Cedar Falls & Waterloo; "Bad" sides of town, crime? (Sumner: for sale, rentals)

[Sally_Sparrow]

I was looking on Craigslist and some other internet sites and found some insanely cheap houses for sale in Cedar Falls and Waterloo.

I asked a FB acquaintance as to why they were so cheap and he said the particular area was full of drugs and gang violence and shootings.

The house in question (that I was told was in a dangerous area) was in Waterloo, on 4th street.

Another was on Sumner street, in Waterloo. I love old houses, both were built around or before 1900.

We are looking at moving to Cedar Falls (preferably) or Waterloo (if we must) to attend the University of Northern Iowa but because we are a couple with kids and "non traditional" students we will NOT be living on campus. Plus, we have dogs and cats, need alternative options.

What about safe / decent mobile home communities? We just need a basic roof over our heads (with the animals and kids) until we finish school. Anything we find will be rather temporary, so we'd like to keep it as cheap as possible.
So I am seeing what's out there and curious about why some of these places are so cheap and if Cedar falls has a "bad side" to watch out for.

Also, keep in mind I live in a "bad side" of town currently, in a large city (San Antonio), and have in this "bad" neighborhood almost 4 years and I am not skittish, really, and find that most bad stuff happens between the bad guys and the regular folk get left out of it. Many, many times "poor" is confused with "bad", I've found.

[scimitar12]

I would skip Waterloo and just concentrate on C.F. Heck, you can probably find a good older home just a few blocks from campus and walk there. Why live three or four miles away in a place that is in a bad area then have to drive to school? C.F. has lots of older homes as well for just a few bucks more than what you can find in Waterloo.

[Sally_Sparrow]

Originally Posted by scimitar12

I would skip Waterloo and just concentrate on C.F. Heck, you can probably find a good older home just a few blocks from campus and walk there. Why live three or four miles away in a place that is in a bad area then have to drive to school? C.F. has lots of older homes as well for just a few bucks more than what you can find in Waterloo.

Thanks! I don't know anything about either of these places aside from what I've learned here on city-data and elsewhere on the net. We will take a quick visit in March but sometimes you don't get a good feel for a neighborhood without spending a few days there, and we won't have time to do that, so I appreciate the info!

[scimitar12]

Originally Posted by sabride

Thanks! I don't know anything about either of these places aside from what I've learned here on city-data and elsewhere on the net. We will take a quick visit in March but sometimes you don't get a good feel for a neighborhood without spending a few days there, and we won't have time to do that, so I appreciate the info!

To get a feel for some of the schools' performances in Waterloo and Cedar Falls you can try Great Schools. The site offeres a rating scale on most public and private schools. There is a direct link to Waterloos Schools, but there is a manual search engine where you can type in Cedar Falls, IA and get their rankings. I am sure the state of Iowa has something somewhat similar if you go to the state's Department of Education.

To see pictures of homes and their values, try Realtor.com. The site has improved a lot over the years and now seems to be fairly current in its information. I think the site might even have informaiton on rentals. At least you can get a feel of neighborhoods.

Good luck with your search. Northern Iowa is a decent school. I think your family will like the expereince.

[Rico Portugal]

Originally Posted by sabride

So I am seeing what's out there and curious about why some of these places are so cheap and if Cedar falls has a "bad side" to watch out for.

Cedar Falls doesn't have a "bad side".

[Sally_Sparrow]

Originally Posted by Rico Portugal

Cedar Falls doesn't have a "bad side".

Good to know. I've never lived in such a place! Even my small, "bedroom community" hometown in Texas had it's bad pockets! By small town standards at least.

[Sally_Sparrow]

Originally Posted by scimitar12

To get a feel for some of the schools' performances in Waterloo and Cedar Falls you can try Great Schools. The site offeres a rating scale on most public and private schools. There is a direct link to Waterloos Schools, but there is a manual search engine where you can type in Cedar Falls, IA and get their rankings. I am sure the state of Iowa has something somewhat similar if you go to the state's Department of Education.

To see pictures of homes and their values, try Realtor.com. The site has improved a lot over the years and now seems to be fairly current in its information. I think the site might even have informaiton on rentals. At least you can get a feel of neighborhoods.

Good luck with your search. Northern Iowa is a decent school. I think your family will like the expereince.

thanks so much.

We really like older homes and those seem more abundant in Waterloo but we probably won't buy right away anyway.. well most likely. On the other hand if we came across a really good deal, it would beat trying to rent with multiple animals in tow!

We are both very excited. Thanks for the info!

[bobguy49]

I am looking to move to a small city in Ia from Wisconsin where the government is condemning teachers in the public schools and taking away their rights. I am a retired educator and looking for a nice low crime rate city with lower taxes. My wife is from China and so an open minded community with tolerance for people that are not White Anglo Saxon Protestants would be ideal. I am not a wealthy business man but a middle class retired educator. Is Cedar Falls the place for me???? Any responses would be very appreciated.

[Mr. Lucky]

I went to school there and love the city. Cedar Falls has always had a reputation, for it's efforts, to maintain a high level quality of life for the citizens. Great schools, great parks and walking trails, the music festival every year. Nice houses, the "Parkade" downtown. What is there not to like?

[bobguy49]

thank you Mr lucky. I still am up in the air about CF but will need to visit the town this summer to see what it is like first hand. I have had only 1 response to my query and that was yours and I appreciate your post. I just need to re locate to a town that will have good health care resources and opportunities for me and my wife to enjoy neighbors and the environment without concern for criminal behavior.