Is it me or just the people I have talked to so far? (Des Moines: high crime, house)

[Alicia Bradley]

I'm from Iowa, and I can assure you that I'm 100% normal, with quirks.

[todd00]

probably what i would do, is to first settle on one of the 3 places you mentioned. good thing about lemars,as one person mentioned, is it is near sioux city, so there are some bigger cities alternatives for shopping and things to do. i would call the chief of police in each of the cities and act them some general questions about the crime trends, their take on the schools there, and if there are any areas of town that really are not good. sometimes pple in these small towns you speak to may even know of a place to rent, so ask them. usually in small towns there are the older areas with a mix of working class pple and then the maybe a newer subdivision built on the edge on town. also if you do find a place you are interested in, get a street map of the town and check the state website for past sexual predators that might be living in city. if you find a place you think looks good, contact the chamber of commerce and ask them about the area. the more locals you ask about schools, potential neighborhoods etc the better. good luck to ya.

[zz4guy]

Seems like the only people recommending Iowa are those who don't live there anymore.

[Alicia Bradley]

Iowa is just like any place - it has tiny dot-on-the-map towns, suburban areas, downtown areas (i.e., Des Moines' East Village, parts of the Quad Cities [where I'm from!]). I don't know why people want to paint it as some weird, homogeneous locale. I'd live there right now, if I could - I hate the D.C. metro area but am stuck here because of jobs (mine and my roommate's).

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by zz4guy

Seems like the only people recommending Iowa are those who don't live there anymore.

Well I moved away from Iowa 8 years ago, but am still back in the state 6-7 times a year. I didn't move away because I had problems with Iowa, I just moved away because myself as a person has different tastes and desires. I'm a big city guy 100%.

It just depends on what you want in your life. I love Iowa, I have no problems with it, it just didn't fit my specific lifestyle.

[todd00]

as pple have probably mentioned, small towns can be cliquish, some more than others. i live in rural iowa now, where i am, pple are not friendly and, yes kinda weird, like they resent being stuck here attitude-wise. but ya cant paint every town or all pple with such a large brush stroke. same could apply in rural areas in other parts of the country. i prefer a setting with a different landscape, more trees, hills, less cornfields, but thats just me. best to formulate your own opinions with research and trips to the area you hope to move to, if at all possible.

[Iowagirl566]

Originally Posted by todd00

probably what i would do, is to first settle on one of the 3 places you mentioned. good thing about lemars,as one person mentioned, is it is near sioux city, so there are some bigger cities alternatives for shopping and things to do. i would call the chief of police in each of the cities and act them some general questions about the crime trends, their take on the schools there, and if there are any areas of town that really are not good. sometimes pple in these small towns you speak to may even know of a place to rent, so ask them. usually in small towns there are the older areas with a mix of working class pple and then the maybe a newer subdivision built on the edge on town. also if you do find a place you are interested in, get a street map of the town and check the state website for past sexual predators that might be living in city. if you find a place you think looks good, contact the chamber of commerce and ask them about the area. the more locals you ask about schools, potential neighborhoods etc the better. good luck to ya.

Sounds like some really good advice to me. I would diffenently rent for a while in your first choice town and see if you like it. I bought a trailer and lived there for 6 years till I could save up for a house. It seemed like a good plan at the time but when it took a year to sell and I had to keep paying lot rent, it was not that great of a plan in the end. Unlike houses trailers always depreciate. I would rent first and then buy a house when you are able to afford it.

[TheFarmer'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by operaphantom2003

I am in Utah right now (and don't even get me started on the 101 reasons I am leaving) and love Iowa. Except for a few things, which I can deal with, I haven't found anything major enough to make me stop looking, but it is getting there. Here is the story:

Right now three people (my mother, my son, and I) live in a 500 sq ft 1 bedroom apartment. Trust me it is as tight as is sounds. My son goes to a dual immersion school where there are more rules about what I cannot do (as the parent) then what the kids cannot do. So I am moving my family in May as soon as this lease is up. I have lived in everything from a KOA campground to an upper class home in a restricted neighborhood. I think of most homes as four walls that is what ever you make it for your family. I love older homes with some slight fixing needed (the only things I can't do are foundations, electrical, and major plumbing). So I love the prices and homes I see in Iowa. There are tons in Mason City, Spencer, and Le Mars, but when I inquire about them it is always the same. I am told I do not want "that" house because it is old, in a "bad" neighboorhood, or "would give the wrong impression". It's the last one that gets me. I was told that when I was inquiring about a trailer for rent ($325 a month for 3 bedrooms--I almost dropped the phone that sounds so great). I have been told that only drugged out trash/immigrants live in trailers. Well, I call it a home and living well within my means. I have been told to NOT send my son to the schools in Mason City (especially the high school) because all they care about are sports and the kids are all drug addicts before they graduate. Well I look at the test scores--high 80's for Iowa low 50's where I am now. They can't all be pot smoking bullies now can they? I finally talked to one agent in Mason City and she told me that she would never buy the home I was interested in because it was in a "low class" neighborhood.

Okay now if you aren't confused by this yet, what is deemed a "low class" neighborhood/group of people in Iowa? I know that a town will never have everyone like it but this is getting frustrating when I am looking for information, willing to make a deposit sight unseen, and am just trying to get my son to a better place with city parks we can actually use. What is going on here? I don't have the money to go and there and back a couple of times so I have to do this online. Should I just take this as a warning sign and stay away from Iowa?

Hmmm...what is a "low-class" neighborhood? It's probably different from every perspective. I have lived in 4 different states. When I was a kid, living in Kentucky, there were robberies on my street all the time. People were stabbed. My mom kept me in the house for a year because someone was kidnapping blonde little girls. I've lived near people who had pimps, or were pimps themselves. I think I have a good handle on bad personally.
So, in light of that fact I can't say that there will never be a bad neighborhood here. But, I can say that alot of people who say these places are bad are probably full of crap. And I mean that in the nicest way possible.

I have never felt unsafe here, ever. And I live in a bigger area, not some small little hamlet. No one has ever robbed me or hurt me or my family. My kids go to a great school where test scores are high and opportunities are plentiful. And yet, I know immigrants and working class people. People who live in trailers. And just because someone has a different nationality, or economic background..doesn't mean they are all "low class." I would be wary of people making statements like, "All of them are druggies before they graduate, or all they care about is sports."

But, in the end, this is up to you. I can understand your hesitancy about just uprooting to some place unfamiliar and I commend your courage for even thinking about it.

[organic mama]

I lived in Mason city most of my Life. Yep, even graduated from the High School there. My parents still live there and wouldn't live anywhere else.
Mason City is fine if you like it slow.
The school system is average. I never had any problems with it.
Yes, the do focus alot on sports there, but what else is there to do?
It's the HUB for all farmers in the area.
Mason City does have restaurants, movie theaters, malls ect..

As for drugs, it doesn't have a major problem like other bigger cities.
Crime isn't a big deal either. Most people I know don't even own a car alarm.

Some fun things about Mason is..... Meredith Wilson (the Music Man) is very popular there. He lived there for awhile when he was growing up.
In fact they have a big band festival in June that focuses on Music and 76 trombones.
Also, Frank Lyod wright is popular in Mason City.
They have some homes built from his students there. Very unique. Mason City even have tours of the old homes.

There are some very nice historical areas in Mason city, newer areas with new homes and yes, there are some run down areas too, but most of all..it's a nice small town with cheap housing.

[w292737]

I'm not sure what agent you are using in MC, but you should find a new one.

I will say that in MC the neighborhood goes block to block. but all in all the town is nice.

I moved here a few years ago, and I would have to say that I don't like the public schools. so my children attend Newman Catholic, but since we are Catholic that was a no-brainer for me.