Help Me Please (Des Moines, Ames, Boone: housing, rental, vacation)

[mellyq]

My husband and I might be moving to Iowa in the next few months and I saw some stuff in other posting about drug problems and job issues. Im a little nervous. I was wondering what the boone area is like and if we would have problems finding a rent house that would let us have our puppies. We do not have any 2 legged kids so I dont know if I can leave them behind. any info that you can give me would be great.

thanks alot

[WoodwardGirl]

1. Don't come without your dogs. You'll never forgive yourself.
2. What passes for "drug problems" and "job issues" here are minor to the point of insignificance compared to much of the nation. Generally, people here have a good work ethic. As a result, we have low unemployment. However, it also means that sometimes a person has to actually have certain qualities to get a job -- you know, difficult stuff like showing up on time, able to read and write, good attitude. And we admittedly have little to offer for those persistent job-seekers in oceanographic studies <grin>.
3. I've lived here almost all my life and have never to my knowledge actually seen drugs, seen anyone that was on drugs, and would have absolutely no clue how to go about getting drugs. I hear about drug-related issues on the news and see it in the newspaper, and, based on that, there are neighborhoods in most larger towns in which I probably would feel uncomfortable walking after dark. But I once locked my keys in the trunk of my rental convertible in one of what I later learned was considered pretty much the worst neighborhood in Miami, and some young men jimmied the trunk for me without damage or further incident, so you never know, do you.

The Boone area is beautiful, especially this time of year -- those rolling hills full of trees blazing with color in the autumn sunlight! Boone is a great little town. It *is* little, but has a lot of pride, and rightfully so. Lots of history! Depending on career field, one might find it advisable to commute to Ames for work, which is not a big deal at all. Generally, housing costs are low, cost of living is very reasonable. Finding that rental property may take work; you may end up taking a shorter lease on something further out than you wanted, etc. so you are close enough to scope out areas you really like, but don't let that discourage you. Seems like most people who rent go through that when moving to a new area if they can't spend a lot of time there before committing (i.e. frequent visits) OR don't have an advocate or realtor of some sort looking out for them. If it were me, I'd spend some time trying to find someone to do that for me if I were really worried about finding a place.

Small-town Iowa is a great place to live if you're someone who values safety, common sense, and knows how to entertain herself. If I were moving to Boone, I would look forward to finding great antique shops; I would have a big garden with lots of flowers; I would seek out the local dog training community and sign up for some agility and obedience lessons to get acquainted; I would join the group that does historic preservation and is involved in the exhibits at the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad; I'd join the historical society and genealogy society and volunteer with them; I'd take some fun continuing education classes ("flower arranging" "five different pot stickers in one evening," etc.) probably more to meet people than anything else.

Most important, I'd subscribe to the local weekly paper, to the Des Moines Register, and maybe to the Ames paper. As you read the paper, compare it to where you used to live and you'll get a real feel for the drug and employment "problems." Some days, absolutely NOTHING happens, and our media are forced to come up with screaming headlines about the need for an increase in spending (next budget year) for maintenance at rest stops, etc.

Best wishes in your move!

[mellyq]

That was so awesome I really feel better about the whole thing already. You really boosted my spirits. I have seen some pictures of the boone area and it looks really cute. I hope that I can stay home and get involved in the community and have babies. But I guess we will see. My husband is waiting for an interview with UP next week. Hope all goes well. Thank you soooooo much for your input.

m

[WoodwardGirl]

LOL. Well, I'm relieved at your response. I got to thinking about it and realized many people would say "holy cow, that woman likes to do things that are so boring that I fell asleep reading about it!" My point was that there are lots of varied things to do -- you just have to seek them out. And there are some things not readily available, like dolphins (I go talk to 5th grade girls in local schools about careers in math and science and, without fail, they all want to be marine biologists so they can train dolphins. What happened to horses?) or maybe a hoppin' salsa club with authentic Argentinian cuisine -- last time I looked, Boone didn't have one. Mostly, there's just time to have a life -- no long commutes, no fighting traffic just to get groceries, less pollution, four seasons (which, since it freezes, means darned few poisonous critters, yay). You get to know your neighbors and they'll bring your paper in when you go on vacation. It's nice.

Now, UP... has your husband worked on the railroad before? Road or Yard? The way things are right now, road work can be so darned demanding. Do you have any family in the area at all? Having babies when your husband was on call for a road job with no family around you would be really hard, I would think. I mean, if he's an engineer or brakeman, he needs to go where the jobs are and railroad work has never been stationary <g>. But if he does travel a lot and you really want to start a family, I would just give strong consideration to trying to build a support system to help when he can't be around.

Just my $0.02!

[mellyq]

He works in the oil field now so I kinda know what you are talking about already. It can get pretty crazy around here but I have to work to help support us here and he would like for me to stay at home or go to school. I dont have family close but I hope to make some good friends and sometimes that is just is good right....lol you didnt bother me with all of the info you provided it was glad to get such a great response.

thanks again

m

[SharpHawkeye]

I assume the "drug problems" you're thinking about comes from all the methamphetamine stories that came out a few years ago?

It should be said that Iowa did have a drug problem as recently as a few years ago. However, they passed new laws to stop people from buying massive amounts of cold pills and that pretty much shut down the homegrown meth labs across the state. Although it is a pain in the butt for normal people to buy cold pills now, you very rarely hear about meth anymore--although every now and again you do.

I hope that clears the drug question up a little bit for you.

[mellyq]

That is awesome to hear because I read some posting on here a couple of weeks ago that really worried me. That makes me feel a whole lot better. thank you

m

[casgator]

we will be moving toiiowa the end of Jan. and hope to find a rental home inBoone or somewhere close by. My other half has procured a job with Record Printing in story city. I have emailed and phoned a few places for information but no one returns info. Does any one know of any rental places near there?

[mellyq]

We changed our plans partly because of the lack of rental properties in the towns that we really liked... all the best to you!

[AutumnSun44]

Hi, I am from Iowa and the boone area is very pretty, jobs and homes are about the same any where you go, there are jobs and homes just about anywhere you go. I hope you find what your looking for. good luck, pamela