Cedar Rapids vs Cedar Falls (Waterloo, Iowa City: university, to live in, shop)

[kyled305]

I have a job opportunity in either Cedar Rapids or Cedar Falls. I am having trouble deciding because I'm from out of state and not familiar with the area. I'm a recent college graduate from a small college town, but I like big city environments with lots of cultural, artistic, outdoor things to do. Any advice, or compare/contrast Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls?

[Persimmony]

as individual towns, I would say Cedar Falls is much cleaner and nicer ... however when speaking of "metro areas" - I think I would rather live in Cedar Rapids. You aren't going to find a big city environment as you speak of anywhere in Iowa, but Cedar Rapids is a little closer to that than Cedar Falls.

Cedar Rapids and Iowa City area offers more opportunity, and just more to do. Waterloo and Cedar Falls just doesn't have quite as much going on right now ... both really aren't that bad though. Good luck. You should really visit before you decide!

[UnusualSuspect]

Cedar Falls is a small college town, next to a larger town. The entire metro area of Waterloo/Cedar Falls has under 200,000 people, so you're not really going to get a big city environment. Cedar Rapids isn't much bigger, but it's close to Iowa City, as the previous poster noted. IC is the smallest of the three metro areas, but it's got a lot of stuff to do, thanks to the University of Iowa.

Being from the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area, I love it and would jump at the chance to live in Cedar Falls. But if you're after a big city, you might want to look elsewhere.

[mustang84]

I'm a little biased because I live here, but I would choose Cedar Rapids. Things are still a little rough a year after the flood, but the momentum to rebuild is growing and there are a lot of things planned to be built over the next 5 years. The area is very scenic and wooded, set in the Cedar Valley. Most downtown businesses have returned and are better than they were before the flood. The Waterloo metro only has 165,000, while the Cedar Rapids metro has 255,000, so there is a quite a difference in city size. Cedar Rapids has nightlife...it's not quite as good as Iowa City, but there are quite a few bars and clubs downtown and around the area. There are also some cultural districts such as the Czech Village and Little Bohemia. Also, Iowa City is only 25 minutes to the south with a lot to do in the way of nightlife, dining, and shopping. I would be sure to visit both before you make a decision, though.

Cedar Falls itself isn't too bad of a town...it's small, but it's clean. However, neighboring Waterloo is the dominant city in the metro and is a bit of a hole. It was hit hard economically in the 80s and has never really recovered.