Seriously thinking about relocating from to Iowa (Iowa City, Muscatine: for sale, apartments)

[niki721]

Hello, hope all is well with you


I'm a newly divorced mother with two daughters looking for a change. I recently visited Coralville/Iowa City/North Liberty and fell in love with those three areas. I know Iowa City is a college town but I was wondering if I could get some good feedback on apartments, schools, recreational activities, shopping, restaurants, safety and crime. I am looking for a 2 bedroom apartment in a quiet, clean and safe area, very good high school (my youngest daughter is an honor roll student and attends one of Chicago's top selective enrollment high schools), my oldest daughter is a college student and will likely take public transportation from time to time. We like to visit the malls, dine out from time to time, participate in outdoor activities, ride our bikes, visit museums and attractions, attend the movie theater and concerts.


Crime in Chicago is ridiculous and I'm looking for area much like the one I currently reside (no drive by shootings, no gang activities, no hoodlums on the street corner, no home invasions or burglaries, no robbery or breaking into/stealing cars, or drug dealing). I'm so tired of turning on the television and watching another innocent child/person gunned down or someone robbed of a cell phone or jacket or beaten unconscious for stepping on someone else's new gym shoes. With this being said, I'm definitely looking for a very nice area with low crime.


I'm looking to move over the summer so that my daughter can be in school by next school year and would like to know which of the three would be a good fit for us.


Thank you in advance for all your input and comments.

[wingit]

Just a suggestion, but you might try posting this in the general Iowa section. Seems to be more traffic in there, and I know there are posters in there from that area.

[Dewey59]

North Coralville may be a nice fit for you... lots of shopping, entertainment, and restaurants. It's also far enough away from the U of I campus that you wouldn't have too many partying neighbors. Most of the schools in the IC area are good, so that probably would not be a concern. North Liberty may be too far out for commuting. A 20 block radius of downtown IC is not good from a crime perspective. Of course, this is all subject to your budget. Will you be working? If so, that can also factor in as you may want to be close to work. Good luck!

[chgome]

What would $130 - 140K get me in Iowa City or Coralville ? I would just want a small house , basement , yard, safe. What area should I avoid in Iowa City ? Thank you

[rerod]

Originally Posted by chgome

What would $130 - 140K get me in Iowa City or Coralville ? I would just want a small house , basement , yard, safe. What area should I avoid in Iowa City ? Thank you

$140k? Not much. zillow it
Personally, I will not live south of Hwy 6. But that's just me.
I want out of Iowa City after being raised here. It's a circus! My property taxes have risen over 6% per year to almost $5K . It feels like the city is trying to evict all the working class and CR is no better. Im looking for a place south of town now. It is a nice clean town, but expensive.

[jmgg]

Originally Posted by chgome

What would $130 - 140K get me in Iowa City or Coralville ? I would just want a small house , basement , yard, safe. What area should I avoid in Iowa City ? Thank you

My daughter lived in North Coralville (behind the mall) for 6 years and loved it. Good bus connections and easy access to downtown, the interstate system, and the University.


She owned a zero lot side by side condo and sold it less than 3 years ago for under $ 150,000. It was a 3 bedroom, 2 bath layout with a single garage that would work for your family. I would seriously check into one of those for your family as they're affordable with minimum upkeep. There were quite a few of these in that area. I'm unsure what the market is for these today, but they are more affordable to purchase.


As mentioned, avoid anything south of Hwy. 6. The Iowa City powers that be are in the process of turning that into a ghetto. Even if it looks decent now, it's going to encroach into your area soon enough. Last time I was there, there was for sale signs all over the place with "price reduced" on them.

[Lo-Fi]

Originally Posted by chgome

What would $130 - 140K get me in Iowa City or Coralville ? I would just want a small house , basement , yard, safe. What area should I avoid in Iowa City ? Thank you

I did notice recently over on realtor that the market seems to have settled a bit on smaller places outside the downtown core. There were a number of options in the neighborhoods off Muscatine in the 100-150 range with small yards. That's not exactly a sought-after area, but it's safe and clean enough, if a bit gritty and blue collar.