if you got a job in waterloo/cedar falls, where would you live? (Des Moines: housing)

[cyerby]

Looking for reasonable housing (under 150k), safe, and good schools. I wouldn't mind a commute of say 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. I guess I could live in the city, but why is waterloo crime so much higher than other cities in Iowa? What about Jesup?

Thanks!

[HKB]

I've never lived there, but Independence seems nice. The commute would be about 30 minutes to Waterloo from there.

[dbridges]

I have been through the area many times and have friends who live there and close by. Denver (10 miles north) is a small friendly town. Waverly (20 or so miles north and west) is somewhat larger city with many convienences. If you want to live close in a nice area, consider Cedar Falls.

[gnichols]

I have lived in both Waterloo & Cedar Falls. Loo is a big factory town (John Deere being the biggest). I did not like it a bit, frankly. Most of the people I know from there did not like it either. Cedar Falls is a University town. I loved it there, but it is more expensive than H2o loo. Lots of smaller towns around also. The two towns are connected.

[gnichols]

Sorry I didn't answer your crime question. I can't think of a politically correct way to say this, but loo has a large minority segment, the bad parts of which tend to live in a cluster. Actually the diversity of the town is one of it's better qualities. Don't worry about the crime statistics, most of it is going to be in a small area. You'll be fine.

[cyerby]

hey all!
Thanks for the replies! Funny you mention John Deere. That's the company I am targeting. They have sooooooo many cool jobs posted. I'd love the chance to work with them on that stuff!

BTW....finally got a call from them. I will be having a phone interview in the am. So....it's in Urbandale. What say you all about that area? Maybe not as cold as waterloo area for a southern boy like me?

Thanks!
Craig

[KatherineMarie]

I tell ya... People tend to believe that they know everything just because they heard it from a friend therefore it's WORD. Or lived here or nearby briefly. It ticks me off.

Here is the straight scoop...

I grew up in WATERLOO, and moved to the east coast when I was 27. OF COURSE that was a huge step up in social class. I lived there for 3 years before moving to po-dunk PA for 5 years. I moved back "home" here about 1.5 yrs ago. Granted, it was a whole new town. The house that I bought 12 years ago was rented while I was gone, but vacant when I moved back, so I moved back in with my kids. THERE ARE GOOD AREAS and questionable areas...just like any big town. CT even had bad areas.. you just have to know where to go. And rather than any of these folk answering your questions would rather damn it than explain that there are some really good areas.

I live over by Columbus High School. My kids go to a Catholic grade school. I work for the coast guard out of my home and we are your typical single parent family. I was worried when I returned b.c I had heard things like Waterloo is the armpit of Iowa. If one person hears it...it must be true right? wrong.

First let me apologize to anyone that may live in the following area... The good ole boys used to say "don't go on the other side of the Tracks". They called it the EAST side... which I never understood b.c it's the NE side of town. Its for areas "over the river (Cedar). Now I take my daughter to ballet, there are some KILLER restaurants down there...CU, Monicas is a nice cigar bar..the cellar is a place in the basement of an old building where they specialize in wine. Don’t get me wrong, if you're downtown at night, it's not the best, but I also worked downtown for 10 years... a lot of times til 11pm. it's not that bad... further over on the East side (by the old Rath Packing plant etc)


The people that say Waterloo is a bad place are most likely people that don't enjoy the finer things about Waterloo.. like Sunnyside golfcourse.. Out by SanMarnan (they were sisters btw..sandy Marcia and Nancy) there are some huge stores erupting there. Instead I am thinking that people that knock Wloo are or have been hanging out in the wrong part of town. There are some VERY VERY prominent areas. Prospect has the nicest old houses around with huge yards on the boulevard. Out past 20 (outskirts) there is a place called audobaun park. I've been out there quite a bit to see friends. It's an area of brand new HUGE builds.. very nice.

Cedar Falls is nice too, but very expensive and frnakly I think overrated. everything I need is here in Waterloo. They have some good schools there but you're in IOWA come on... it's so much higher than most states...in terms of education

So you see...it's really about what you want out of it. Sure you can go live in a trailer in Denver (which isn't that great either - yes I have family there) it's a typical small town with small town people and small town VALUES and small town society... or reinbeck... (it's ok) You could go to Elk Run (Run down) or Evansdale... it's average. Low crime rates.

Yes Waterloo does have some major crime rates, but it's mostly on the East side. There are meth houses (mainly a midwest thing) and labs that get busted. But I don't feel fearful of my kids outside playing.

About Deeres? GOOD FOR YOU! That place is so hard to get into. I have family working there and I still couldn't get an interview so kudos to you!! One you're in there...you're set for life..great bennies and great pay. it's not in a bad area either... it is ON the cedar yes, but there really isn't much around it to say it's in a bad part of town.

I hope this helps. Don't believe everything you hear.

[KatherineMarie]

Jesup is ok.. I lived there for a while in the country. It's a tiny town and about 30 mintues east of the edge of town. Waverly is nice, I might also suggest Hudson. VERY clean, small, (sort of hickish) very close and good people. I know a famly member that works there. I don't mean to put down towns in surrounding areas, but I know Waterloo is just fine. And I agree with another poster... is't only in isolated areas.

[Chien]

Cedar Falls is preferrable to Waterloo, in my opinion. Jesup is a nice town as well, though its popularity has grown so much lately that it is a bit pricey.
Evansdale and Elk Run are nice enough as well.
I was born and raised and lived 32 years in Waterloo.
Frankly, Prospect Boulevard is not an area of rentals, and it is where the elite live. Sunnyside Country club is members only and also for the elite. No offense to the poster who cites these as reasons to like Waterloo - but unless you have a great deal of money, the existence of these places will not provide you with much enjoyment.
The east side ( and yes, it is north lol ) is NOT A PLACE TO LIVE. Period. I worked at US West there for ten years. I am very familiar with it. It does have a higher crime rate, the housing is run down for the most part, the neighborhoods treacherous.
I would prefer CF to Waterloo ( and did in fact move there prior to moving here to Cedar Rapids ) and could tell you that theres few BAD places in Cf, whereas Waterloo there is rapidly ceasing to be very many good places aside from the creme de le creme areas and the popped up new housing areas that look like Monopoly boards. A neighborhood in Waterloo started off as a nice safe middle class area near a high school, grade school and hospital. With each passing year the neighborhood to the north ( the downtown area ) has gone into more and more disarray and crept bit by bit down their street. Now, there is only about two or three blocks between their neighborhood and the " ghetto".
Unless you have a lot of money to spend or would be content to live in an apartment in one of the areas congested with them, Waterloo living is a real challenge to find something decent.

[anniniowa]

Why is Waterloo crime higher than in other Iowa towns? Because we are so much BIGGER!!! Really, when you define "city" in terms of Iowa, only a handful qualify: Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Quad City area, Sioux City, and Waterloo. The rest of the towns are just that: small towns with a few thousand people. Waterloo has a population of 70,000...when you combine Cedar Falls and the surrounding area, we draw in 250,000 people who work and shop here on a regular basis. Of course you're going to have crime with that many people. Are there murders every night? NO! Are women getting raped in the streets and babies stolen from their cribs? NO! I've lived here 33 years and open enrolled to Grant School on the "dangerous" East side...6 years of bussing there every day and not one problem. I worked for 7 years in the downtown on the East side, walked parking garages at night...no problems ever!!