Thinking about moving from Texas to Iowa

[TheresaGo]

Originally Posted by iowachick

I'd pick neither....both towns have a high amount of illegal immigrants and both are poor towns with a high population of spanish-only speaking people. Try the quad cities, which is about 40minutes east...more opportunity, better schools and better housing.

I disagree. I live in Muscatine and there are no more illegal immigrants here than there are anywhere else in Iowa! And what's wrong with "spanish-only speaking people"? And what do you mean by "poor"? Muscatine is home to more Fortune 500 companies than any other town in Iowa! Get you facts straight before posting, please.

[DBQer]

I live in Dubuque. There is really strong job growth here. We had the 22nd-fastest growing economy in the country last year! The crime is very low, and the schools are good. Muscatine may not be doing as well though.

[patmc]

To get a good perspective from Iowans in the smaller cities you might want to talk to some of the people on www.HeyIowa.com

Small towns in Iowa are very good places to raise families.

[MissCee]

Originally Posted by TheresaGo

I've lived in Muscatine for six months. I moved here to live with my fiance (now husband). We are in the process of buying a new house in Muscatine, so we'll be living here for many years to come. I commute to work in Iowa City. I moved to Muscatine from Cedar Rapids, and I love living here! It's so much more peaceful than Cedar Rapids. It's definitely a prettier town, and it doesn't smell near as bad as CR did! Muscatine is home to several large companies like HON, Bandag, Musco, etc. It's located on the scenic Mississippi River, has a very quaint and historic downtown, and is full of great parks and trails. I don't think the crime rate is any higher than any other town its size...certainly less than Cedar Rapids.

I will soon be relocating to the Cedar Rapids area with my job. I noticed you moved away....What did you not like about CR? The smell, crime...? Can you give me some feedback on what CR is like?

[muddyrubicon]

Here are the places I have lived:
Dubuque
Germany
Clarksville, TN
Anniston, Alabama
St. Petersburg, FL
Chicago
Omaha
Cedar Rapids

Things I like about CR:
1) No traffic - you can get from one end of town to the other in 15-20 mins. You can get to Iowa City in about 20-25 mins.
2) Good Schools - College Community schools are good
3) Low Crime - at least I haven't experience or seen anything alarming.....the news rarely has violent crimes, such as murder/rape reported.

Reasons I would like to leave CR:
1) Lack of job opportunities for me
2) Weather (this past winter kicked my butt, three weeks straight of below zero temps and wind chill, plus a couple of ice storms knocking our power out for two days)
3) Real estate not as reasonable as others have stated, IMHO. I guess I am measuring this on other places I have lived, mainly Omaha. I can afford much more house at a higher quality in Omaha than here.
4) The roads are crappy compared to the south, lots of bumps, cracks, potholes......gets annoying driving on them after a while.

Hope that helps.

[dbecerra]

What is the best area in Muscatine or surrounding area for raising kids.My husband got a job at Bandag at Musctaine. We have nothing against immigrants because we are mexicans so we would not [rejudice.Anyway a good school and a nice neighbourhood if not in Muscatine, around?
Thank you!

[El Rhino]

[quote=iowachick;122854]I'd pick neither....both towns have a high amount of illegal immigrants and both are poor towns with a high population of spanish-only speaking people.quote]



I know this is an old post, but I think this is kind of funny considering the dude said he was moving from Texas.

[Hairy Weisenheimmer]

El Rhino- LOL no kidding! I just moved to the Ft Madison, Iowa area from Dallas, Tx. Its kinda weird not seeing everything in Spanish! And, apparently, Ft Madison has a good amount of cultural diversity. Texans are more than used to it, and the good ones see it as an oppurtunity for learning and sharing, not a "problem" that needs to be avoided.
Iowa is great, if you can stand the cold winters. IMHO I'll take a cold January in Iowa over 80 straight days of 110 degrees in the shade and no rain in Texas any day!

[Not Iowa]

Originally Posted by MissCee

I will soon be relocating to the Cedar Rapids area with my job. I noticed you moved away....What did you not like about CR? The smell, crime...? Can you give me some feedback on what CR is like?

IMHO, CR doesn't best represent Iowa. Iowa is a beautiful state with a scenery suited for almost anyone ... the NW is gorgeous, the east on the river etc etc., but CR is mostly just grey, even on a sunny day. The smell is difficult to get used to, the people here are very close knit and it can be difficult to be 'accepted' in this town. Crime is not too terrible, but the city is broke which could transform this town in 10 years into something unpleasant if the 15 in 5 city strategy is never actually realized.

If you are relocating due to work you can also look into N. Liberty, Coralville, Iowa City and have a commute to CR. I currently work in CR, do love my job, but plan on movingdown to IC this year and commuting.

[metro223]

is this serious? nice copy paste. what a joke!