looking for opinions on certain iowa towns/cities (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids: fit in, real estate)

[dumpstermcnuggets]

Though I'm going to school in Illinois right now, I'm looking down the road to move out of the state of Illinois once I graduate school in a few years. I'm really itching badly to get out of Chicagoland, as I've gotten tired of living in this area and want to move on. Plus, I'd like to live somewhere that has a slower pace of life, a cheaper cost of living, and in a less populated area, while still offering at least some amnities I enjoyed while growing up in the city of Chicago(its personally ok with me if the town doesn't offer as much cultural activites as Chicago did(not necessarily expecting it to), just some sort of semblance of culture is fine). In summary, I'm tired of Illinois and of Chicagoland, and ready for a slower pace of life, with at least some culture and/or activities to do.

Also, a BIG preference of mine is that I'm looking to live somewhere that often gets music concerts frequently(a major problem that I dislike about the Bloomington-Normal area of Illinois, where I go to college, though its been reduced slightly with the opening of the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington). And of course(much less of an issue than my one on music), an area that openly accepts newcomers, and isn't so tight-knit and unaccepting of newcomers from outside of Iowa.

As much as I've always been intrigued about eastern Iowa(especially of towns/cities along the Mississippi River), I'm also interested in hearing about towns in other parts of the state, too.

Anyway, these are the towns I'm interested in hearing opinions on. I'm also of course interested in hearing about local and state issues too, such as state taxes, the political culture of local towns/cities AND of Iowa state government, how often music concerts come through town, avg. cost of renting an apartment, how easy it is to find a job, local taxes imposed by cities, etc...(I'm sure I'm probably gonna forget a few questions initally). Finally, what are places that have a decent variety of differing types of ethnic restaurants(i.e. Thai restaurants, Indian restaurants, Greek, etc.)? Anyway, what are these cities/towns like, overall(pardon me if this list is slightly long for some, and its totally ok if you're unknowledgable about certain towns on this list! just want opinions preferably from locals, and anyone who's spent a good amount of time in the state):
-Waterloo/Cedar Falls area
-Des Moines area
-Cedar Rapids area
-Quad Cities area
-Sioux City area
-Mason City
-Dubuque
-Burlington
-Muscatine
-Clinton
-Fort Dodge
-Ames
-Iowa City
-Maquoketa
-Anamosa
-Grinnell/Newton
-Ottumwa(and of the string of towns northwest and west of there)
-Mason City/Clear Lake
-Council Bluffs

I'd also be interested of hearing of any towns that are often overlooked by people looking for a place to live in the state and/or I didn't mention. Also, why is Council Bluffs often bashed by people on this board? (asking this as a long time lurker who didn't register till this week) Hopefully, I can learn a good bit about this state and its towns by starting this thread(keep in mind doing this isn't imminent, I'm looking to do this a few years down the road, and it never hurts to start researching early)!

[Tek_Freek]

because I've lived in the Des Moines area most of my life. The last 19 have been in West Des Moines.

So, for a non-prejudiced opinion: My wife moved here in 1966 to go to Drake. For her DSM was, initially, too small. Now it's about right. Obviously she didn't leave.

Cultural - Yes, Art Center, Science Center (new one), Art Fair every year (one of the top-rated in the nation), Salisbury House, It's the State Capital (It's a beauty), Governor’s mansion, Pella has an annual Tulip Festival, Iowa State Fair is here, Brand new DSM Library (ugly as sin), local wineries have Sunday wine-tasting and music in season, adult education is plentiful. Lots of car shows if that interests you.

Ethnicity - The Des Moines area has an amazing diversity in the population and food. Go to excite.com and click on Yellow Pages at the top by the search bar. Check type at the next screen and key in restaurant. You'll get a good idea of the variety of cuisine.

Concerts - They built a new arena here and we're getting a lot of good shows. What doesn't come to Des Moines goes to Ames 30 miles north.

Taxes - http://www.retirementliving.com/RLtaxes.html click on Alabama-Iowa and scroll to the bottom of the page

Cost of renting - Not a clue, but someone will.

Job climate - Depends on your line of work. Wells Fargo has a huge base here , literally thousands of jobs. Principle, Prudential, KVI, etc. Des Moines is the third largest insurance city in the world. All those restaurants, Some manufacturing, agriculture. There's more I'm missing

Shopping - A number of malls and almost every store you could want. Jordan creek Town Center (mall with a fancy title) is new in West Des Moines with the new Wells Fargo campus located just south of it. That location alone employs something like 3500.

Good/bad areas - Avoid Des Moines proper. Look for posts by me in other threads for my opinion on where to live. Search my ID and they'll all show up.

I've heard Council Bluffs is not a nice town. No personal experience, but everyone I've ever met that lived there didn't think much of it.

[Red]

Based on you needing concerts on a regular basis, Des Moines/Ames or Iowa City/Cedar Rapids are the only options. If I was moving to one of these places (and based on the other factors you are looking for), I would choose the Des Moines area. I prefer the west side, but I used to live there so I might be a little prejudiced as well. Ames is a fun little college town, but it is just that, a little town. You're describing a small city--Des Moines. Good luck with whatever you decide.

--Red

[dumpstermcnuggets]

Originally Posted by Red

Based on you needing concerts on a regular basis, Des Moines/Ames or Iowa City/Cedar Rapids are the only options. If I was moving to one of these places (and based on the other factors you are looking for), I would choose the Des Moines area. I prefer the west side, but I used to live there so I might be a little prejudiced as well. Ames is a fun little college town, but it is just that, a little town. You're describing a small city--Des Moines. Good luck with whatever you decide.

--Red

that's what I was guessing about Iowa, i just wasn't sure how often the frequency that bands stopping over in Iowa to do concerts was, moreso outside of Iowa City(as i was guessing IC got concerts often, and possibly Des Moines).

after rereading those 2 posts, it looks like i'd probably most enjoy living in the area inbetween Des Moines and Ames, and somewhere inbetween Cedar Rapids and Iowa City(though i'm leaning towards living near one of these 4 cities, keep in mind obviously that I definately BY NO MEANS have ruled out living in other parts of the state just yet). still, i thought the Quad Cities sometimes attracts concerts too(even if say, less frequently than Des Moines or Ames)! as for Council Bluffs, i just looked at city-data's profile of this town, and haha, now i can see why people don't linger there too long(other than maybe for the casino, lol).

does anyone know if there are a lot of local cultural activities in some of the eastern river towns, such as Dubuque, Clinton, or Burlington? how about cities/towns in the eastern or middle parts of the state somewhat off the beaten path, such as Fort Dodge, Ottumwa, or Waverly? also, what are the local taxes, and income/state/county/etc. taxes like? i remember reading that the taxes were somewhat high in Black Hawk County/Waterloo, but how about other counties/cities/towns within the state? And one last question(after suddenly remembering about this issue): are there any 'dry county' laws anywhere in Iowa? at least i'm under the impression that this more exists in Southern states than it does in Iowa, and hopefully that doesn't exist in Iowa(or at least it doesn't exist in the Des Moines-Ames area, Quad Cities, or Cedar Rapids-Iowa City areas).

and btw to the first person who responded, DSM is an abbreviation for Des Moines, right?

[dumpstermcnuggets]

what are some of the bigger towns just barely outside of the Des Moines metro area and to the east are like? (aka Pella, Newton, Oskaloosa, etc.) of course, like before, i'm asking this in sense of certain areas, such as shopping(and/or how much of a drive it'd be to get to shopping areas), local taxes, culture, job availability, etc. (never mind the fact that this'd go somewhat against my idea of living near somewhere having concerts, i'm just open-minded to learning what the rest of the state is like)

also, the reason i was mainly asking about Oskaloosa is that its close to a town that currently has Amtrak service(Ottumwa).

[West Des Moines]

I agree with all of the above posts. Just keep in mind that the temp in the winter is usually 10 colder in the northern part of the state than in central Iowa. I grew up in 8 mile from Minnesota and am still amazed how much more bearable winters are in West Des Moines where I live now. Des Moines metro has been growing quite a bit and the west side suburbs would be comfortable for someone from suburban Chicago, with far less hassles. Traffic is only 10 minutes from west side to downtown DSM where many people work. Try that on I88 someday. I always figure an hour from Naperville to downtown.

[dumpstermcnuggets]

Originally Posted by West Des Moines

I agree with all of the above posts. Just keep in mind that the temp in the winter is usually 10 colder in the northern part of the state than in central Iowa. I grew up in 8 mile from Minnesota and am still amazed how much more bearable winters are in West Des Moines where I live now. Des Moines metro has been growing quite a bit and the west side suburbs would be comfortable for someone from suburban Chicago, with far less hassles. Traffic is only 10 minutes from west side to downtown DSM where many people work. Try that on I88 someday. I always figure an hour from Naperville to downtown.

that doesn't surprise me about the north part of the state(wasn't really considering that part of the state anyway, other than Dubuque, which i still love...), though i haven't gotten around yet to researching average temperatures in different parts of the state. i'm guessing weather in that part is pretty similar to what Rochester, MN-type winter weather. anyways, even though i doubt there's much of a difference, do you know if winters are typically shorter and/or slightly warmer in central or east Iowa on average? (and since i ruled out the west part of the state, after doing some research)

[duster1979]

Originally Posted by dumpstermcnuggets

what are some of the bigger towns just barely outside of the Des Moines metro area and to the east are like? (aka Pella, Newton, Oskaloosa, etc.) of course, like before, i'm asking this in sense of certain areas, such as shopping(and/or how much of a drive it'd be to get to shopping areas), local taxes, culture, job availability, etc. (never mind the fact that this'd go somewhat against my idea of living near somewhere having concerts, i'm just open-minded to learning what the rest of the state is like)

also, the reason i was mainly asking about Oskaloosa is that its close to a town that currently has Amtrak service(Ottumwa).

Pella, Osky, and Newton are all nice medium-sized towns. Pella has a very proud Dutch heritage, and the natives can sometimes be very cliquish toward newcomers. Don't get me wrong, they're not unfriendly by any means; it may just be a long time before you really feel like you fit in, unless you happen to fall in with other "newbies."

All three towns definitely have a strong "small-town" atmosphere, but are large enough to offer what most folks need on a day-to-day basis in terms of shopping, dining, health care, etc. And the Des Moines metro area is close enough to all three that you won't feel inconvenieced when you want to travel there for entertainment, culture, and the other things that only large cities can provide.

Pella and Osky have small colleges, so they do offer some diversity of culture. A venue for major auto racing events just opened in Newton; while that may or may not be your cup of tea, they also plan to hold major concerts there. And Newton recently lost a major employer, so there may be good deals to be had on real estate in that city.

Avoid Ottumwa at all costs. If you really want Mayberry-style living, there are some great small towns near there such as Bloomfield and Albia. But Ottumwa itself is pretty much the armpit of the state. JMHO, of course, but I did work there for over a year while living in the nifty little town of Blakesburg.

[dubuqueaskme]

Dubuque is a very, very exquisite town.

Dubuque is full of WONDERFUL views, photographers paradise. Low crime rate, even though there are areas where the town in getting "run down", but these are very small areas, primarily around the colleges. Loras College and UDBQ in particular. But, downtown there are some moderate sized high rises. maybe 1-250ft. WONDERFUL river, it is very CLEAN. And Dubuque is not only its' old town charm, on the west side of town, nearing and in Asbury, they are beginning to "commercialize" so Dubuquans dont have to travel down to Davenport for exclusive shopping. Main concentrations of development are near-on-Asbury and JFK Roads, with SEVERAL commercial lots available. Dubuque, no offence to colored people, but is VERY VERY white. They are currently working on an improvement program. Awesome place. 60-65,000 people, and the whole area is full of Illinois and Wisconsin license plates. Meaning the area is more towards the 130,000 population for the metro. Dubuque's technical area (metro) only goes at 92,000, which encompasses the county, Jackson Ccounty should be included in the area as well, my grandparents live there, in Bellevue, and travel into Dubuque regularly.

GREAT PLACE. consider it.

[Lew321]

Surprisingly no one must have read this column yet.

I'm from Iowa City and, from what others coming here have told me, it seems to be the best place for them to live in, depends on what you're looking for. Iowa City, being a college town, does offer many culture activities in and near it. There are many restaurants, as in most college towns, that have a large variety from the many countries of the students that come here from around the world, European and the Far East and, fo course, Tex-Mex. Hancher Auditorium on the univesity campus offers many concerts and other productions for both univeristy and public performances. There are also a couple of local playhouses as well.

Up the road is Cedar Rapids for those that want to hear the Cedar Rapids Symphony orchestra and other national traveling productions perform at the 5 Seasons Center in downtown Cedar Rapids. There is also a Czech Village in Cedar Rapids. If you want a taste of German culture, people visit the Amana Colonies to the west of Iowa City. It's a great place ot go if you enjoy Octoberfest but don't have the money to travel to Germany.

You get what you pay for. The more you want from government, the higher price you pay. The fewer the services, the lower your tax bill. So, lets face it. You decide what you're willing to pay for. Iowa, overall, has a lower cost of living than most other places in the United States. It has no major city on it's back unlike the neighboring states of Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Nebraska. Des Moines is the largest city in Iowa just under 200,000 population. So taxes will be less here than in Chicago everywhere you go in Iowa. Iowa City has one of the highest costs of living than elsewhere in the state. But, it also has one of the highest ratings than most other places in the NATION. Check it out on Spurlings Best Places to Live website. Iowa City ranks in the top ten of many categories. Chicago students favor it as it is just down I-80 from their hometown. It's also a "party town" according to national student surveys. So obviously it isn't "dry." There are more than 90 places that sell alcohol in downtown Iowa City alone. If you are not into the "student scene," I suggest you live away from the downtown area where it is likely to be more quieter. Yet you can still enjoy all the cultural activities and restaurants. If you want to avoid having to travel through heavy traffic, hop aboard the city busses. A nice alternative to driving everyday.

I don't know what your talents are. So I don't know what your job prospects are. The government pays well. But, keep in mind that there aren't that many major companies here with high paying salaries. If there were, you would soon have a major city. So, you're best bet would either be the government or go into business for yourself. The average Iowan makes around $40,000 a year. So, you are going to find an abundance of employers that don't pay very much. So if you are not very talented, you will wind up working two or three part-time jobs just to make ends meet. So it is best to check in advance to see what job openings there are waiting for you here before deciding to move.