Move to Iowa? (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City: transplants, apartments, insurance)

[ajacques]

Now that you're fabulous state has approved gay marraige I have to do some investigating. I will be moving out of Florida next year. To where..thats still up for a debate. How's Des Moines? Jobs? Weather - ya'll get heat like we do here in florida? Good neighborhood for a young interracial liberal lesbian couple? Apartments seem cheaper than here. Any suggestions?

[Chicago60614]

I love Iowa, but it's a lot different than Florida - obviously.

I certainly wouldn't move all the way across the country just because gay marriage is legal in Iowa. It's not acknowledged by the Federal Government, so regardless you're not going to be seeing any tax benifits or other federal laws that benefit straight couples.

Rent is cheaper, and it's MUCH cooler and less humid in the summer. It gets in the upper 80's most of the time, and it certainly can be humid, but it's not like in Florida. Winters are obviously about the opposite of Florida.

Otherwise though, no traffic, no crime, excellent schools, nice people, low cost of living, clean. If you're willing to embrace and be happy in Iowa, it's an amazing and beautiful place.

The issues come when people move from California and Florida and then just spend months on end bitching about EVERYTHING because it's not like it was in California or Florida. Duh!! That certainly gets old quick for people living in the state, and then that turns into the transplants whining because people "aren't friendly".

Anyway, not to be negative, you just have to be rational about what you're doing and where you're going.

[Chicago60614]

For a lesbian couple, I would say Iowa City. It's quite different than the rest of Iowa, and is a very open/liberal and progressive thinking city compared to many others around the state. Growing up we always heard "There's Iowa...and there's Iowa City".


Here are some pictures I threw together in another thread. It's an area of around 120,000 people, 30,000 of whom are college students.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/iowa/...here-some.html

[ajacques]

I hate Florida. I hate everything about it. The heat, the cost of living, the REDNECKS, the people in general are rude, snotty and clicky, the education is second rate and on top of that our public transportation is laughable. Not to mention we now have an unemployment rate of like 9.5 now. Unless your bi-lingual you're going to have a very hard time finding a good job.

So it makes me happy when you say IOWA is different than FL or Cali. Now with that said I have taken a look at your picture thread and it looks promising. It looks like Iowa has more city life than I expected. It not a rural as I expected. I love city life...Orlando supposedly a city but 1/2 the stores are closed on Sunday and a lot of stuff closes before 9pm...city my arse.

I'm moving out of Florida period. Whether it's Connecticut, Mass, or Syracuse NY. Yea we don't get any federal benefits with gay marriage but we would on the state level. I won't have to worry about not being able to visit my wife when she hospital, I have a better chance of being able to put her on my insurance and we plan on having kids. She's going to carry the baby, if we have one here I won't be able to adopt it as my own..I can in IOWA. So in the end it makes a lot of difference.

[ajacques]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

... and then that turns into the transplants whining because people "aren't friendly".

I'm know people can be quite different from city to city...can you please elaborate as to why said transplants might find Iowans not friendly?

[serate]

Originally Posted by ajacques

I hate Florida. I hate everything about it. The heat, the cost of living, the REDNECKS, the people in general are rude, snotty and clicky, the education is second rate and on top of that our public transportation is laughable. Not to mention we now have an unemployment rate of like 9.5 now. Unless your bi-lingual you're going to have a very hard time finding a good job.

So it makes me happy when you say IOWA is different than FL or Cali. Now with that said I have taken a look at your picture thread and it looks promising. It looks like Iowa has more city life than I expected. It not a rural as I expected. I love city life...Orlando supposedly a city but 1/2 the stores are closed on Sunday and a lot of stuff closes before 9pm...city my arse.

I'm moving out of Florida period. Whether it's Connecticut, Mass, or Syracuse NY. Yea we don't get any federal benefits with gay marriage but we would on the state level. I won't have to worry about not being able to visit my wife when she hospital, I have a better chance of being able to put her on my insurance and we plan on having kids. She's going to carry the baby, if we have one here I won't be able to adopt it as my own..I can in IOWA. So in the end it makes a lot of difference.

I guess it depends on your definition of REDNECKS if you want to move here or not. Simple, down home, not living their lives by keeping up with the Jone's, then there are alot of REDNECKS here in Iowa. I do know alot of people will call others REDNECKS if they are't PC and are extremely racist. And yes there are a few of those type of REDNECKS here in Iowa, and a crossover with people fitting both definitions. Iowa City or Cedar Rapids might be more liberal. I live in Des Moines, and for the most part people let other people live their lives.

I'm a redneck, literally, as I have a inch red ring that runs around the front ot my neck. Doctors think it's due to allergies, but I've finally given up figuring it out as nothing takes care of it. I'm a redneck in that I'm in that I don't worry about keeping up with the Jone's, and if the Jone's complain too much I'll do exactly OPPOSITE what they want me to do. I grew up in a very small 100% white, Christian town. [Laws be when I was in 5th grade CATHOLICS moved to town and you thought the town was going to DIE or something!] But if you and your wife were to move in next door to my husband and I you'd find a friendly, but not in your face set of neighbors who would talk to you when you wanted, but leave you alone when you wanted. Our pupdog, on the other hand, would want to talk to you every time he saw you.

So, good luck in where ever you choose.

[ajacques]

I apologize, perhaps redneck isn't the most appropriate term. Republicans? Evangelicals? Conservatives? Pick up trucks that still have "W" stickers. I just would like to find a place where it isn't so hard to find someone like-minded to talk to.

I automatically rulled out the midwest in genaral when we were thinking about where to move. My girlfriend and I went straight for the newegland states. But with the new marraige decision I figured perhaps Iowa might be more progressive than I thought.

[QuadCityImages]

Originally Posted by ajacques

But with the new marraige decision I figured perhaps Iowa might be more progressive than I thought.

It is almost certainly more progressive than you thought, but 44% of the people still voted for McCain, so you'll find plenty of the conservatives you don't want. That said, any of the bigger cities or Iowa City will be a little more liberal than the state as a whole. In general the state gets more liberal the farther east you go. I'd add the Quad City area to your list of possibilities, although nothing can touch Iowa City for being Iowa's liberal capital. The QC's benefit is being only 2 and a half hours from Chicago.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by ajacques

I apologize, perhaps redneck isn't the most appropriate term. Republicans? Evangelicals? Conservatives? Pick up trucks that still have "W" stickers. I just would like to find a place where it isn't so hard to find someone like-minded to talk to.

I automatically rulled out the midwest in genaral when we were thinking about where to move. My girlfriend and I went straight for the newegland states. But with the new marraige decision I figured perhaps Iowa might be more progressive than I thought.

I grew up athiest in Iowa. I just kinda assumed everyone was growing up, but maybe that's because I was in Iowa City. None of our neighbors or family members ever talked about church, not that they were against it, just didn't mesh with their lives.

Iowans are a little more democratic than republican right now. As someone stated, the state is more democratic and I believe a little more liberal as you move from West to East. Still, something like 53% of people voted for Obama, and he won dozens of lilly white rural counties as well.

All in all though, Iowa has a very "live and let live" attitude. People might not agree with you, but from traveling all over and meeting people everywhere in Iowa growing up, I never saw much vocalized hatred or ingorance. Of course there are people out there, but in general it is a very "fair" state.

I'm gay, and even the people I met from small towns and who grew up on farms were ALL very welcoming and "oh really - that's cool" reactions. No one seemed to care at all, no one bashed me for anything. Again - it depends on where you live in Iowa, and I think I'm just a very lucky person in general.

I'd look towards Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines or maybe the Quad Cities.

[Chicago60614]

Some interseting quotes from the New York Times about the marriage ruling:

"In 1839, the Supreme Court for what was then the territory of Iowa refused to recognize a slave as a possession, years before the United States Supreme Court would rule in an opposite fashion, against Dred Scott. In 1868 and 1873, the court issued rulings favoring desegregating schools and public accommodations, almost a century before the United States Supreme Court heard Brown v. Board of Education. Iowa was the first state, in 1869, to permit women to practice law."