Quote:
Originally Posted by neanerbean
there is a distiction of Coralville and Iowa city. Most Iowa Citians would not want to be considered a part of Coralville and vice versa. there is a 'idealogoy' division of the 2 towns. Coralville has much more of a suburbia feel to it that Iowa city will ever have.
JMHO
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I can see a point here, but I think it's not as severe as it sounds in that post.
My family moved to Coralville around 60 years ago and has lived there (and loved it) their entire lives.
They moved into a new house on the very edge of town around 1950. They were on 10th ave, and the pictures are hilarious. No trees, nothing but farms west of 10th ave, and the road was just lightly paved with asphalt.
No interstate, 1st ave was a county road, nothing north of 8th Street or west of 10th Ave. My dad went to Coralville Central, which was in the Coralville School District - and was the only school in town. By the time he was ready for 9th grade though they combined the districts and he went to City High.
My dad said back then there wasn't vicious attacking, but there was no doubt about it from anyone in the school that they were the CORALVILLE KIDS. The little town down the road, somewhat poor, people would always poke fun of them and they tended to stick together. It wasn't a huge issue, but it was more like they were from today's Hills or Solon.
I think when the interstate came through in the 1960's was when someone "turned the lights on" in Coralville. It suddenly started changing from a town of 900 people when my dad moved in to 6,000 by 1970...to around 20,000 today.
I think from the 1960's through the 1980's Coralville went from an after-thought of Iowa City to more like a maturing little brother. It really was an integrated part of the area, and I never saw in the 80's any rivalry or difference in ideology between Coralville or Iowa City. You were either from one or the other. We loved going into Iowa City.
That said though I always thought of myself as 100% from Coralville - and not Iowa City. As far as Iowa as a whole though, I was from the Iowa City area. I thought of ourselves as quite different from the rest of the state. I think the main reason there was any separation between the two was that basically the only way to go between the cities was to travel to the very "tip" of Coralville and cross through the 1st Ave/Highway 6 interchange. Either that or get on the interstate.
Anyway...writing a lot. I think the mall opening in 1998 was the one thing that gave Coralville an adrenaline shot, and torked off Iowa City to a degree. It was the fast change that had Coralville turn into a "businessman" at the expense of Iowa City. Coralville drew in the mall, dozens of hotels and restaurants, expanded roads, dished out acres of land for the development of hundreds of high-end houses on the north side of town, tried for the rainforest, etc.
I think that was a split from the ideology of Iowa City, which was much more hippie-liberal as opposed to pure capitalism and business expansion anywhere and everywhere. It was like Coralville "sold out" at the expense of Iowa City's tax base.
My dad always joked how Coralville got eveything because the city leaders went right out and sold the deal while Iowa City sat around pondering "the good" of everything.
I see both sides, and I love Coralville and Iowa City, but even though I'll always be a Coralvillian, I myself fit more with the Iowa City view of the world.
Coralville to me seems to be turning into an out of control cancer on Iowa City, changing the entire area through uncontrolled commercial, retail and population growth. Of course the university is the main employer and the rock for all of Iowa City's growth - but I walk through Coralville now and don't recognize the family-oriented, safe, CALM, fun place I use to live as a child. We'd walk the town all summer and it was so peaceful. You knew everyone, no worries, no traffic.
Wow, that was a rant. I must be bored at work!
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