So You Are Thinking of Moving to Iowa (school, to live in)

[metro223]

AH i've been on roads like that in St. Louis as well, why do they think this is ok?!!?

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by down to earth

The biggest safety issue with driving West on University is the fact that some idiot made it OK for people to park their cars on the sides of the street!!!! So, in one part of University you will be driving on a 2 lane street and all of a sudden theirs a parked car smack dad in front of you!!! It's the dumbest thing I've ever seen. This is around Drake, which I'm sure is cause of parking issues, but it's really asking for a wreck or two...

Plus there's a lot of pedestrians in that area with a tendancy to walk in the street late at night.


I know I was always very cautious when I would stumble out of Hairy Mary's drunk at 2 AM and cross the street.

[down to earth]

YIKES!!! You are so right...glad you never got "smashed" by a car that is!!!
Take care!
Deb

[msbiggz]

sorry been away for a while... no i am from a small town in MS..but lived in a city when in Cali... i could adjust to either.. its the kids i worry about... i dont want them to have to make a big adjustment too quickly.. thanks again Deb

[Steve_W]

Originally Posted by msbiggz

sorry been away for a while... no i am from a small town in MS..but lived in a city when in Cali... i could adjust to either.. its the kids i worry about... i dont want them to have to make a big adjustment too quickly.. thanks again Deb

Good point, many times when a kid is forced to adjust to quickly they feel they need to be accepteed as soon as possible by their peers and end up in the wrong crowd.

[msbiggz]

That is exactly what we are trying to advoid.. especially having 2 13yr old boys.
One is really into everything, football, dancing,writing music, drawing and a self taught swimmer. The other is into reading, drawing and just trying to keep up with the first.. so my concern is to make sure it is a place where they can find things to do and not be too overwhelmed too quickly.

[El Rhino]

I don't think anyone has ever been overwhelmed by things to do in Iowa.

[Primabelle]

I moved to rural Iowa last year with my son (age 8), to be closer to my boyfriend, (whose family has been here for several generations). Upon arrival, I joined the PTO, volunteered in town and at the elementary school, do almost all of my shopping locally, and my son joined the local kids football team and Boy Scouts. I have taken it upon myself to meet people, support local businesses and get integrated as much as I can. All of this has gotten me nowhere. The people here judge you by one thing, your last name. If they don't already know you, they don't WANT to know you. It doesn't matter one bit if you are friendly, outgoing and supportive of the community... Unless you grew up here, you will most likely not be welcome. It doesn't even matter if you belong to or join the church, nothing works. I have spoken to people who have been here for 5-10-15 years and still have no social connections and no friends. My son has had no playdates or social invitations since we arrived, and I have not had any social calls either. Even after hosting parties at our home, we have been totally shut out. I planned to start a business, just to give it one more try until I was warned by a current shopkeeper that the locals enjoy nothing more than to see you/your store fail, and they will only shop in the "city" anyway. Now I am going through the agonizing process of moving myself and my son away from here, because unfortunately, love does not conquer all. I have to leave my boyfriend now and my son is losing a father figure for the second time because of this unfriendly place. Unless you were born and raised here, it will likely be a very lonely experience to try to live here. Good luck, whatever you decide.
P.S. The educational system here leaves A LOT to be desired... Don't believe the hype.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by CertifiaBully

I couldn't agree with you more on all of this if I'd have written it myself!! Lived as a disillussioned, misinformed, misguided Iowan for 30 years...There is NO DIVERSITY! And the residants of that state bend over BACKWARD to ensure that there are only 2 ways diversity can come to Iowa: 1) Come to Iowa! But if you do things differently, speak differently, eat strange things or want to change the Iowan ways, they hope you are only in their state for a short visit and, hey, 'can I help you pack?' & 2) Iowans would embrace differences a lot easier if those who brought the culture weren't so...well...DIFFERENT!

It is vile, dispicable behavior that I have only seen in that state. I am not a world traveler, by any means, but I HAVE been to enough places to know that the shallow, sheltered, carbon-copy existance that Iowa offers is bland; tolerable AT BEST!

Iowa isn't the one place where this happens. It can happen in Texas too. It happens in Georgia as well, so don't be surprised.
If you visit and you feel out of place...rest assured: you are! Don't unpack the boxes unless your sure you fit in. Took me a long time to get out of Iowa because the "big cities" in other states had REAL CRIME and REAL TRAFFIC, but what Iowans have yet to understand is that they also have REAL PEOPLE!! I have NO intention of ever returning to that state. If ignorance is bliss, I have the new motto for it--IOWA: In The State of Happiness!! How sad that I am honestly ASHAMED to tell people that I am from Iowa? On to bigger and better things...

This happens in Georgia too. I should know because I live there. It's everywhere.

[Jay100]

Originally Posted by Primabelle

I moved to rural Iowa last year with my son (age 8), to be closer to my boyfriend, (whose family has been here for several generations). Upon arrival, I joined the PTO, volunteered in town and at the elementary school, do almost all of my shopping locally, and my son joined the local kids football team and Boy Scouts. I have taken it upon myself to meet people, support local businesses and get integrated as much as I can. All of this has gotten me nowhere. The people here judge you by one thing, your last name. If they don't already know you, they don't WANT to know you. It doesn't matter one bit if you are friendly, outgoing and supportive of the community... Unless you grew up here, you will most likely not be welcome. It doesn't even matter if you belong to or join the church, nothing works. I have spoken to people who have been here for 5-10-15 years and still have no social connections and no friends. My son has had no playdates or social invitations since we arrived, and I have not had any social calls either. Even after hosting parties at our home, we have been totally shut out. I planned to start a business, just to give it one more try until I was warned by a current shopkeeper that the locals enjoy nothing more than to see you/your store fail, and they will only shop in the "city" anyway. Now I am going through the agonizing process of moving myself and my son away from here, because unfortunately, love does not conquer all. I have to leave my boyfriend now and my son is losing a father figure for the second time because of this unfriendly place. Unless you were born and raised here, it will likely be a very lonely experience to try to live here. Good luck, whatever you decide.
P.S. The educational system here leaves A LOT to be desired... Don't believe the hype.

Wow that is a poignant message. Just my observation but there's probably something about you that they don't trust or like. I would try learning Dutch and maybe wearing some wooden shoes or something. j/k From my understanding, "Iowans" are private people and have their own way of doing things. Whatever it is they do however I can't really knock because it is a very nice place. I personally like place but then again, not much interested in making friends or climbing the social ladder.