Relocating - Des Moines or Iowa City? (Coralville: apartments, rent)

[Fire.Fly]

I'm hoping I can find some help here to figure out some specifics on the two cities. Because of the abysmal job situation where I'm currently at (northern Indiana), along with a lot of other factors, I've been looking for a nearby state to relocate to. After a lot of research, it seems Iowa is an excellent fit. However, I'm finding it hard to get specific information on the two cities I'm most interested in.

Mostly, I want to know about cost of living - I'd be renting - how the local job economy is, if there's things to do besides work and sleep , the usual. Also, public transportation is a huge thing. Is it possible to function without a car? Can you rent someplace where you could take public transpo to and from work without paying exorbitant rent?

I always think that the best way to get info is from the people who live there every day. So can anyone help me out? What's good about Des Moines or what do you think makes Iowa City stand out?

[jack7y]

I'm hoping I can find some help here to figure out some specifics on the two cities. Because of the abysmal job situation where I'm currently at (northern Indiana), along with a lot of other factors, I've been looking for a nearby state to relocate to. After a lot of research, it seems Iowa is an excellent fit. However, I'm finding it hard to get specific information on the two cities I'm most interested in.

Mostly, I want to know about cost of living - I'd be renting - how the local job economy is, if there's things to do besides work and sleep , the usual. Also, public transportation is a huge thing. Is it possible to function without a car? Can you rent someplace where you could take public transpo to and from work without paying exorbitant rent?

I always think that the best way to get info is from the people who live there every day. So can anyone help me out? What's good about Des Moines or what do you think makes Iowa City stand out?

I would suggest Iowa City for you. It is better for living car-free than Des Moines. One example is they have a mall in downtown which is well served by public transport. In Des Moines you can access malls by bus, but they are spread further apart by distance. Many people go to malls occasionally so I used this example, and the same thing applies to other places you would go to in the Des Moines area such as a job.

The unemployment rate is lower in Iowa at about 5% than the U.S. as a whole which would signal less competition for the same job, but in Iowa City they have one of the most educated citizenry in the U.S. which signals more competition for jobs. I can think of one major employer in the Des Moines area that is laying off now while another I can think of is hiring.

In Des Moines you can get better apartments than Iowa City and also not be disturbed by students like in Iowa City, but I suspect you don't mind as much as some would. In Des Moines you can get decent apartments, even downtown, for $600.

Both cities provide opportunities to go out and have fun. Both have bars. Des Moines is a little larger than Iowa City and basically has more because of that fact.

Person per person, Iowa City is better and cooler in my opinion. Iowa City is better for you to have public transport even though Des Moines is working to improve in this area. The university in Iowa City is a level above the ones in Des Moines and I bet you would like the culture that comes along with it. I suggest you put Iowa City on the top of your list in front of Des Moines and besides it is closer to northern Indiana.

[iowegian]

Originally Posted by Fire.Fly

Mostly, I want to know about cost of living - I'd be renting - how the local job economy is, if there's things to do besides work and sleep , the usual. Also, public transportation is a huge thing. Is it possible to function without a car? Can you rent someplace where you could take public transpo to and from work without paying exorbitant rent?

I always think that the best way to get info is from the people who live there every day. So can anyone help me out? What's good about Des Moines or what do you think makes Iowa City stand out?

It might help us to know what kind of work you are looking for. There are some jobs that might be easier to get in one city or the other, and this could sway my decision for you.

Other than that, I basically second jack7y above. I'll add more, but I'm basically suggesting Iowa City assuming your job isn't an issue.

As for public transportation, the Iowa City metro has three bus systems which make it possible to get most places in IC or Coralville on a bus. I think that Iowa City is going to be easier to get around car-free than Des Moines, although it is doable in either place.

To clarify the above post, the mall in downtown IC is hardly even a mall anymore (it's a pharmacy, an art supply store, three fast food restaurants, maybe seven or so small shops, and the university book store) and the second level was taken over by university office space, but there are two smallish but nice grocery stores downtown and a number of small shops so you could probably get most of what you need there. Most, if not all IC bus routes will take you downtown, so this should work well for you even if you choose to live outside of downtown.

Also downtown are plenty of bars if you're into that. We have some concert venues with at least a few concerts per week, mostly local and regional acts but the occasional "bigger name" indie act will stop here. There are a few festivals each year (Jazz, Art, RiverFest, Literature is new this year) and for a city of its size, there is a pretty good selection of things to do. Don't expect constant activity, but if you look, you can find something.

Iowa City has the lowest unemployment in the nation, so overall the job market is pretty strong. I know that factory jobs are not easy to come by right now and there have been many layoffs in that field but sadly, that is the same as anywhere these days. The UI Hospital is the only other major employer to announce layoffs that I can think of.

Please ask if you have more specific questions, I'm just sort of rambling here but I hope it was at least sort of helpful