Moving to Iowa City vs Davenport (Des Moines, Ames: best cities, 2010, apartments)

[aw48203]

I was born in Iowa and moved to Michigan at age 6. Now that I have kids I want to move back home to Iowa. I'm an african american single mother with two young kids and 10 years exp. in retail. Any advice on apartments, day care and jobs? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Looking to move Spring/ Summer of 2010.

[Dport7674]

Davenport is less expensive, Iowa City is more happening. I'd raise a family in either. IC prob'ly has more jobs, Davenport prob'ly has cheaper daycare.

[aw48203]

Thanks for responding! How far is Iowa City from Davenport? I'm from Detroit so I need alittle "happening" once in a while.

[QuadCityImages]

Iowa City is more of a college town, with the stuff that comes with it. The economy is great, there's lots of culture, but its somewhat oriented towards college kids.

Davenport has a good economy compared to most places, there's still a lot to do, but its not a college town.

In my opinion, they're two of the best cities in Iowa, and either should be ok. I think the Quad Cities, which include Davenport, have a lot of amenities and events for their size. I'd say there's more of a variety of things to do here than Iowa City. As far as daycare, I can't help ya. No kids yet.

[iowegian]

Originally Posted by aw48203

Thanks for responding! How far is Iowa City from Davenport? I'm from Detroit so I need alittle "happening" once in a while.

It is about an hour from downtown Davenport to downtown Iowa City.

I live in the Iowa City area and I love it, there are plenty of things to do around here and I think it is a beautiful area. Schools are great, and it is overall extremely safe. I've never lived in Davenport so I'll leave that to QCI, but I don't think either would be a bad choice, it just depends what type of place you are looking for. You might want to consider a visit before you choose.

I think there would be plenty of opportunities for retail in either place. Davenport has plenty of large retail stores (with many more in the surrounding Quad Cities area) and Coralville (which is the largest IC suburb) is home to Iowa's second-largest mall, and is constantly building more retail stores around it.

Apartments shouldn't be hard to find in either area. If you are looking in IC, I strongly suggest staying away from anywhere south of Highway 6 and east of Gilbert, unless it is in the Saddlebrook development. There has been a rise in crime in that area, and while it is still safe enough, there are many other equally affordable, nicer areas in town. Since you have kids, you may also want to stay away from the downtown area if you are looking to avoid students, who occupy many of the rentals near campus. It may also be cheaper to rent in Coralville or North Liberty, which are both very nice.

If you have any questions about the Iowa City area, I'll try to answer them for you

[hammdy]

Originally Posted by iowegian

It is about an hour from downtown Davenport to downtown Iowa City.

I live in the Iowa City area and I love it, there are plenty of things to do around here and I think it is a beautiful area. Schools are great, and it is overall extremely safe. I've never lived in Davenport so I'll leave that to QCI, but I don't think either would be a bad choice, it just depends what type of place you are looking for. You might want to consider a visit before you choose.

I think there would be plenty of opportunities for retail in either place. Davenport has plenty of large retail stores (with many more in the surrounding Quad Cities area) and Coralville (which is the largest IC suburb) is home to Iowa's second-largest mall, and is constantly building more retail stores around it.

Apartments shouldn't be hard to find in either area. If you are looking in IC, I strongly suggest staying away from anywhere south of Highway 6 and east of Gilbert, unless it is in the Saddlebrook development. There has been a rise in crime in that area, and while it is still safe enough, there are many other equally affordable, nicer areas in town. Since you have kids, you may also want to stay away from the downtown area if you are looking to avoid students, who occupy many of the rentals near campus. It may also be cheaper to rent in Coralville or North Liberty, which are both very nice.

If you have any questions about the Iowa City area, I'll try to answer them for you

I don't think Coralville is really a "suburb" of Iowa City.

[QuadCityImages]

Originally Posted by hammdy

I don't think Coralville is really a "suburb" of Iowa City.

Well, it is. Even its wikipedia entry starts out:

Coralville is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is a suburb of Iowa City and part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Its much smaller than Iowa City, and a large amount of Coralville's residents work in Iowa City. There's a census bureau definition of a suburb around somewhere, but I'm pretty sure Coralville meets it.

[DMRyan]

LOL, Coralville is not a suburb. There's an entirely large community in the Des Moines area that refuses to admit they're a suburb too. Because Ankeny is 7 miles up the road and has a street with big box retail, they're apparently the center of their own universe, but I'd wager that 95% of employed folk come down to Des Moines, Ames and the western burbs when it comes to making a paycheck.

[Chicago60614]

I grew up in Coralville. It had respect in the metro area and has a decent size with lots of retail/ammenities - but at the end of the day we all knew it was basically a suburb. It wouldn't have 20K people if Iowa City wasn't hooked on next door.

[aw48203]

Thanks for all the info. Is North Park Mall The Largest Mall?