Recently accepted full time job in Waterloo. Where should I live? (Cedar Falls: rental, neighborhoods)

[Deselminator]

Originally Posted by metro223

I'm not denying it's there - that speaks for itself, we heard about quite a bit of stuff that happened, however it was all in a pocketed area ... it wasn't like all of the middle class neighborhoods were infested with hoodlems and drug-lords.

So yes, Waterloo has a crime problem - but "crime infested" sounds extremely ignorant, especially to people who have lived or live there.

While I realize that you were probably being a bit facetious with your comments, I never claimed that all of the middle class neighborhoods were infested with hoodlums and drug lords. In fact, I can't think of any city in the U.S. where this is the case. When talking about the crime of pretty much any city, it's safe to assume that there are both safe and unsafe areas...and that the majority of the crime happens in those areas which are considered to be "unsafe". Just because there aren't drug lords in every middle class neighborhood in Waterloo doesn't mean that they probably aren't a few blocks down the street. It sounds to me like you're not even disagreeing with my assessment of Waterloo, just the wording I chose when describing it. Obviously we're probably just going to have to agree to disagree, but IMO most metro areas the size of Waterloo don't have neighborhoods that I wouldn't feel safe driving through at night, but Waterloo certainly does. That's my definition of crime infested as hell! I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be able to feel safe in pretty much every neighborhood in a city of Waterloo's size. No city of less than 100,000 people should probably have the amount of crime that Waterloo has and not be considered crime infested.

[metro223]

The majority is in black neighborhoods on the East Side, these are not simply down the street from middle class areas.

Agree to disagree there I guess.

[Deselminator]

Originally Posted by metro223

The majority is in black neighborhoods on the East Side, these are not simply down the street from middle class areas.

Agree to disagree there I guess.

Wow, that comment seems to be a bit racist to me. Not only are you implying that most of the crime in Waterloo is probably committed by African-Americans, you also seem to be implying that these people aren't middle class. If even this is true, it's still a very narrow-minded thing to say in my opinion. I'm pretty sure that Whites, Hispanics, and probably a few Asians live in these so-called "black neighborhoods" on the east side of Waterloo. In fact, I seem to remember my supervisor at APAC living on Conger in a so-called black neighborhood...and she was definitely not black. I'm pretty sure she would have been considered to be middle class as well.

[metro223]

No, not racist .. really I swear.

It's just the truth, the majority of the crime in that city - occurs East of the river, mostly in black neighborhoods. You did live in WCF right? I think everyone knows this, I don't think it's racist to say it. Would you feel better if I said "ethnically rich" like their school system does?

Anyway ... of course there is diversity in the middle class neighborhoods too - I actually know quite a few rich black people from the area - and definitely a lot of rich asians.

But generally, the areas east of the river are where the crime happens. And no they are not middle class neighborhoods. Not at all. I don't even think there has been one new neighborhood in East Waterloo since 1960. However, they have some good re-dev projects that are going to happen in the near future ... hopefully this will help get some of that crap out of that part of town .. (drugs, etc) and more of a healthy lifestyle and positive outlook for the people stuck over there.

[Deselminator]

Originally Posted by metro223

No, not racist .. really I swear.

It's just the truth, the majority of the crime in that city - occurs East of the river, mostly in black neighborhoods. You did live in WCF right? I think everyone knows this, I don't think it's racist to say it. Would you feel better if I said "ethnically rich" like their school system does?

LMAO! No, I honestly wasn't necessarily calling YOU a racist, I was just pointing out that your previous post sounded a bit racist (which it did). I'm not saying that I don't know which neighborhoods you're talking about...nor am I saying that I disagree that those places are where a healthy portion of the crime tends to occur. I agree with both of those statements. I'm just pointing out the fact that not only African-Americans live in those neighborhoods, and some middle-class people choose to live there too for whatever reason, even though they probably aren't what would be considered middle class neighborhoods by most people. I just don't think that neighborhoods like that exist in most other cities of Waterloo's size, which is why I said that it is "crime infested as hell."

[jamamacor]

I think maybe the statements regarding Waterloo have misled you. The tornado sirens sound on the 15th of each month during the day, unless it's an emergency. I don't hear sirens from police, ambulance, or fire trucks on the regular. I live in the area of the National Cattle Congress Grounds, over the bridges (East side). It's nice and quiet, great neighbors, and would not want to move again.
Maybe the source that hears the sirens lives close to the police station or on Franklin Street. If you stay off the high traffic roads, you'll be fine.
I too came from a small town/country upbringing and I do just fine here.
24 years here and going strong.
Good Luck

Also, Waterloo has Neighborhood Associations that fight drugs and crime in units. I ran one until I moved from that area. Yes, they do work. All you need are a few concerned citizens to get together and make a huge difference. It's not only african-americans... all races can and do cause trouble. Waterloo does have crime. Obviously it could be better, but it could also be a whole lot worse. Stop stereotyping.

[CountryGirl8]

Thank you very much for your replies. Does anyone know about the areas surrounding either the Carriage Hill apartments or the Lantern Square apartments? I have seen their websites, but I don't want to waste my time visiting them when I go out there if I'm not going to feel safe in those areas.

Also, does anyone know the names of any other apartment complexes in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area? I've heard of the ThunderRidge and University apartments, but I wasn't too thrilled by their online pics. I can't find much more online, and the ApartmentGuide is pretty much useless for that area.

Thanks!

[Deselminator]

My wife and I lived at College Square Apartments in Cedar Falls for a year. They were nice, had a pool and fitness center on site, as well as a few computers with free internet access. They are located right behind College Square Mall. Not the best location, but not too bad either, at least they are in a nice part of town, shouldn't have to worry much about crime or anything like that. Let me know if you have any questions about those apartments, and I will do my best to answer them for you.

[neanerbean]

Might I recommend Oelwein or Independence. You can rent a house for less than an apt in CF/W'Loo. Not much a nightlife but really safe and friendly and cheap. a short drive (if you take the short cut through Fairbank

Just a thought

[CountryGirl8]

Thanks, everyone! I have now been living in Waterloo for about a month now. I did find an apartment near Kimball and Ridgeway. It seems to be fairly quiet and near all necessites. I just wanted to keep everyone posted. Thanks again for all your advice.