Is Iowa life really that great? (Des Moines, Clinton: house, camps, moving)

[Serious Conversation]

I lived in Des Moines, and while the economy is very hot and much of the town has had revelopment with newer suburbia, it was so isolated and had so little outdoor activity I didn't find it that enjoyable.

[lurtsman]

Originally Posted by Nobodybody

I agree with some of what you said - but Iowa being a 'dumpster shoe??!' Harsh!

I went for the harsh because it is far more entertaining. Of course, Des Moines deserves better than being a dumpster shoe. I was living in North Liberty, so the dumpster shoe analogy could even be considered fair.

Some of those metro areas are really expensive. I found one outside the Midwest with prices similar to DM and much better weather and lower taxes. For me, that made it a very easy choice. I was relocating out of the dumpster shoe anyway and at first I had thought I would go to Des Moines, but as my wife and I talked we decided it was worth selling off the business and relocating to whichever city we thought would be the best fit for our needs.

I really think when people discuss Iowa they should have an immediate way to address whether they mean DM (a decent mid-sized city), the bedroom suburbs of Omaha (which are in no way like rural Iowa), or the other parts of Iowa that are neither DM nor close to Omaha. Of course, then you'd also want to specify if it was Dubuque since Dubuque has marvelous architecture which sets it apart from the rest of the state on the visual appeal of seeing those beautiful maintained old brick buildings. At least, when I went through there they were maintained and looked amazing.

Basically, there are 3 areas that are interesting for very different reasons and then lots of open flat land with nothing to do and the only good jobs being carefully crafted for someone's son so their family doesn't have to experience the hardship of living in a crappy dumpster shoe...

[seatalites28]

Hi I got a business trip going over to Iowa , trying to open a logistics business and arrive at a small airport in the Eastern Iowa side to see the town first before I drove to their main cities DM. I stay in cedar rapids for two days drove around trying to see what's going on, what people do in everyday routine but to be honest my business is not going to survive there. I book a room at a hotel in NorthLiberty IA the town is very clean and reasonable but not too many people live there. Long story I drove to DM IA for 2 hrs still the same there is no luck there is nothing but a lot of kum and go gas station. The problem about Iowa is their infrastructure is very poor and I can tell from my experience is their economy is very slow not good for a logistics Hub.'' Their main development is farming''.

My conclusion was I'm from seattle Wa and man I compare our economy to Iowa it is like 1 to 75 % ratio but maybe in the future the nicest town like northliberty or Coralville will be booming someday.

[Dewey59]

Great comments so far. As others have said it all depends on what you want out of life. I lived in Cedar Rapids for 18 years and finally escaped this fall. Best move I ever made to relocate to AZ. Iowa's taxes are down right oppressive, the weather is horrible (even in the summer because of the ridiculous humidity), and I found most people to be not terribly friendly. At least in Cedar Rapids, the crime rate is getting out of control. Too many negatives for me.

It does seem to be a great place to raise kids though (I am single). The schools are good and there are a lot of programs and activities for kids.

There are also great programs if you are the type that likes to sponge off the govt!

[funksoulbro]

Originally Posted by goolsbyjazz

Ok, I know the title comes off somewhat sarcastic, but that is not the intent at all. I have some friends who recently relocated to Iowa and they RAVE about how much they love it and how much better life is there.

I guess if you're coming from Darfur, this state would seem like a wonderland of awesomeness.

Iowa is a state that chose both Joni Ernst and Steve King in landslide elections. Ted Cruz is doing really well here in polls for the 2016 presidential race. Donald Trump just isn't insane enough for the average Iowa voter, I guess. If you like bigoted rednecks who think all Muslims are terrorists and Obama is going to throw white people into concentration camps, then Iowa is a great place to live.

Personally, I'm embarrassed by Iowa's unrelenting desperation to seem relevant. The Iowa caucuses pretty much sum up why this state is hopelessly stuck in the 1850s. If you like that sort of thing, however, you'll find plenty of good company in the Hawkeye State.

[Meemur]

Ted Cruz is doing really well here in polls for the 2016 presidential race. Donald Trump just isn't insane [conservative] enough for the average Iowa voter, I guess.

Fixed it for you.

[Juice Malone]

Originally Posted by funksoulbro

I guess if you're coming from Darfur, this state would seem like a wonderland of awesomeness.

Iowa is a state that chose both Joni Ernst and Steve King in landslide elections. Ted Cruz is doing really well here in polls for the 2016 presidential race. Donald Trump just isn't insane enough for the average Iowa voter, I guess. If you like bigoted rednecks who think all Muslims are terrorists and Obama is going to throw white people into concentration camps, then Iowa is a great place to live.

Personally, I'm embarrassed by Iowa's unrelenting desperation to seem relevant. The Iowa caucuses pretty much sum up why this state is hopelessly stuck in the 1850s. If you like that sort of thing, however, you'll find plenty of good company in the Hawkeye State.

Where do you live in iowa?

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Meemur

Fixed it for you.

Not conservative when it comes to taking huge amounts of ag subsidies. Don't forget that the average farm size continues to increase with time as rural areas empty out.

[funksoulbro]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Not conservative when it comes to taking huge amounts of ag subsidies. Don't forget that the average farm size continues to increase with time as rural areas empty out.

That is very much the essence of conservatism these days. The Republican Party believes government should be used to enrich the bottom line of their narrow constituency by taking from those who would prefer it served the greater good.

In the GOP's backwards thinking, government that functions for the whole cannot be allowed. It must be hampered, choked, and neutered so that nobody but the wealthiest receive any benefit from it. The strategy has worked well, too. Most people will only see the end result of an ineffective government, not the intentional sabotage by scheming politicians who made it that way in the first place.

And, as if that paradox wasn't strange enough, the states which take the most in federal dollars (while giving the least in return) are the same states that vote heavily Republican.

[capitalcityguy]

^Nice try. Anyone that thinks the establishment GOP and Democratic party are any different, are just fooling themselves.

I’d argue if you want two opposing sides to choose from in 2016, you’d have an election between Sanders(D) and Cruz(R) ( or maybe Paul, much lesser extent Rubio). That would be a real choice. No one knows what Trump really believes so vote for him at your peril.

Any other candidates on either side is just more of the same. We have a $20 trillion Federal debt as proof that no matter which traditional party controls congress or the Prez, we keep spending ourselves into insolvency with little or no progress to show for all the money spent.

The powerful elites in the country will take Bush, Christie, or H Clinton…probably in that order. They’ll all play nice within the DC beltway machine.