to widen your network to include people you meet face-to-face and not just on line.
And if you have to or want to move to a new city, this is a good way to settle in quickly and feel more at home. It's uncomfortable (to me, anyway) to not know where things are or how to get to places I need or want to go or where to get the things i need or want. A good part of my survival plans involve knowing my local neighborhood.