Moving to Clear Lake (Des Moines, Mason City: condos, crime, townhomes)

[bren619]

My husband and I are moving to Clear Lake where we will reside for 2-3 years as he will be part of a management team over a project in the area. I am looking for all the information I can possibly gather about Iowa and the immediate Clear Lake vicinity.

I understand the winters are harsh and the summers are hot and humid (the humidity we are used to coming from Houston, TX). Are there good places to live? Areas to avoid? How is the shopping? Local activities? Anything else for someone who has never been in the state, or close for that matter. I am very anxious as well as aprehensive about the transition. Any advice or comment about the area will help a great deal so we can prepare to the best of our ability for our new adventure in Clear Lake, IA..............

[iowalaw]

I grew up in the Mason City/Clear Lake area and while I now reside in Eastern Iowa, I have a home that I travel to in clear lake on the weekends. Quite honestly, I feel that it is one of the best small towns in Iowa. I will try to address several things you mentioned in your post:

Are there good places to live: By all means, yes. The Clear Lake Housing market is one of the most diverse markets in the state. The town is filled with your typical small cottages, larger older homes, condos, townhomes, etc. Clear lake also offers homes overlooking golf courses, nature preserves, and of course beautiful (and very expensive) lakefront property. The community is unique in that it virtually doubles in size during the summer months due to the large tourist/weekend home population. With this summer population comes an abundance of small town entertainment activities (art shows, wooden boat expos, barbaque & bike festivals, etc). This also helps support the many local businesses and shops on clear lake's unique mainstreet.

Areas to avoid: Not really. As a general rule most smaller Iowa communities do not have "bad parts of town" and while isolated incidents of crime do occur -- you could walk anywhere in clear lake/mason city at night without a problem. One thing to keep in mind when selecting an area is the amount of driving. Depending on where you live in clear lake, you may be looking at a 15-20 minute drive to places like Target, the mall, or the hospital which are located in Mason City. THere is no public transportation system in Clear Lake. Your post did not mention if you have children and if so, whether they would be attending school but if so this is also something to consider. Iowa schools are all very good, but certain school districts rank higher as do certain schools in a particular town.

Shopping: Like most smaller communities, shopping here has it's ups and downs. The area will easily take care of your most basic needs (i.e. target, walmart, grocery stores, home improvment stores, car dealerships, etc.) There is also a small mall that has several national retailers, along with a number of local shops that sell more unique items. However if you are more of a discriminating shopper, periodic trips to Minneapolis (1.45 hr) or Des Moines (1.5 hr) might be in the picture.

Other local activities: Aside from the outdoors, Clear Lake and Mason City both have wonderful fourth of july celebrations. Mason city is also known for it's band fest in the summer months, and it's large barbaque competition. The area also boasts a nice art museum, decent public libraries, aquatic centers, YMCA's, public and private golf courses, miles and miles of biking trails, a number of unique restaurants, and in my opinion, one of the greatest steakhouses in the world.

Several possible drawbacks to the area are the area's limited job market and the rising cost of lake access. In my extensive travels, I have always found Iowan's to be some of the friendliest people I have encountered. However I am aware of people that have moved to Iowa who have complained that it is difficult to get established/become well acquainted in some of the closer knit communities as an outsider.

If you have more specific questions about the area, neighborhoods, schools, attractions, etc. I would be more than happy to answer them.

[Yorkie_Mom]

Iowalaw did a very good job of descibing Mason City and Clear Lake, the only thing that they left out of their post was, the people, they are so friendly in Iowa, where ever you travel to, you always get a wave, everyone helps each other, and it has a good home town feel. I say you picked one of the better places in Iowa to move to, my opinion of course, that is because I live 40 miles north of there. Please let us know if we can help with anything else. Have a good day, Yorkie

[bren619]

Thank both of you for your responses!! How uplifting ,during, what could be, an intimidating time. We look forward to our new adventure.........

[summer grace]

I have always liked Clear Lake. It is one of my favorite cities in the midwest. It is a city, but it still doesn't overwhelm you, like some cities with traffic and stuff. I think it is very beautiful, there is something about it I have always loved, although I can't put words to it. I don't about practical things, as I've never lived there, but it seemed to have the things cities have, not at all lacking, and of course Mason City is nearby. It is my top favorite Iowa city ( not that I've seen them all). The people there were always nice to me, because although I am from Iowa, I am not from that part. I don't totally like Iowa, to be honest, but would rather live in Clear Lake than many other places.

[SandiLincolnCentury21]

I am thrilled with the wonderful comments about Clear Lake! I couldn't agree more. I lived there for a few years in the early 90's and now live in Mason City (a short drive east) but there is just something about Clear Lake! That's how I found this message board. A client moving from out of town asked me the difference in Mason City and Clear Lake, and I said nearly everything that was said here. I googled "what to do in Clear Lake Iowa" and found Bren619's first post! LOVED all the responses, so am sending my client here to read it from other people and not JUST take my word for it! THANKS ALL! *and hopefully when my boys are all done with HOCKEY, my husband will consider moving away from the Hockey arena! HA! Everyone HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!