Getting out of Massachusetts and thinking of Iowa. (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids: real estate, landscaping)

[LeavingMass]

I am born and raised in Massachusetts, as is my wife and our 4 children, but we have become tired of the high cost of living and all of the other negative attitudes this state has and are moving soon. We have traveled many times to Central Tennessee and W.C. Illinois as we have family there and are very fond of country living, but have heard that Iowa has alot to offer. My wife is a Registered Nurse and I am a Landscape Contractor, we both love the outdoors and I am an advid bowhunter. Ideally we would like to find an area which is rural with farms and wooded areas, but yet close (within 25 miles) to a large enough town or city that would have good job opportunities and good schools for our children. We both feel like we are country folks who where accidently transplanted to New England and want very much to get out. Any information would be greatl appreciated

[zz4guy]

Have you ever been to Iowa to visit?

There aren't a lot of wooded areas, at least compared to the NE. The landscape in the country is sparse. Usually at least a mile before you see another house. Winters are harsh - lots of cold and snow. Taxes are high, but so are the MA taxes.

As for the good stuff. Low cost of living, easy to commute to nearby cities, not a lot of regulations which is nice if your running the landscape business.

You might consider the Cedar Rapids area, located in the Cedar Valley. It is generally more hilly and wooded than typical Iowa. There's a University and VA hospital in Iowa City (20 miles away) as well as many hospitals in CR.
There are a lot of manufacturers in the area like Procter/Gamble, ADM, General Mills, Quaker Oats, Terex, Lear Automotive, Rockwell Collins and lot of smaller "technology" companies. Cedar Rapids/Iowa City is known as the "technology cooridor" because it is home to a large number of companies that manufacture electronics and other high tech equipment.

You shouldnt have a problem finding a job in the CR/Iowa City area, as well as a lot of work for your landscape business. I run a lawn care company myself and am always busy. The combined CR/IC area is over 300,000 in the two county area.

And if you do yearn for the high stress city life, Chicago is only a 3 hour drive away .

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

Have you thought of Georgia? The real estate prices are really good from what I have been seeing. You would also have a longer season to do your landscape contracting.

I have been to New England and its beautiful but the price to own a nice home is VERY pricey. I have always thought if I left Florida I would consider Georgia, posibly the Savanah area because of its closeness to the ocean but I hear outside Atlanta is very nice as well.

I was watching a Real Estate show and they had some really NICE homes for $200 grand, brand new in a nice development. Here where I live, that wouldn't get you anything new, at least not very close to Orlando.

[Luke9686]

I would recommend the Des Moines area. The western suburbs are growing like crazy, so you would probably have good business in your field. Plus the metro population is around 600,000, so I think your business will do good there. There are plenty of RN jobs there too.

It's true there are tons of woods in Iowa, but they can be found. You could own some land outside the city and still be able to drive into Des Moines for work. The weather in Iowa is like Mass, with less snow. I think you will be pleasantly suprised. For what you pay for a single family in the Boston area, you could buy a house with some land in Iowa.

[mfrerkes]

....Now all we need is DBQer to chime in and say that Dubuque is the best place to live in Iowa, then we will have completed all three mandatory "Chamber of Commerce" speeches.

[LeavingMass]

I spoke with someone else who mentioned the Des Moines area for work, but said I should look at Knoxville or Indianola for a house and some land. Are the schools good in these areas? How is the hunting in this part of the state?

[SharpHawkeye]

While CR/IC is would be a fine place for you I would also give some thought to the Des Moines area, particularly north and west of Des Moines.

The area north of Des Moines has Saylorville Lake and the Des Moines river valley, both of which are fairly wooded areas. The areas closer to Des Moines are becoming suburban sprawl fairly quickly, but the area becomes more rural the farther out one travels. I would look at Dallas Center/Grimes and Johnston as not too suburban places with good schools in that area.

Out to the west of Des Moines is very nice as well, and more rural than the north. However, it leans more toward farms than woods. Some good towns in this area to look at would be Waukee and Van Meter or even the far western edge of West Des Moines. The only issue here is that while WDM and Waukee have great schools, there's been so much growth that overcrowding is starting to become an issue.

As for bowhunting, I've never done it myself, but I know it's big in the southern part of Iowa where I'm from. Lots of rolling hills and woody un-farmable land. An easy weekend trip from either CR/IC or Des Moines.

Overall, lots of growth in this area, and there is at least one (maybe more?) new hospital going up in West Des Moines. Beyond that though, there are three or four downtown Des Moines hospitals and I imagine with all the growth that the landscaping business is looking good.

Also, for another perspective, you may want to check another Des Moines forum:
absolutedsm.com: Des Moines Development

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

I have friends who were born and raised in Mass, their entire family lives there. They picked up and moved to Boise Idaho.

They evidently like it alot but the thing I was worried about is that if they ever decide to move back, I don't know how they would do it with the difference in cost of homes.

[therrboomer]

Landscaping business in Georgia could be a problem, no water for the foreseeable future to keep it green.