I am moving to IO soon and ... (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids: apartment, rent)

[lynott]

Hi all

I am a Spaniard planning to move to IO soon. I am a teacher, and would move there with my family. The thing is that I know a few things about geography, resources, travelling, culture, celebrations... But I don't have much information about life there in practical terms: housing, cost of living ...
So, I would really appreciate any information you could give me, as I am really excited about this new experience.

Thanks and see you soon

[davedropd]

Lynott I lived in Davenport Ia for about 30 years, and moved because the job market there is horrific,if you are not self-employed or educated in something. Even still I have a book that gave it 34% out of 100 being the best for jobs. The property taxes on my house went up every year untill they were at $1400 a year. So I would up trying florida. Davenport is boring nothing to to do at all, unless you like staying home, the rest of the state is the same way. My friends and I always felt that Davenport has this feeling to it like it is the only place in the world. We did not like this. My mom was a teacher and made enough to survive fairly well. I like the warmer climate of florida, and the beach. The downside is the hurricanes, the poverty, and the people have no class or culture. I am considering a move after being here for 3 years and 1 hurricane. Hope this helped.

[lynott]

thank you for your help

[kgraves]

come here to iowa it sucks

[puhdytat]

Hi,

I grew up in Iowa and think it is a pretty neat place, though by no means the best place in the US. For young people it can be a nightmare, but for families it can be very friendly. The weather is an acquired taste - in my opinion the steamy summers are great, especially in the evening when the temps drop and the fireflies come out. I agree that Davenport is not such a nice place, though I've never lived there (although my sister does and seems to like it). The only place I would really live in Iowa is Iowa City, though. A liberal college town, it's a fun place to live and work and/or go to school. An oasis, if you will, in a sea of corn and soybeans. I grew up in Ames, another college town, and a nice place as well.

[chrisfromiowa]

these people give iowa a bad name...im 15 and have lived here my whole life...i like iowa but i like big cities and there are only like 5 in the whole state...but i like that...not huge, not small...i think you would like iowa...if a 15 yr old kid does, why couldnt you? by the way...what city are you wanting to move to? i would recommend des moines, davenport or cedar rapids seeings as they are they are the 3 biggest cities here...!

[Pam]

Lynott,
I currently live in the Iowa City area. I have lived several other places around the country as a traveling nurse but in the end returned to Iowa. Iowa City has a small town feel (compared to other places I have lived) but has a large university so there is a lot more opportunities and activities. (If you want to visit a big city, Chicago is a 4 hour drive.) The town is very liberal compared to the rest of Iowa. Due to the university there is a fairly large international population. I think you will find the cost of food and gas cheaper in the US than Europe. Currently gas/petrol is about $3per gallon, which is pretty high compared to what we usually pay. Housing is higher priced in this area than you will find in other areas in Iowa. If you move to a small town you will find it a lot cheaper. Here in Iowa City you can't get much for less than $225,000. As far as the geography goes, it is mostly farm ground, corn and soybeans. The northern part of the state is flat and the souther part has rolling hills. Iowa City is in the east central part of the state. Rolling hills, green, fields of corn. In the summer it can get up to the high 90's F (37 C) and humid at times. Winter can be quite cold and blustery but I would say not usually below 0 degrees F. Iowa's schools usually rate close to the top in the nation for test scores. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[ldsgranny]

SOUTHERN iOWA HAS LOWEST RENT AND PRICE ON HOMES
iOWA RATES 3 IN THE USA FOR SCHOOLS
A TWO BEDROOM APARTMENT THAT IS MIDDLE CLASS IS 400- 500 A MONTH
YOU CAN FIND CHEAPER THAT WILL NEED A LITTLE TLC
we just visisted Vegas gas was about the same both ways
Like any state you can locate cheaper grcery stores they may mean a once a month 45 mile trip we live nice on 40,ooo a year raised three kids and put them through colleage

[Red]

Iowa (IA) is a decent place to raise a family as long as you realize the good and bad points of the state.

1. Depending on what area of the state you are looking at, winter can be absolutely brutal with wind chills below zero for many days straight, or less brutal but still not fun (especially in central or southern areas). When I lived in Des Moines, it consistently "felt" about 10 degrees warmer in the winter than the northern area of the state. My family in southern Iowa think it feels 5-10 degrees colder in Des Moines. Of all the states, I would rank Iowa about 30th for nice weather (with 1 being best). Most areas of the state do have high humidity, and in northern Iowa it is either humid or the wind is blowing 15-20 mph--which is why we have so many wind farms popping up here.

2. Iowa does have good schools, but we have not been in the top 10 for about 12 years. Yes, Iowa did rank 3rd for ACT scores, but seeing as how over half of the states don't use the ACTs (especially those states in the NE that are above Iowa when you look at most real indicators of quality in education) this is not really a fair way to judge the education system. That said, I am pleased with the quality of education my kids are receiving in the Iowa school system.

3. People are friendly, but not as friendly as they like to think. Just like any other area of the country, you will find good and bad, but there are a large number of people with a "I'm going to scr*w you over before you scr*w me over" and "what's in it for me" and "that's how they get you" attitude, especially (and I hate to say this because some of these guys are not at all like this) among the farmers.

4. Meth is a much bigger problem than Iowa is ready to admit. There are more and more home invasion robberies happening throughout north-central Iowa, and unfortunately this is not confined to our rural area. The overall crime rate is great, but with a small but dangerous druggie contingency, any area becomes less safe.

5. The job market is okay, but definitely not great. If you are moving here with a good job already in place this is not an issue, but I wouldn't choose Iowa if I was just packing up and moving and planning on finding a job once I was there. If you want a health care, manufacturing or construction job anywhere in the state will probably work and if you are in the insurance field or publishing you could look at Des Moines, but otherwise it can be hit and miss. There's always room for good teachers in Iowa, but the trick is finding the right place for you that actually has openings that work with your educational specialties--teacher pay is definitely not something that Iowa should be proud of. We have a major "brain-drain" from our state as a very large percentage of our college graduates leave for much better opportunities in other states.

6. The cost of living is great compared to the Northeast or the Pacific coast, but it really depends on where in the state you want to live and how much house and yard you want. Many of the areas in Des Moines, Iowa City, and Cedar Rapids are getting quite overvalued considering that they are still in Iowa. The rural areas are of course cheaper, but the choices of activities and events are greatly reduced.

7. Many areas of state (and unfortunately the entire midwest) have a large population of "closet" racists. At least with the vocal racists you know who to stay away from if you aren't white, but these close-minded idiots are even worse. If you aren't white you'll never know that the guy who acted so nice to your face is making racial remarks about you, your wife, and your kids as soon as you walk out of the room but as a member of the "midwest majority" I have to hear this moron (and, of course, tell him to keep his mouth shut until I'm not around).

If you choose Iowa, I welcome you and hope you can find the good people that are here. There are worse places than Iowa, but there are definitely better places as well--home is where you make it.

--Red

[Red]

There was a typo in the above post--I would rank Iowa's weather as 40th not 30th.

--Red