Living In Dubuque Without A Car; Is It Possible? (apartments, low crime)

[dakota79]

I am considering several cities to transfer to with my job. Dubuque appeals to me based on the things I've read, including the cost of living, low crime, activites the city offers, and friendliness of the residents.

But, of course, there is a catch. Due to a stable but uncorrectable eye condition, I cannot drive. I have lived in smaller cities for the past 12 years, and am used to making it work without the best public transit. I lived in North Dakota for 4 years, so I have dealt with cold and snow before. I am used to walking up to 2 miles each way to work. But I'd like to know if living in Dubuque will be extra hard compared to other small cities.

Will the hills present a problem? I have seen pictures, and some parts look flat, but then others look hilly. Also, do most Dubuque streets have sidewalks? In the winter, are they good at enforcing snow removal on sidewalks?

I have found numerous apartments close to my job which is near most of the major retail shopping, so I feel I could get to work easily on a daily basis. The KeyLine bus system looks good enough to get me to another part of the city if needed.

I know it is hard for a lot of people to imagine life without a car, until they have to. But I'd like to know if anyone out there can seriously see Dubuque working for me?

Thank you for your insight!

[jasperhobbs]

Originally Posted by dakota79

I am considering several cities to transfer to with my job. Dubuque appeals to me based on the things I've read, including the cost of living, low crime, activites the city offers, and friendliness of the residents.

But, of course, there is a catch. Due to a stable but uncorrectable eye condition, I cannot drive. I have lived in smaller cities for the past 12 years, and am used to making it work without the best public transit. I lived in North Dakota for 4 years, so I have dealt with cold and snow before. I am used to walking up to 2 miles each way to work. But I'd like to know if living in Dubuque will be extra hard compared to other small cities.

Will the hills present a problem? I have seen pictures, and some parts look flat, but then others look hilly. Also, do most Dubuque streets have sidewalks? In the winter, are they good at enforcing snow removal on sidewalks?

I have found numerous apartments close to my job which is near most of the major retail shopping, so I feel I could get to work easily on a daily basis. The KeyLine bus system looks good enough to get me to another part of the city if needed.

I know it is hard for a lot of people to imagine life without a car, until they have to. But I'd like to know if anyone out there can seriously see Dubuque working for me?

Thank you for your insight!

If you have an apartment close to your job and retail shopping, you can get by without a car in Dubuque. Other places you can get to with Keyline but expect it to take a while. Public transportation in Dubuque is not the best but will get you there if you are patient and flexible.

Jasper

[dakota79]

Do most of the streets in Dubuque have sidewalks?

Is the area out by Kennedy Mall extremely hilly?

[jasperhobbs]

Originally Posted by dakota79

Do most of the streets in Dubuque have sidewalks?

Is the area out by Kennedy Mall extremely hilly?

Yes most of the streets in Dubuque have side walks. The Kennedy Mall area is not hilly. Most of the hills in the city are near downtown area.

Jasper

[DBQer]

Most streets in Dubuque have sidewalks... they are required by city ordinance. City law also states that sidewalks must be cleared of snow within a short time after it has fallen (24-48 hrs?). I don't see too many problems for you in that regard.

The hills will be a bit of an adjustment at first, but, like everyone else, you will become used to them very quickly! Most of Dubuque's steepest hills seperate the "downtown" and "uptown" areas. Most everything else is gently rolling or flat terrain.

The public transit system is a bit limited in the sense that it 1.) often takes quite some time to reach a given destination, and 2.) doesn't run late into the night, or on Sundays. However, it does reach most major destinations within the city limits. You'll just have to plan your departure/arrival times carefully. With your eye condition, you may qualify to ride KeyLine's "MiniBus", which picks you up at your residence and drops you off at your exact destination. You'll have to check into that more thoroughly, though...

There has been some talk amongst the city council about overhauling the entire mass transit system, making it more efficient, etc... so I would look for some changes and improvements in the coming years.

Good luck!

[dakota79]

OP here,

I just returned from a trip to check Dubuque out last week. I was impressed in several ways. The people were great. I had no trouble with sidewalks, as almost every street had one. Even the hills did not overwhelm me. The KeyLine bus system worked well. The drivers were courteous and the buses were on time. One nice thing is they have several transfer points were the same routes meet, so you don't always have to go downtown to transfer like you do in some other cities. It would be nice if they ran later, but it is normal to end at 6pm in a city the size of Dubuque and I am prepared for that.

The only people I would complain about were my taxi drivers to and from the airport. They were unhappy grouches who seemed to have nothing good to say. One was originally from Florida, and moved to Iowa for his girlfriend, and then it did not work out. I think he needs to go back to Florida.

Anyway, I did find numerous apartments out by where I would work. (JFK Rd.) Several properties were managed by a company called "Gallery Properties". I cannot get a hold of them at all to ask questions though. There are a couple different numbers listed on signs outside of the complexes, but none of them have worked. They have a website wiht very limited information, and a phone number of 563-588-3310 listed, but no luck. No e-mail address is listed.

So, has anyone ever dealt with this company or rented from them? Is there a number I'm just not seeing? Also, do they have a central office at one of the properties?

Normally, if I could not reach a certain property, I would just skip it and move on. But they have so many apartments in the area I need, I did not want to give up that easily.

Thanks again for any help!

[DBQer]

Originally Posted by dakota79

So, has anyone ever dealt with this company or rented from them? Is there a number I'm just not seeing? Also, do they have a central office at one of the properties?

Normally, if I could not reach a certain property, I would just skip it and move on. But they have so many apartments in the area I need, I did not want to give up that easily.

Thanks again for any help!

Glad to hear your visit went well, all-in-all. I have never dealt with Gallery Properties personally, but they seem be a rather sizable property-management company in the city. It seems that apartments are in high demand in Dubuque at the moment, just given the number of postings & requests for info I've seen on this site!

From Gallery's website... it appears that their main office is located at 2160 Woodland Drive, which is the "Woodland Arms" complex (Woodland & Key Way). The contact they have listed (whom you may have already called...) is Kim Lohberg (563) 588-3310. I would keep trying to contact her, or pay a visit to their office if you can.

If things don't work out with Gallery, I'd also try to call or visit Jesse McIntyre Realtors. They manage a few good size complexes in the same area (along Pennsylvania Ave. & John F. Kennedy Rd.). Their office is 1600 Butterfield Dr., and their phone is (563) 556-1600. Good luck!