Best City in Iowa (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids: houses, rent, travel)

[jeffs]

Id say 1. des moines 2. iowa city 3. cedar rapids 4. davenport 5. dubuque

Des Moines and Iowa city get a lot of state funding. Des moines being the capital, and IC with the University Of Iowa. I live in davenport. Its almost like its divided into 2 cities. The north half of the city is all new houses, stores, development, and the south side is crap. A lot of gangbangers from Chicago have moved into d port because of the cheap housing and lower income apartments. There are some neighborhoods here that are downright dangerous to drive through anymore. If you come here bring a good road map. I live a few blocks away from a big low income section 8 apartment complexes. I see old couples visiting from Idaho, or something, they make a wrong turn off the highway, and are scared out of their minds. Kind of funny to see them lock the doors real quick when 10 dudes are drinking 40's and throwing up gang signs at them. I dont know much about sioux city. But Id recommend Des Moines or Iowa City. Theyve been growing very fast, both have D 1 universities, and are pretty good for entertainment.

[metroplex2003]

Originally Posted by jeffs

Id say 1. des moines 2. iowa city 3. cedar rapids 4. davenport 5. dubuque

Des Moines and Iowa city get a lot of state funding. Des moines being the capital, and IC with the University Of Iowa. I live in davenport. Its almost like its divided into 2 cities. The north half of the city is all new houses, stores, development, and the south side is crap. A lot of gangbangers from Chicago have moved into d port because of the cheap housing and lower income apartments. There are some neighborhoods here that are downright dangerous to drive through anymore. If you come here bring a good road map. I live a few blocks away from a big low income section 8 apartment complexes. I see old couples visiting from Idaho, or something, they make a wrong turn off the highway, and are scared out of their minds. Kind of funny to see them lock the doors real quick when 10 dudes are drinking 40's and throwing up gang signs at them. I dont know much about sioux city. But Id recommend Des Moines or Iowa City. Theyve been growing very fast, both have D 1 universities, and are pretty good for entertainment.

There is a big divide between Eastern and Western Iowa.
Lots of people on both sides do not know much about the other with Des Moines being the common ground

The two sizable cities in Western Iowa are Council Bluffs and Sioux City, Sioux City being the 4th largest city in Iowa.
Both have their perks. Council Bluffs is nice b/c they are literally adjacent to Omaha...oftentimes OMaha is referred to as "Omaha/Council Bluffs" in terms of the Metro area. Sioux City is great too. Would suggest going to both.
To me, Sioux City and Des Moines are the best cities in Iowa. Sioux City tends to be more diverse than other cities in Iowa. Sioux City boasts a rather large vietnamese and hispanic population totaling up to 15-20% of the metro area's population. AS a result, we have several large asian markets for a city of our size as well as hispanic markets.
Des Moines is great too...but it competes against the likes of Omaha more than any of the mid to large sized towns in Iowa.

[mrkool]

Originally Posted by metroplex2003

Sioux City is also one of Iowa's more diverse cities. Boasting large Hispanic, Native American, and Asian populations,

Please explain why this racial diversity is a big plus...
Statistically there are usually alot of social ills, particularly with crime and schools, when you have "large" minority populations in a city.

[metroplex2003]

Originally Posted by mrkool

Please explain why this racial diversity is a big plus...
Statistically there are usually alot of social ills, particularly with crime and schools, when you have "large" minority populations in a city.

I think it's good to have minority populations overall. It adds to the character of a city.
Having said that, Vietnamese people do have a lot of asian values and thus are very hard working. They came to Sioux City in the 80's and now have elevated their statuses rapidly. Lots of Vietnamese owned businesses line our shopping areas. It's amazing that in just 2 decades, they have accomplished so much.

[snahofivan]

I grew up in Sioux City, left after college, and have missed it ever since. There just isn't any place like it. You are right-the cultural diversity is a big plus. It adds character along with the geography and history of the town. There is a philosophy from the early founders that anything they put their mind to can be done. When we first moved there in the mid 70's, SC was kind of dirty and economically depressed. It cleaned up a lot through the 80's and early 90's. Of course, there are bad parts of town and good parts of town. I lived in one of the good parts, which will definitely influence my view. I've been gone now since 1992, but on visits back, it has really changed. It is a beautiful town now with a ton of stuff to do. I've always thought SC was underrated. I'd rate it #1 with Iowa City a close #2. Sioux City also has a small town feel to it, as it was really several smaller towns consolidated into a big town. I suppose some of that has changed in the last 15 years, but that does add to the character of the town. I lived in a small town in northern Iowa through high school, and we went to both Sioux Falls and Sioux City to go shopping. Sioux Falls is definitely a nice town, very progressive, with a lot of growth. But, it just doesn't have anywhere near the character that Sioux City does. SC is just an interesting place to live and explore.

[snahofivan]

Oh, I forgot to mention the sewer. I lived in Morningside, which is on the south side of SC. The city sewer is south of town, and the prevailing winds are from the south. Need I say more. However, it only affects Morningside, and just in the early morning. And SC has so much else going for it, that the morning smell really isn't such a big deal. I remember when we first came to SC in the mid 70's and how driving up I-29 you would smell the packing houses. I believe the packing houses in the city center are all closed now, and the big hog market in the stockyards is not what it used to be. So, the area near downtown doesn't smell any more. So, from a lover of SC, the name Sewer City is somewhat appropriate, but more in fun. I don't think I'd ever use it as a reason to put down the city as a whole.

[Steffanie]

Why? I live in Calif, you want to talk about Sewer! I want the hell out of the west coast. Steffanie

[DBQer]

Originally Posted by snahofivan

I remember when we first came to SC in the mid 70's and how driving up I-29 you would smell the packing houses.

We had the same thing with our packing house here in Dubuque. The whole neighborhood around it smelled like ham!! Its been closed for 6 years now, and was torn down last year to make room for a shopping center.

Besides that, we have two other neighborhoods that have a unique "aroma" to them. The Warehouse District (near downtown) smells like freshly cut wood all the time. Its actually kind of nice. Like a "new house smell." Also, we have a Sara Lee Bakery south of downtown. In that area, it smells like fresh bread all the time!! Very interesting. No sewer smell, though.

[dubuqueaskme]

1.)Dubuque- on the river, ranked a 2007 all- american city, ranked 22nd in the nation for job growth, tons of riverfront development, the casino is tripling it's size, and tons of high-tech industries have chosen Dubuque for their headquarters. There are tens of subdivisions west of Dubuque, where there are still hills, primarily in Asbury, Epworth, and Peosta. Peosta and Asbury especially. Each of their populations have 3X their populations since 1990.

2.)Iowa City

3.) Des Moines

4.) Ames

5.)Des Moines suburbs

[GoHogsGo]

Originally Posted by dubuqueaskme

1.)Dubuque- on the river, ranked a 2007 all- american city, ranked 22nd in the nation for job growth, tons of riverfront development, the casino is tripling it's size, and tons of high-tech industries have chosen Dubuque for their headquarters. There are tens of subdivisions west of Dubuque, where there are still hills, primarily in Asbury, Epworth, and Peosta. Peosta and Asbury especially. Each of their populations have 3X their populations since 1990.

2.)Iowa City

3.) Des Moines

4.) Ames

5.)Des Moines suburbs

Yea, that and the NW Arterial Projects and the big new John Deere Tractor Works. Didn't know that the Casino was expanding...and DON'T Forget! Dubuque is getting Amtrak service again in 2009 with the return of the Black Hawk (Chicago-Rockford-Dubuque) line!

IC and DM are real close there. I'd personally TIE them for 2nd, or give IC the edge because of its prime healthcare facilities at the U of I.

I'd rate Davenport higher than the DM Suburbs, because the crime there is substantially lower than it were in the late 80s early 90s. 4th place

I'd give 5 to Keokuk, because it has always struck me as a working town with great people.