How Do You Like Living In Iowa? (Fairfield, Oelwein: fit in, job market)

[Carol Bee]

We moved to Iowa about a year ago. I have some concerns about "being accepted" as an outsider. When we moved here my brother was a "big man on campus" at the University and we hoped to get plugged in partly through that connection. But sadly he died suddenly just a couple of months after we came and we've now changed our personal timetable for "acceptance" to 5 years ... and don't really know if it will work. I can tell you have to work at it, though ... join groups, etc. ... a church (if you can) will probably make a big difference, or else having kids in school. Anyway, that is probably a valid concern. People are friendly, but cliquish.

On the plus side, the weather is definitely not as cold as Minnesota, nor are the mosquitos as bad as Minnesota. That's not to say both aren't an issue at their specific times of year. We came from California and I'm enjoying the experience of changing seasons so weather is fine as far as I'm concerned.

On the BIG PLUS side, people here are really nice to old people. My mother is in her 80s and getting more and more frail. I take her around alot and am amazed at the solicitude and patience people everywhere have dealing with her. It doesn't matter if it's the grocery store, the movie theatre, the park, or the sidewalk ... everybody treats seniors very, very well. Lots of senior activities and services as well. Great health care. I think it would be a great place to retire if you can stand the winters. (Our first winter was mild, everybody says, so maybe we don't know yet what it really entails.)

I have nothing but excellent things to say about IOWA CITY. There's plenty to do, really. Hanscher Auditorium has a good arts schedule, there are several theatres, free concerts in the park during the summer, a great pool, lots of adult sports opportunities, live music, a new classy casino in nearby Riverside, rapidly growing nearby towns of Coralville and North Liberty, with a very nice shopping mall in Coralville. The PEOPLE in Iowa City are very liberal and open. You won't at all feel like you're somewhere provincial. I don't know if you can say the same thing about other locales in the State.

It's pretty and there's NO TRAFFIC problems to speak of (oh, at 5pm you might have a teeny-tiny problem in a couple of spots in town, but if you're from any major city you will LAUGH at the notion of IA traffic problems). Perhaps the bigger cities of Des Moines and Davenport might have a problem.

I also thing the government handles things pretty well here. Roads, parks, rivers, and lakes are clean and well-tended. People tend to take good care of their property as well. Hard working, resilient people here in Iowa.

MUCH CHEAPER to live here than in California. That can be a big plus. I had my tire patched for $8 in Kalona, and my piano tuned for $50. In California those things would cost $25 and $125 respectively.

Good luck.

[Tek_Freek]

Yeah, if last winter was your first you could be in for a rough year, depending. A few years ago we had at least 1 inch of snow on the ground for 90+ days. Set a record. Some winters you don't go outside unless you have no choice. Haven't had one of those for around 20 years, thank God.

But then there's Spring. And the Promise. Of Summer....

[TommyG]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

A few years ago we had at least 1 inch of snow on the ground for 90+ days. Set a record. Some winters you don't go outside unless you have no choice.

In the 11 years I've been here, the winter of 2000/2001 was the worst. Our first snow fell in early November, and we couldn't see our front lawn again until mid-April. There were many nights of -20 below zero weather thrown in for good measure. No fun.

But Spring in Iowa is pretty nice. It doesn't last for long, because the summer heat sneaks up on you pretty fast, but it's nice while it's there.

[lb86]

Hi Sam:
I was wondering if you could tell me what area in the desert you moved to? I need to relocate with my family shortly because of the area im in (long beach) is WAY overpriced, and NOT family friendly. The schools are getting worse and i'd like to leave before my daughter enters high school. I'm looking for a place where you actually know your neighbors and lots of friendly (law-abiding) families live. Thanks! Have a great weekend.

[Southside Shrek]

Originally Posted by Carol Bee

We moved to Iowa about a year ago. I have some concerns about "being accepted" as an outsider. When we moved here my brother was a "big man on campus" at the University and we hoped to get plugged in partly through that connection. But sadly he died suddenly just a couple of months after we came and we've now changed our personal timetable for "acceptance" to 5 years ... and don't really know if it will work. I can tell you have to work at it, though ... join groups, etc. ... a church (if you can) will probably make a big difference, or else having kids in school. Anyway, that is probably a valid concern. People are friendly, but cliquish.

.

Carol Bee
Very sorry to hear about your brother's sudden passing.

[Justaguy]

I was born in Iowa. I have lived in Iowa for the past forty sum years. It is HOT and HUMID in the summer. It is not uncommon to be soaking wet with sweat when you are working. The winter of 2000 was a cold snowy one, we had several blizzards that year. We had a 3' deep snow drift accross the yard from Novermber to March. It does get below zero here, somtimes -10 -15 F.
There are alot of crops here and with crops comes crop spray, somtimes from a tractor/sprayer sometimes from a plane. There is some good hunting and fishing here, but it seems like a lot of the land is private rented now a days but there is some public hunting too. We are trying to move out of state within the next year, but as for now I can't compare Iowa to living anywhere else because I haven't lived anywhere else...yet. As for the friendly/unfriendly people, I think you probably find that everywhere. As for things to do here, well one thing to do is grow a garden if you like gardening. We have a pretty good growing season here. I live in the country so the crop spray usually kills mine, but I see some nice ones in the small towns.

[Southside Shrek]

Originally Posted by Justaguy

I was born in Iowa. I have lived in Iowa for the past forty sum years. It is HOT and HUMID in the summer. It is not uncommon to be soaking wet with sweat when you are working. The winter of 2000 was a cold snowy one, we had several blizzards that year. We had a 3' deep snow drift accross the yard from Novermber to March. It does get below zero here, somtimes -10 -15 F.
There are alot of crops here and with crops comes crop spray, somtimes from a tractor/sprayer sometimes from a plane. There is some good hunting and fishing here, but it seems like a lot of the land is private rented now a days but there is some public hunting too. We are trying to move out of state within the next year, but as for now I can't compare Iowa to living anywhere else because I haven't lived anywhere else...yet. As for the friendly/unfriendly people, I think you probably find that everywhere. As for things to do here, well one thing to do is grow a garden if you like gardening. We have a pretty good growing season here. I live in the country so the crop spray usually kills mine, but I see some nice ones in the small towns.

Justaguy
yep, that sounds like the Iowa I once knew except farmers back then were usually permissive for hunters to come onto their farms to hunt for pheasants. Of course, there were more pheasants to hunt back then. I understand they are pretty scarce today.

[elfyum]

Oh my! You mean if you own your own acreage & tend your own garden you will somehow be "infected" by the spray they use on big farms???!!! That's AWFUL!!!!!!!!! I thought Vedic City would be more like the norm! (They are all organic - anyone been there?)
I really wish everything was organic! I know the whole story, but it really needs to change! I mean, you Iowans aree breathing that stuff & it must be in your water supply... And when there's no organic available, we're all EATING that poison!!!!!!! Please tell me you can have your own acreage away from it all & not be sprayed! (Well, don't tell me that if it's not true! )

[Justaguy]

There are probably places in Iowa to have an acreage with a garden away from the crops, just not where I live. From my experience the people spraying could care less about you or your garden. The water, well that's another story, I just know I don't see private wells around here any more. Like I said, I can't really compare Iowa to living anywhere else because I have always lived here. There are a lot of cattle feed lots and hog confinements that do smell pretty bad if you are very close to them, as for what they put in the enviroment, I wouldn't even wanna guess. It's the crop spray that I really don't like.
There are still a lot of pheasants here. Wild turkeys everywhere. The deer are thick as ever. The hunting is great if you have a place to hunt.
I like the morel mushrooms that come in the spring.
There are probably a lot of good things about Iowa, I think I have just been here too long.

[KT70]

I was told that "Iowa" was an acronym for Idiots Outside Walking Around. I still considered moving there some day, but not after reading the posts here.