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01-12-2008, 04:42 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jan 2008
293 posts, read 253,292 times
Reputation: 81
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bosoxfan
i moved to dubuque from nj last year--- the people seem more caring here-- the pace is slower but there are theaters, movies, malls, jobs aren't easy to come by- but i guess thats true anywhere
car insurance is incredibally cheaper and apts. are too
i really like it here much more than nj
if i had unlimited money- i would def. live in new england
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Well put, that is an accurate description of Iowa. Dubuque is nice and so is Des Moines in that sense. What is nice about Dubuque is that you are not far from Chicago, should you want to go out and have some big city fun.
As far as the jobs comment, you are right, which is why I would recommend Des Moines. With Des Moines you would be a few hours from Omaha, NE and Kansas City, MO which are nice cities to have fun in as well. Chicago would be about 4.5 hours to get to. But at least you would have security of tons of jobs that you would find in Des Moines - especially in Insurance, Accounting and IT.
I totally agree with the New England comment, nothing beats the New England foliage in the Fall and the tons of Italian & Irish places to eat - like in Boston.
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01-12-2008, 08:57 PM
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Trollenjaeger
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Des Moines, IA
1,508 posts, read 1,432,043 times
Reputation: 750
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Negotiator75
As far as the jobs comment, you are right, which is why I would recommend Des Moines. With Des Moines you would be a few hours from Omaha, NE and Kansas City, MO which are nice cities to have fun in as well. Chicago would be about 4.5 hours to get to. But at least you would have security of tons of jobs that you would find in Des Moines - especially in Insurance, Accounting and IT.
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Chicago is more like 6, 5 at best. Minneapolis/St. Paul is about 3 1/2 - 4 hours though.
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01-15-2008, 02:10 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: California
155 posts, read 183,412 times
Reputation: 99
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The people in Iowa do not easily accept outsiders, especially from California! My husband is from Iowa and knows everyone in his home town and that still didn't help. Iowa City was no different. But that's probably because all his friends and family are native Iowans. I'm sure there are college students there who are "outsiders" that would have been much nicer to me. I felt like I was bending over backwards to start conversations or to be included. The other girls pretty much huddled together and ignored me. And I'm not talking about one occasion, I'm talking about for a whole year while living there. And it's not me either, I have plenty of friends in other states and in my home town in California. Everyone seems to like me except for my husbands family and friends in Iowa! What's the deal? I'm a good person, and fun, but no one there ever wanted to get to know me. I guess they would rather stare at me from across the room and whisper to their friends instead. And I'm talking about people in their 30's! Not teenagers! It's ridiculous. And we go back to visit every year, and it's always the same. Why do they make me feel like such a black sheep? I now think back on the first time I met all of them years ago...I should have lied and told them I was from Northern Iowa. It would have made my married life a hell of a lot easier. I'll tell you that much!
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01-16-2008, 08:10 AM
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Junior Member
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Join Date: Dec 2007
5 posts, read 8,357 times
Reputation: 10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gypsy77
The people in Iowa do not easily accept outsiders, especially from California! My husband is from Iowa and knows everyone in his home town and that still didn't help. Iowa City was no different. But that's probably because all his friends and family are native Iowans. I'm sure there are college students there who are "outsiders" that would have been much nicer to me. I felt like I was bending over backwards to start conversations or to be included. The other girls pretty much huddled together and ignored me. And I'm not talking about one occasion, I'm talking about for a whole year while living there. And it's not me either, I have plenty of friends in other states and in my home town in California. Everyone seems to like me except for my husbands family and friends in Iowa! What's the deal? I'm a good person, and fun, but no one there ever wanted to get to know me. I guess they would rather stare at me from across the room and whisper to their friends instead. And I'm talking about people in their 30's! Not teenagers! It's ridiculous. And we go back to visit every year, and it's always the same. Why do they make me feel like such a black sheep? I now think back on the first time I met all of them years ago...I should have lied and told them I was from Northern Iowa. It would have made my married life a hell of a lot easier. I'll tell you that much!
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You poor thing. As a native Californian who moved here, it does take a lot of effort to get to know people in Iowa. I don't know what it is. I think because communities are smallish, the rumor mill tends to run wild at times. Some people never learned how to deal with strangers, either. Some people are cliquish, just like anywhere else. I met some people by going to school and joining the YWCA and finding a community group, which I'd recommend to anyone moving to a new area.
My sister decided to do just what you said, and never told anybody where she was from except that she lived in Waterloo. She now happily lives and works in South Carolina, lucky girl.
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01-21-2008, 10:12 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: California
155 posts, read 183,412 times
Reputation: 99
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Yeah, my sister lives in the South now too, and she LOVES it there.
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01-23-2008, 10:35 PM
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Member
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Join Date: Jan 2008
21 posts, read 22,835 times
Reputation: 11
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I agree with Cactus Sam and REZ. Stay out of here if you can. The only people who seem to like Iowa are those who have never been anywhere else and don't have a clear picture of what life is like in the real world. I'm sure there are some wonderful towns in Iowa, but it's not worth taking a chance on hitting the wrong one. Seek out Indiana or Tennessee. Much brighter - happier people.
Last edited by katychicago; 01-23-2008 at 10:35 PM..
Reason: add a name
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01-24-2008, 07:30 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Feb 2007
473 posts, read 454,061 times
Reputation: 140
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Quote:
Originally Posted by katychicago
I agree with Cactus Sam and REZ. Stay out of here if you can. The only people who seem to like Iowa are those who have never been anywhere else and don't have a clear picture of what life is like in the real world. I'm sure there are some wonderful towns in Iowa, but it's not worth taking a chance on hitting the wrong one. Seek out Indiana or Tennessee. Much brighter - happier people.
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i'm actually thinking about moving to iowa, so could you tell me which towns to avoid?
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01-24-2008, 07:41 AM
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How big is a cubit, anyway?
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: in the general vicinity of Cedar Rapids, Iowa
296 posts, read 345,857 times
Reputation: 163
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pinetar10
i'm actually thinking about moving to iowa, so could you tell me which towns to avoid?
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I'd find out where this katychicago chick lives and stay away from there -- she sounds really toxic!
Otherwise, I don't think there's anyplace to stay away from. I'd vote more for finding places to concentrate on based on the size of population you find desirable, your hobbies, and, of course, where you think there'll be the best chance of finding work. Have you ever been to Iowa? Where do you live now? What do you do for a living? What do you like to do in your free time?
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01-24-2008, 07:45 AM
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Trollenjaeger
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Des Moines, IA
1,508 posts, read 1,432,043 times
Reputation: 750
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01-24-2008, 09:55 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: California
155 posts, read 183,412 times
Reputation: 99
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To Katychicago, I know everyone is bashing you here, saying you're negative and know nothing about Iowa, bla bla bla. But it actually sounds like DO know a little something about Iowa. And isn't it typical of all the locals to get overly offended and start bashing you for having an opinion? I don't "hate" Iowa at all. But I'm tired of people saying to me, "Well, obviously there's something wrong with YOU if people weren't friendly to you in Iowa." That's always their comeback. Yeah, I guess there WAS something wrong with me when I lived there, I wasn't FROM Iowa. LOL. The minute people heard I was born and raised in another state, they started treating me differently. But I'm sure it must have been all in my imagination. The only places in Iowa that might accept new people are the college towns. Only because at least you have other "outsiders" there that might want to be your friend. Stay away from the smaller towns unless you were born and raised there.
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