Dubuque.. need help (Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Iowa City: low crime, college, casino)

[original786]

so im moving to dubuque, iowa from atlanta..
this is going to be a big change since ive always been a city person.
but i was wondering if some local can advise me on some stuff before i move there next month.

major banks in area and what are they?

major airport?

is it true to live on the west side of dubuque for better housing?

will my accord last there in winter or get AWD SUV?

what are some good bars?

how are the cops rated?

major dealerships around if so which ones and how far?

walmart? or major grocery store and how far?

lastly,

First three to Five things i should do when i move to DBQ

[Chicago60614]

There's a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Dubuque, as well as Target store, Best Buy, Pier One, Lowes, Barnes N Noble, 24-hour Walgreens etc, etc. As far as I know though there's only 1 mall in Dubuque - Kennedy Mall in the Western part of the city. The main large grocery stores in town are Hy-Vee's. There are 3 of them in Dubuque. They're actually rated one of the best grocery store chains in the country, and most stores are very large, bright, clean, and have quality products. I find it to be fairly expensive for Iowa though. Most things at Hy-Vee are actually quite a bit more expensive than the main grocery store chains here in Chicago.

I would think your Accord would be totally fine. There are hills in Dubuque, and it does get snowstorms, but it's not mountains or anything, and the snow is usually just minor 2-4 inches except for your once or twice a year 10" storm that can really mess things up for 12 hours or so. Coming from the south though - anything 6" or less is normally just brushed off by the locals and things carry on with little to no interruption. People also tend to think the north is ALWAYS snowy. While the past few years have had quite a bit of snow compard to normal, snow on any major level is usually just a twice to four times a year event. I've never seen anyone pick cars out in the city just focusing on winter. I'm sure 4WD helps of course, but it's not like this is colorado or something.

Not sure on the cops (it has a low crime rate - so I really don't think cops are or have a reason to be notorious about things other than the usual smaller city stuff like drunk driving and speeding) or banks (I'd just google and see who has most branches), but there are pretty much any dealerships you need nearby, mostly on a strip of Dodge Street out west. Chevy, Toyota, Subaru, Ford, Mitsubishi, Hyandai, Dodge, Kia, Nissan, BMW, yadda yadda.


Dubuque is actually one of the more isolated cities in the region I feel. Not directly on an interstate, and a few hours from other large cities. The city's airport has connections to Chicago, and while I'm not sure how expensive they are, it's pretty much just a hop over to Chicago since the city is pretty close. Otherwise you can go to Rockford, Waterloo or Madison within an hour or two, but really you might as well drive to Chicago at that point.

One good thing is Dubuque is ready to be set up with direct rail service to Chicago multiple times per day. You can be in downtown Chicago within 4 hours or so.

Distance from other cities:

Cedar Rapids-Iowa City / 350,000 people: 1.5 hours
Quad Cities / 375,000 people: 1.5 hours
Madison / 550,000 people: 2 hours
Rockford / 400,000 people: 2 hours
Chicago / 9,500,000 people: 3 hours


It's a fun little city though! It's historic, very pretty, outdoors stuff to do, has a casino downtown and some cool events. It's rough you're going there right at the start of winter, but once you make it through that the summer will be really awesome.

Check out Galena as well if you have visitors. Awesome views, golfing, and a really nice historic downtown with funky shops.

Good luck!

[philogirl]

As far as Banks the only national bank is US Bank but there are a few great local iowa banks. Dutrac Dupaco American Trust...
There is an airport here. Dubuque Regional Airport. THe best for traveling though would be to drive to cedar rapids or Chicago to fly out.
The west side is growing fast so it is the newer housing but as far as price mid town would be your best option (grandview/college areas)
Your accord should be just fine. The snow gets to be a hassel but the roads get cleared pretty quickly. There are always a few days in the winter that are bad but no one goes out! I have a friend who has a n accord and does just fine
Main street is getting more and more popular for the bar scene. with Lot one, the hub, the julien, bricktown, moon bar. But there are alot of corner bars with some great atmosephere.
There is a Walmart, Target, Hyvee, econofoods, Kmart, eagles all good for grocries.

[original786]

sounds awesome.!

i should be coming intown in a week hopefully..
anyone want to show me around? ????????????

[original786]

up

[dubuquenewbie]

welcome to Dubuque. Must be so nice to leave that rats nest you call Atlanta.

[greeneyesga]

I have just moved here to Dubuque from the Atlanta area. Of course, you can't expect it to be like Atlanta (I love the ATL), but you will find plenty to do here. The people are friendly, the river is gorgeous (find friends with boats for the summer!), Arts & Culture are impressive...compared to Atlanta there is NO crime at all!!! LOL....