Best City in Iowa (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids: relocation, health insurance, travel)

[metroplex2003]

Originally Posted by GoHogsGo

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.

I should have divided the poll into Eastern Iowa cities and Western Iowa cities...b/c it seems to be that most people from Eastern Iowa only name Eastern Iowa Cities and those from Western only western iowa cities.

Council Bluffs is nice b/c it's part of the Omaha, NE MSA, which has close to 1 million people. Sioux City is nice also b/c it offers many big city chain stores and has decent scenery in the Loess HIlls. It's on the Missouri River. And is also Iowa 4th Largest city behind Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport. It's also the 4th largest MSA (only b/c Council Bluffs is officially part of the Omaha MSA with Omaha being the principle city).

[brad88]

I've lived my entire life in northwest Iowa, living almost exactly in between Sioux City and Sioux Falls, and I've traveled to most of the larger cities in Iowa. I would NEVER want to live in Sioux City, not even if I was paid. You can ask most anyone that lives around here, and Sioux City is by far one of their least favorite places. In a head to head competition, Sioux Falls takes out Sioux City anyday. If I was thinking of Sioux City, I would think again and head up I-29 to Sioux Falls. In as nice of words as possible, Sioux City is an absolute dump. Everything is old in Sioux City, aside from the new Lakeport Commons shopping area. Crime rates in Sioux City seem drastically high when compared to Sioux Falls (especially given the fact that Sioux Falls is quite a bit bigger than Sioux City). So, Sioux City would definitely be out if it were up to me.
What about the other cities in Iowa?
Well, the best city in Iowa, in my opinion, would definitely be Cedar Rapids. It's an extremely nice, and well kept town. Plus, you're within easy traveling distance (roughly 45 to 90 minutes) from Waterloo, Iowa City, Dubuque, and Davenport.
Out of all of Iowa's major cities, I've never been to Davenport, so I cannot comment much as to how Davenport is.
Waterloo, been there, little desire to go back, and I didn't even make it into the "bad" part of town.
Des Moines itself would be a no. West Des Moines, Clive, or Johnston are actually very nice towns and would love to live in one of those.
Dubuque isn't bad, but wouldn't necessarily be my first choice.
Iowa City again isn't too bad, especially with the University of Iowa, but wouldn't be my first choice.
Ames is a town I really like, however, it's a college town and I've never lived in the city, so my opinion would probably change if I actually lived there.
Council Bluffs, although close to Omaha, isn't really the nicest town either. However, would probably be nicer than living in Omaha itself.
Western Iowa is a huge disappointment. Although a good place to raise a family, it's pretty boring. Eastern Iowa has much more to see and do, and maintains the high quality family-raising atmosphere.
So, my final ranking of Iowa towns (top 5)...
1-Cedar Rapids
2-West Des Moines/Clive
3-Dubuque
4-Ames
5-Davenport (although I've never seen it, it has to be better than Waterloo and Sioux City)

[DBQer]

Originally Posted by brad88

I've never been to Davenport, so I cannot comment much as to how Davenport is.

Think about a smaller, dirtier Cedar Rapids, with more crime. It depends on the part you're in of course, but for a metro of its size, there's very little excitement. You haven't missed out on anything big.

[metroplex2003]

Originally Posted by brad88

I've lived my entire life in northwest Iowa, living almost exactly in between Sioux City and Sioux Falls, and I've traveled to most of the larger cities in Iowa. I would NEVER want to live in Sioux City, not even if I was paid. You can ask most anyone that lives around here, and Sioux City is by far one of their least favorite places. In a head to head competition, Sioux Falls takes out Sioux City anyday. If I was thinking of Sioux City, I would think again and head up I-29 to Sioux Falls. In as nice of words as possible, Sioux City is an absolute dump. Everything is old in Sioux City, aside from the new Lakeport Commons shopping area. Crime rates in Sioux City seem drastically high when compared to Sioux Falls (especially given the fact that Sioux Falls is quite a bit bigger than Sioux City). So, Sioux City would definitely be out if it were up to me.
What about the other cities in Iowa?
Well, the best city in Iowa, in my opinion, would definitely be Cedar Rapids. It's an extremely nice, and well kept town. Plus, you're within easy traveling distance (roughly 45 to 90 minutes) from Waterloo, Iowa City, Dubuque, and Davenport.
Out of all of Iowa's major cities, I've never been to Davenport, so I cannot comment much as to how Davenport is.
Waterloo, been there, little desire to go back, and I didn't even make it into the "bad" part of town.
Des Moines itself would be a no. West Des Moines, Clive, or Johnston are actually very nice towns and would love to live in one of those.
Dubuque isn't bad, but wouldn't necessarily be my first choice.
Iowa City again isn't too bad, especially with the University of Iowa, but wouldn't be my first choice.
Ames is a town I really like, however, it's a college town and I've never lived in the city, so my opinion would probably change if I actually lived there.
Council Bluffs, although close to Omaha, isn't really the nicest town either. However, would probably be nicer than living in Omaha itself.
Western Iowa is a huge disappointment. Although a good place to raise a family, it's pretty boring. Eastern Iowa has much more to see and do, and maintains the high quality family-raising atmosphere.
So, my final ranking of Iowa towns (top 5)...
1-Cedar Rapids
2-West Des Moines/Clive
3-Dubuque
4-Ames
5-Davenport (although I've never seen it, it has to be better than Waterloo and Sioux City)

IT's interesting that you call sioux City old. Growing up in Sioux City, I always felt that we were still newer than the likes of Waterloo, Davenport, and Dubuque on relative terms, but older than Cedar Rapids and Des Moines.

I agree that Sioux Falls has a lot more going on for it than Sioux City, but we're comparing Iowa towns and Sioux Falls is now roughly the same size as Cedar Rapids, so they need to be compared if anything.



Been to All of the major Iowa Cities. So let's breakdown your ranking:
Cedar Rapids: I think it's decent. I lived in Iowa City, so made up to Cedar Rapids relatively often. I think it's one of the better cities in Iowa overall.

Des Moines area: Still a great city. It's probably what I would call Iowa's only true city (be it small). It offers the best air access of all the major cities in Iowa except Council Bluffs, which benefits from Omaha's airport. Lots of the corporations of Iowa have set up camp there...so jobs are relatively better.

Dubuque: In my opinion, Iowa's oldest city is old, not by any means modern, but it's well kept compared to its southern neighbor in Davenport and also it's western neighbor of Waterloo.

Ames: I'm pro-Hawkeyes. Just cannot bring myself to have any love for the town. The only thing going for it is its close proximity to Des Moines. Iowa City by far with it's coralville suburb is much nicer.

Davenport: IT's not the dumpiest place in Iowa, but it comes close. Waterloo I give that title.

Now in defense of Sioux City: yes areas of it are quite dumpy, particularly the South Sioux City region. And city has aged...but overall, I think it's a relatively nice place to live when compared to the rest of Iowa. And I"ve lived in Davenport, Iowa City/Cedar Rapids, Des MOines, Omaha/Council Bluffs, and Sioux City. never spent much time in Waterloo or Dubuque admittedly. It has the Loess HIlls, it has a reasonably sized downtown compared to the other Iowa Cities. It is home to some respectable businesses such as Sue Bee Honey, Jollytime, Tyson Chicken, Northwest Airlines Reservation Call Center, etc.

Now I hope to see all of Iowa's cities modernize as DFW (where I currently live) has. Revitalization of downtowns are happening all across the DFW Metroplex. Cities the size of Dubuque and Sioux City are doing a great job with their main street developments. I would like to see that happen more with the Iowa cities.
Iowa also needs to get on par with some of the more business friendly states such as SD.
Sioux Falls won for a variety of reasons over Sioux City: 1) Transportation: it's at the cross section of I-90 and I-29. Sioux City was too slow to lobby for a 4 lane US 20 across all of Iowa. 2) It's the largest city in the state: lots of the state's resources all poured into Sioux Falls. Sioux City is the 4th largest MSA in Iowa, and took a back seat to the likes of Des Moines and Cedar Rapids for years. It's now that the state of Iowa is finally starting to realize it lost a golden opportunity to capitalize on Sioux City. 3) Favorable business climate: Sioux City failed to develop its South Dakota suburbs faster than it did. The No state tax has hurt Sioux City. 4) Nearby cities: Being sandwiched in between Sioux Falls and Omaha has hurt Sioux City...Sioux Falls had an indirect shielf from competition.

Now if you were to ask me which city has more character, I would say Sioux City. We're a much more diverse city with substantial asian, hispanic, and native american populations that offer different cultural aspects that you cannot obtain as readily in Sioux Falls. We have better scenery. Sioux Falls is clearly outside of the Loess Hills and the Missouri River area and the lakes the Missouri has spun off. Sioux City has more world class facilities in their Orpheum Theater and also the Tyson Arena, which has siphoned off entertainment events from Sioux Falls.
With all that in mind, Omaha continues to be the big guerilla that trumps the I-29 cities of Omaha/SIoux City/Sioux Falls/FArgo.

There are lots of South Dakota (Sioux Falls area) plates in Omaha nebraska...either for shopping or for using Eppley.

But nevertheless, I think Western Iowa in general gets ignored a lot since most of the population lies on the Eastern half of the state. But we need to invest in Western Iowa b/c we're losing opportunities.

[DBQer]

Originally Posted by metroplex2003

Dubuque: In my opinion, Iowa's oldest city is old, not by any means modern, but it's well kept compared to its southern neighbor in Davenport and also it's western neighbor of Waterloo.

I have to take issue with that statement. I don't see how Dubuque is any less modern than anywhere else. We're not living in the stone age up here! Given, the oldest areas are older than other Iowa cities, but that only makes up a small portion of the community. Keep in mind that the city didn't really begin to expand in ernest until the 1900s, although there was a settlement existant since the 1700s. I'd guess that half of Dubuque is pre-WWII, and half as post-WWII. There's more to the city than the old houses and buildings that the tourists see.

Originally Posted by metroplex2003

Cities the size of Dubuque and Sioux City are doing a great job with their main street developments. I would like to see that happen more with the Iowa cities.

Not sure what Sioux City is up to, but I can say that we have invested mega bucks into the downtown area. The America's River Campus in the Port of Dubuque was completed in 2003, and has $188 million worth of attractions. Now, Phase II is underway, with well over $200 million in new construction beginning. That doesn't include other projects underway downtown. Its incredible. Even cities the size of Cedar Rapids and Davenport cannot match the capital investment that was/is being done in Downtown Dubuque.

As far as Sioux Falls/Omaha stealing Sioux City's thunder, I don't feel sorry one bit. There's competition everywhere, and its very stiff here. We are 65 miles from Davenport, 75 from Cedar Rapids, 90 from Iowa City, 90 from Waterloo, 90 from Madison, Wisconsin, 90 from Rockford, Illinois, and 175 from Chicago (closer to us than Des Moines is). Compared to us, Sioux City has it made!!

[metroplex2003]

Originally Posted by DBQer

I have to take issue with that statement. I don't see how Dubuque is any less modern than anywhere else. We're not living in the stone age up here! Given, the oldest areas are older than other Iowa cities, but that only makes up a small portion of the community. Keep in mind that the city didn't really begin to expand in ernest until the 1900s, although there was a settlement existant since the 1700s. I'd guess that half of Dubuque is pre-WWII, and half as post-WWII. There's more to the city than the old houses and buildings that the tourists see.


Not sure what Sioux City is up to, but I can say that we have invested mega bucks into the downtown area. The America's River Campus in the Port of Dubuque was completed in 2003, and has $188 million worth of attractions. Now, Phase II is underway, with well over $200 million in new construction beginning. That doesn't include other projects underway downtown. Its incredible. Even cities the size of Cedar Rapids and Davenport cannot match the capital investment that was/is being done in Downtown Dubuque.

As far as Sioux Falls/Omaha stealing Sioux City's thunder, I don't feel sorry one bit. There's competition everywhere, and its very stiff here. We are 65 miles from Davenport, 75 from Cedar Rapids, 90 from Iowa City, 90 from Waterloo, 90 from Madison, Wisconsin, 90 from Rockford, Illinois, and 175 from Chicago (closer to us than Des Moines is). Compared to us, Sioux City has it made!!

IT's a combo of things...but Dubuque hasnt really gained much population either. The whole entire state of Iowa has been quite stagnant b/c of its policies. The only bright spot really has been the Des Moines area, particularly the West Des Moines area. And also Iowa City's Coralville suburb.

Now as for Dubuque...I guess old is relative...to me almost everything in Iowa seems relatively old, when compared to here...and I spent most of my life in Iowa. But as far as modern...it was more of a relative comparison...

I think Dubuque of all the Iowa Cities is relatively nice. Waterloo and Davenport in my opinion are not well kept. But Dubuque is despite it being the first city in Iowa...it was meant as a compliment...
As for Dubuque's competition, if you think a/b it, Cedar Rapids MSA has grown faster than Dubuque. Davenport is roughly stagnant, the city proper has lost, but the overall MSA may have posted slight growth...Waterloo is stagnant also.

And Sioux City's problem was a lack of vision in the 80's that's being made up for now.

Omaha has done a great job. Sioux Falls had the benefit of the state pouring in all its resources into the city...there was for the longest time a disproportionate amt. of funds being allocated to Western Iowa, which is now being corrected...b/c Iowa realized it was losing out to South Dakota and Nebraska.

[Skylar25]

I've been out of this loop for a while....but I would like to 'butt' back in with a question about Poweshiek county. In researching that area I saw that there has been some conflict going on between various activist groups and the farmers (especially those breeding animals)....since the subject of "unpleasant smells" came up a few messages back, I'll just ask...does anyone know if Malcom, Iowa has that problem?

Thanks a bunch.

[TweetieMarie]

I agree with you Metro about dividing the Eastern and Western sides of Iowa in the vote. I believe that's because the the opposite sides of Iowa are so different!

I do have a question for you: Since WHEN is Council Bluffs OFFICIALLY part of the Omaha Metro Area????? UNOFFICIALLY, yes, the Missouri River is what separates us, however the difference in the people is profound!

[DSMGuy]

Go to the US Census website (sorry, don't know the URL, just Google it). CB has been part of the Omaha Metro for many years.

[metroplex2003]

Originally Posted by TweetieMarie

I agree with you Metro about dividing the Eastern and Western sides of Iowa in the vote. I believe that's because the the opposite sides of Iowa are so different!

I do have a question for you: Since WHEN is Council Bluffs OFFICIALLY part of the Omaha Metro Area????? UNOFFICIALLY, yes, the Missouri River is what separates us, however the difference in the people is profound!

It has been for quite sometime. State boundaries do not prohibit cities from being part of a metropolitan statistical area.

Examples: Cincinatti/Covington.
Kansas city, MO/Kansas City, KS.

The govt. uses these MSA statistics to give an overall reflection of the area.

Many people in Council Bluffs commute to OMaha for work...the commuting patterns to the principle city is what goes into it.

Thus, North Sioux City, SD, and South Sioux City, NE are all included in the Sioux City MSA. MSA's go by counties also FYI.