How Do You Like Living In Iowa?

[Daniel01]

Originally Posted by largecar_1

liberals? Really like the ones in ca? poor schools? iowa state and university of Iowa both ranked in the top 100 schools in the us. Iowa state 88 university of Iowa 71. Thats not bad considering all the lib schools like harvard and yale johns hopkins and so on are ranked above. I would say A person could get an excellent education in iowa. for a fraction of the cost of say yale. p.s. I didn't attend either.

Actually, the latest study of the top 2000 universities in the world came out and Iowa State was listed around #53 in the sciences. Not too shabby!

[FromEverywhereGirl]

I am looking to move to Iowa eventually so my boy can wrestle.My dad was second in state twice and Wrestled at Iowa for two years. (pre-Gable)I have long family roots throughout the state - but have had very little contact with these shirt tale relatives since my youth long ago.Let me be clear this is about the wrestling, period - I am overlooking my desire to live in a warm climate to go back to the basics of simpler life. I know the schools in Iowa are excellent and I used to believe the people were friendly there and that it was safe (until reading this post) - I did live in Minnesota for several years and never did come to like the people there. I always thought people in Iowa seemed friendlier - but I was being shown around by old relatives, who are now deceased - and I was a kid - who had a daddy with a big reputation around Waverly, as an Eagle scout, great football player, and of course wrestler. (dad is now deceased too) He left and never looked back, and I never understood why. I always thought it seemed nice when we would go back, though it was brief.I am a disabled Veteran so a job is not an issue. What will be is pesticides, meth labs, and extreme back water towns where my boy will not receive the message of a work ethic and where he might be put down or bullied because he is an "outsider". I don't want to move my kid to a place I think would be nice - only to have bored, drunken teenage years, and I will move again in a heart beat if a problem develops - but I'd like to find a place I can stay for a while. I don't understand all the ignorance complaints people are posting about people in the state - with the reputation for such great schools in Iowa.I just want my kid to be able to go to good schools, and to learn the value of hard work and possibly desire higher education.SO - I am looking for work ethic, safety, good schools, acceptance for my son, and a fantastic wrestling program. I am in that niche - wrestling - is it enough to fit in????

[TheCaliforniaBear]

Originally Posted by Cactus Sam

We moved to Iowa in the late 1990's, after carefully researching as much as we could. (Much like you are doing right now.)

At first we liked the quaintness. It was like going back in time at least 40 years. But, after awhile we grew to despise the place.

Our family's experience with Iowa (along with several other people we met from out of state that moved there and left, also) is:

It is backwards, dirty, moldy and decrepit. The people HATE outsiders and if you do not have any "ties" with relatives in the state, or if you were not born in Iowa - you will never be accepted. Never.

Don't worry about the mosquitos - worry about the stink of hog lots and ethanol plants, the lack of laws, the ignorance and inbreeding of the people.
The rudeness, the moldy restaurants, the dirty stores. Oh, and did I say ignorance? Oh, and how about the run down houses in the dead and dying small towns? Oh, and the meth labs everywhere....everywhere...

We have NOTHING good to say about Iowa except that we sold our house - at a loss, of course. And got the heck out of there. We would have walked away if it hadn't sold, but fortunately it did.

We moved to the desert in California, and are dumbfounded at the nice, friendly people. We hadn't been around friendly people in years. Iowans are not nice people at all. No, not at all - not to outsiders.

I hope my post helps you because I wish people had told us when we were researching Iowa about how backwards it is there. They kept talking about the weather. The weather is nothing. It's being around the people there that is so horrific.

We wasted several years in Iowa. I wouldn't wish that place on my worst enemy. Go West - you will never regret it.

Remember, the people are a big part of where you move - and Iowa is most definitely not a friendly state. It was a nightmare that is over!!

Think about California, Arizona, etc. People are nice there.

Oh - LOL - just watch the "non-judgemental Christian" Iowans rally up and attack this post! You will laugh. They cannot take any criticism, because they know it is true.

Adios, Iowa - we couldn't move far enough away from you.

We now live in a house in an area with nice people, our house is increasing in value daily, there are many things to do, and the people are NICE again.

This is the truth. I found the people of Iowa to be about as warm as a dead fish.

[Dport7674]

Originally Posted by TheCaliforniaBear

This is the truth. I found the people of Iowa to be about as warm as a dead fish.

If you read some of Cactus Sams other posts, he moved to some small lil hick town out in the boonies where he "had to make a lengthy drive of up 80 to 150 miles or so round trip to go to a nice mall, or eat at a nice restaurant" Then complains about how boring Iowa is and how people treat you like outsiders. . Look at where he decided to live.

What a joke. It'd be like moving to Bakersfield,Ca and then saying Cali is boring and full of tweekers who treat you like outsiders.

He tells people to think about Arizona. I loved it out there,but have you been to some of the small hick towns in the middle of Arizona? You couldn't pay me to live in most of those towns. But it doesn't mean Arizona is a horrible state full of boring people.

[ShabbyChick]

Looking for info on Centerville area, specifically Seymour, poss. relocation Anything you can tell me would be a help!

[TheCaliforniaBear]

Originally Posted by Dport7674

If you read some of Cactus Sams other posts, he moved to some small lil hick town out in the boonies where he "had to make a lengthy drive of up 80 to 150 miles or so round trip to go to a nice mall, or eat at a nice restaurant" Then complains about how boring Iowa is and how people treat you like outsiders. Well no shiit. Look at where he decided to live.

What a joke. It'd be like moving to Bakersfield,Ca and then saying Cali is boring and full of tweekers who treat you like outsiders.

He tells people to think about Arizona. I loved it out there,but have you been to some of the small hick towns in the middle of Arizona? You couldn't pay me to live in most of those towns. But it doesn't mean Arizona is a horrible state full of boring people.

I visited Des Moines Iowa and I found the people to be incredibly salty, unsmiling, and sour.

Some people say "Oh that's just upper midwest culture." Well, whatever it is, it's not good.

[MitchMZ]

Wow. I've been just about everywhere East and West of Des Moines and I haven't found many (if any) cities as friendly or clean. Some parts of rural Iowa can be quite unwelcoming (as is true anywhere). And, no, I'm not an Iowa native. Nor is my wife, who is from Thailand... she feels more at home here in Iowa now than she does in Bangkok. If you don't surf, ski, snowboard, or whitewater raft, Des Moines is a great place to be!

The only other town or city that even came close to Des Moines in terms of friendly people was Steamboat Springs, CO. The South has some very friendly people too... although I find it to be more formal than Midwestern hospitality (can seem insincere).

The West coast is the worst. When I was driving through the Mojave some joker was gawking at my Iowa plates like I had the plague. It was quite comical. I've also had a really terrible experience in Des Moines with someone from California. I did have good experiences in San Francisco and ironically enough the nicest people I ran across in LA were from the Midwest. Oh, and don't get me started on Las Vegas!

PS: We were wondering why people would ever live in a hell hole like Barstow, CA instead of Des Moines. It's a shanty town in the desert! But that is SoCal for ya! Not even comparable to NorCal!

[Marion_resident]

I moved from Seattle 3 years ago to eastern Iowa - Cedar Rapids/Marion. I absolutley love it. I have family and farm property here. So I was very happy to leave the rain and concrete jungle with its miserable traffic behind. It is interesting that people actually look at you and say hello when you pass them here in Iowa. People wave as I drive by. I never had that happen in the big city. I love the wide open spaces and traffic free roads here. I like extreme weather, so I don't mind the hot humid summers and the frigid winters. I am just fine with Iowa being my well kept secret.