Michigan to Southeast Iowa? Info, plz...

[SharpHawkeye]

Originally Posted by Mercruiserdr

And I take it I am not allowed to have my own opinion ?

I was not aware that this forum was a monarchy and you its tyrant.

Oh come on now, guys. You're both right.

As a southern Iowan myself, I can tell you that it is a beautiful area, good for families and very safe. On the other hand, I can also tell you that it is also the poorest and most economically challenged are of the state too.

The small town schools in Iowa are (with a few exceptions) very good. However, the smaller districts might not have the resources to work with your son that a bigger city might have. (I'm sure you know that already, though.)

The job market in SE Iowa isn't great, but it isn't great anywhere. I think unemployment in that area is somewhere around 8-10%, where the rest of Iowa is about 6-7%. So you might have to work at finding a job.

There typically aren't a whole lot of rental properties in smaller towns in Iowa, and they don't typically advertise a whole lot. If the job starts looking serious, you might want to ask a local at the prison--locals usually know who to talk to.

Weather is likely to be similar to W. Michigan, but a bit hotter and more humid in the summer and a bit less cold and snow in the winter. (But you probably knew that already, too.)

Welcome to Iowa (maybe)!

[Nedibes]

We moved from Lansing to the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area two years ago (and still go back to Michigan every few months). Weather-wise, here it is a little less pleasant than Michigan--hotter and more humid in the winter, colder and icier (but less snowy) in the winter, and more "extreme" events--tornadoes, flash-floods, ice storms and so forth. Now, folks tell me that the past two winters are not representative (not to mention last year's flood!), but in general we get the weather here about a day and a half ahead of my parents in Lansing, and it's usually about 5 degrees harsher than what they get. The big plus is that it is much sunnier in the winter than mid-Michigan--none of those months where you never see the sun at all. Also the thunderstorms are terrific, and the sunsets can be fabulous. The light around here in the evening is a gorgeous, buttery yellow, and the weather and vistas lend themselves to spectacular rainbows and even snowbows.

As for the economy, Iowa is in the recession along with the rest of the country, but it is still a lot better off than Michigan, at least in this part of the state. Folks are a little worried, there have been a few small-scale lay-offs here and there, but most folks are still secure in their jobs. I don't know exactly what the hiring situation is, though--a lot of businesses are in kind of a battening-down-the hatches mode. I imagine there are still sales jobs to be had, but they might take more searching.

State taxes are similar to Michigan, at least in the tax brackets with which I'm familiar, but calculated rather differently (there's this complicated thing with taxing last year's refund)--also, we've had trouble getting the withholding right. State sales tax is lower than Michigan, but we have a local-option tax that makes it the same. Property taxes in our small town are lower than in Lansing, but people around here complain that they are very high.

We quite like Iowa, and I suspect you would too--good luck with your decision, and if you do make the move, welcome!

[eandcdavis]

Thank you, Nedibes, that was very helpful Taxes where I am at are atrocious (we live on one of the counties on the shores of Lake Michigan and the multi-million dollar vacation homes are driving the regular property taxes through the roof!). I told my husband last night that no matter where we land, it cannot possibly be worse than Michigan is right now. Unemployment is unreal, taxes just got jumped by another 8% in my neighborhood on property, and the utilities are charging paying customers to cover the unpaid bills. Now Insurance companies are charging an extra amount of money to cover the cost of two people who have 24 hour care from auto accidents. It's unreal, and we can't afford it anymore. We need out!!!

[NomadMomma]

Please see my posts regarding Fort Madison. We just relocated here from Arizona. In short, I really like it here. It is small though and depending on the kind of work you do you may be commuting. As for taxes - I was surprised that state income tax is almost double Arizona. This made a big difference when comparing my husband's raise and negotiating salary. I don't know alot about the schools because I have preschoolers but I'm told Fort Madison is very good and that the county school outside of Fort Madison (which has open enrollment) is excellent. There is also a very good Catholic school I'm told. If you have other specific questions feel free to post - I don't get on here much but I'll try to check back. OH - the renting vs buying thing. Not a lot of rentals around here - at least not that were what we were looking for. We do have an excellent realtor if you're interested.

[NomadMomma]

If you end up visiting Fort Madison, we could give you a little tour. Let me know if you end up this way. We've visited Mt. Pleasant but not enough to have an opinion really.