Moving back to Burlington..looking for home...Aug 09' (Keokuk: to rent, crime)

[jenw30]

My family and I are venturing back to Burlington after 7 yrs in Florida and are looking for a home to rent. Family of 4 so preferably a 3 bedroom (can deal with 2 if need be) with basement (15 yr. old son has an itch to have a basement bedroom/ teenage den of independance, lol). We would prefer somewhere around starr st to the airport/ summer st / madison ave area as we have family close by. Any help would be appreciated. We will be in town beginning of Aug with or without a home, we would be willing to rent something before then if we find a home we approve of rather than risk losing out on the opportunity.

[NomadMomma]

We may be moving to Burlington in the coming months . . . at the risk of tipping you off to a house we may want I did see a couple of 4 bedrooms listed in the paper online over the last couple of months. Hawkeye.com I think . . . I just googled newspapers and Burlington.

Since you have family there can you tell me about Burlington/ Fort Madison. My husband will be out next week to interview for a position in Fort Madison. We've never even been to Iowa and don't know anyone there. We have two small toddlers (2 and 4). We thought we may want to live in Burlington in order to have more opportunites for the kids and better resale opportunites if we buy a house. Anything you can give me about Burlington/ Fort Madison would be appreciated. We are outdoors types (biking, hiking, camping) . . . what are good areas to live in . . . looking for neighborhood feel (sidewalks, parks . . .). We don't mind subdivisions but I'm gathering there's not much new construction out there . . .
Good luck with your move.

[jenw30]

actually i have lived in both ft. madison and burlington, i will say ft. madison is a smaller town by far than burlington. its the type of town that does not have a walmart or mall or theaters etc. but burlington is only 20 minutes away so if your looking for smaller town feel go for ft. madison. houses may even be a tad cheaper there. burlington is quite a bit larger, mall, brand new hospital facility, walmart, kmart, shopco. lots of restaurants and retail outlets there, there is newer built homes out by the regional airport (google search wil give you general area). very northern part of town and very southern part seems to be the place to locate. sunnyside area to the north, madison/summer to the south. you will be able to tell where you want to live based on driving through the areas of town. trust me. have your husband go on a treasure hunt there he will see, you'll have no problem choosing an area based on how the houses around you look. burlington does have brand new schools being built around town since you have small ones attending soon. crime in ft. madison is alot less than burlington but i believe thats based on size of population. it really will be a personal preference on your part. good luck!! burlington has lots more parks for you and your kids to enjoy. There is also "lake geode" west of burlington. camping fishing hiking, you will enjoy visiting there for sure!

[DMRyan]

The funny thing is Fort Madison is large enough that if it were located anywhere else in the state, it would probably have many of the shopping amenities and the movie theater you speak of. It's tough being wedged between Keokuk and Burlington and expecting to offer much of the same as these two communities do.

[NomadMomma]

Thanks . . . he flew in last night so hopefully I'll have the full report tomorrow.

[serate]

Crime might be "less" in Ft Madison but if I were to raise my child and HAD to choose between Ft Madison and Burlington, I'd much rather be in Burlington.

[jenw30]

you are very right about if ft. madison was somewhere else it would have a lot more to offer. I lived in ft. madison until i was 10 and it was a nice place to raise a child but that was also in the 70-80's, but i do have cousins and aunts that still live there and they seem to like it and have turned out alright (no mass murdering criminals, lol). they drive to burlington or keokuk when they need to. after 10 i lived in burlington until i was 29 so i am partial to burlington now, but i am older and appreciate what they have to offer and have sisters, brothers parents there so i would be nearby. so it really is a personal preference. you really cant go wrong with your choice. sepends on what you are wanting near you or if you dont mind driving for other things.

[jenw30]

ps. to end this thread we did find a 4 bedroom 2 miles out of town to the south on summer st. in the country. big beautiful home, lots of land. so yay and thanks for the replies and such.