What is life in Iowa really like? (Cedar Rapids, Manson: home, school)

[RonnieJonez]

it's just very regular. don't expect excitement.

[LRSMOKEY]

I was born in Minnesota but lived the majority of my life in Iowa. I have lived in Texas, Minnesota, South Dakota, Germany, Illinois, Missouri.

In Iowa, I have lived in Cedar Rapids (probably the best city in Iowa), Waterloo(not the best city in Iowa), Oelwein(the worst city in Iowa), Moville, Sioux City, Fort Dodge and northwest Iowa.

I lived in Chicago, the city of a million a**holes. St.Louis, a nice big city, even if the crime rate is way above average.

All in All, when it comes to living a good, pleasant, enjoyable, fun, caring, friendly,loving life, Iowa measures high above many.

People are friendly, helping, courteous, caring, and neighborly.

As stated, I have lived in the big cities, where people dont wave or nod at you when passing by, and now that I have come back to the good life, it catches me off guard when a hand waves at you, because I have become accustomed to not waving, so am working at that AGAIN.

Crimes has to be one of the lowest in the states. Education rates as one of the highest in the states.

It might take a little bit of adjusting to enjoy this type of living, but once you have, it is the ultimate reward in living life at a comfortable pace.

Take care and heres a wave to you. Smokey

[summer grace]

Depends on what part of IA- in Decorah, life is really like heaven. ( Decorah, IA, pop 8,000 county seat of Winneshiek County).

[nm85]

dear, not jenny, I relocated to Iowa from the west coast a few yrs back & since have lived in Cedar Rapids (hated it), Dubuque (really liked it) & Dyersville (totally LOVED it!) Dyersville is where the Field of Dreams was filmed. Also, ZERO (yes, I said ZERO) registered sex offenders. I have never felt safer in my life. We bought a house there...5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms,about 3,000 sf on a very nice street, walking dist to EVERYTHING for $135,000 & it was fantastic. Nice people, slow pace, beautiful main street & close enough to Dubuque that shopping & good places to eat are only about 20 minutes away... Check it out!

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by notjenny

We homeschool our kids, so we rely on the sports for socialization. I'm thinking it wouldn't be a very good fit. I grew up in Los Angeles, and I lhate LA. I love small town life, but maybe Manson would be too much of a change. Thank you, again.

My dad lives in Manson with his wife and seems to like it just fine. He moved there 10 years ago after my parents divorced. I've been there numerous times to visit over the years and Manson definitely is a small Iowa town.

The downtown, though small, is pretty nice due mainly to the fact it was completely rebuilt in 1979 after a tornado wiped it off the map. Fort Dodge is the nearest city with basic shopping and services. You'll find places like Target, Super Wal-Mart, Officemax, JCPenney, etc. in Fort Dodge. FD also has a small airport with daily commercial service to Minneapolis should you need to fly somewhere.

[patmc]

If you're interested in hearing from the folks that live in the smaller towns, you should take a look at HeyIowa.com--lots of 'hometown' opinions over there.

[voxmama]

I dont know where Manson is, but any larger city will have soccer, football and school sports. Rec soccer is growing a lot here in Fairfield, and basketball is big in the schools. There are no clubs except in the largest cities - Des Moines, maybe Iowa City? - we got used to high level club soccer for our boys while in TX so rec soccer is quite a change. Still, it's a wonderful state for raising kids. Some of the best schools in the country, and that has always been true.

Good luck,

SB

[nature boy]

Iowa city may be the best place for you to go to.

[metro223]

Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Iowa City, Davenport, Sioux City, Council Bluffs, and Dubuque all have soccer clubs that I know of... they include the city proper and surrounding area players who are able to join.

[oldrnwisr]

I moved here from California and believe me, the weather the first winter will give you plenty of culture shock. Make sure you come here for a visit in the winter to see if you think it's what you want. You are more or less stuck inside for two months of the year and the wet springs can drive you crazy. The weather is okay only in June and October, as far as I'm concerned. The summer is very hot and humid from July 4th on. The people are friendly in my small town and there is a lot to say for knowing just about everyone you meet on the town square but it sure takes some getting used to, living without shopping centers and supermarkets and abundant medical care facilities. After 16 years, I am finally used to it.