Relocating to Iowa (Cedar Rapids, Ames, Mason City: rentals, crime, new home)

[jim413]

Am moving from the southwest to Iowa for my job with the railroad. Have possibility of living in Boone, Mason City, or Cedar Rapids areas. I have done much research on Boone and some on Mason City, but I know nothing about Cedar Rapids and vicinity at all. What are the areas to avoid? Any info you all could give would be appreciated!

[gnichols]

Boone is nice & it is a short drive to Ames & ISU where lots goes on. It is pretty small.

Don't forget to look at Clear Lake which is very close to Mason City, both are great, Personally I'd prefer CL, but that's just me. It's quite cold in Northern IA compared to the central part of the state.

Cedar Rapids is one of the nicest of the larger cities in Iowa & there are lots of smaller towns around it, like Marion, which are very nice. The U of IA is a short drive & the schools are terrific! Lots going on.

I think you'd be happy in any of those areas.

[fah7591]

I have lived in Cedar Rapids for the past 12 years coming from Southern California where I had lived all my life prior to moving to CR. There are many nice areas to live here. The homes surrounding the immediate downtown CR are older and some areas may not be in the best shape to live in. There is some crime down there, maybe one shooting this year, but that is a big deal here. There are many small patches of neighborhoods in these areas that are nice but the more preferable areas are a little more further out from downtown (about 5 minutes or more). You really cannot go wrong here. It is a very clean town, although it is the midwest, with a few factories but those are pretty concentrated together and are easy to stay away from. There are all price ranges ... very expensive homes (by midwest standards) and very reasonable housing too. Anywhere from about $80,000 to $600,000. There are many, many new home developments or older to choose from. You would have to come out and investigate. I suggest renting first and exploring the area first before purchasing.

[sandralarson1]

"You would have to come out and investigate. I suggest renting first and exploring the area first before purchasing"

I have noticed not many rental available, any ideas?

[patmc]

Boone really is an excellent location. You get the small town atmosphere with only a 25 minute drive to Ames (with Iowa State University). There are some folks from Boone on BooneTalk.com

[CertifiaBully]

Originally Posted by sandralarson1

"You would have to come out and investigate. I suggest renting first and exploring the area first before purchasing"

I have noticed not many rental available, any ideas?

In small town Iowa, word of mouth is how rentals are 'advertised'. For every rental in the newspaper, there is at least one that isn't advertised. could check with that town or city's Chamber of Commerce. Occassionally they have lists of rental property owners. If those owners don't have anything available to rent, they may have a friend or a relative looking to rent a place that hasn't been run in the paper!

[simplefamily]

How is the climant ? How is the jobs? schools ? nieghborhoods? We are going to be moving from Georgia

[DBQer]

Originally Posted by simplefamily

How is the climant ? How is the jobs? schools ? nieghborhoods? We are going to be moving from Georgia

To what area, simplefamily? There are pretty significant differences depending on the town.

The climate is continental statewide, meaning we have 4 distinct seasons. Yes, there is a cold winter with snow, but there is also a hot, warm summer. Spring and fall are in-between, cooler, with usually heavy rain in the spring, and pleasant days in the fall. However, any day can be very different from the next. Lots of variety with the climate.