Iowa City 2008 crime, 2009 (Mason City, Coralville: renting, schools, university)

[jmgg]

Originally Posted by traveler92

I just visited Iowa City in November. I walked all around the downtown and the campus area and it definitely did not come across a high crime place. I never felt unsafe at anytime.

Go southeast of downtown across the highway and try taking a stroll at night. You'll change your opinion. The downtown area is clean and quite safe as well as the campus.

[Dport7674]

Originally Posted by jmgg

Go southeast of downtown across the highway and try taking a stroll at night. You'll change your opinion.

Yeah, you're car stereo might get stolen.




Some people are going to make it sound like a Detroit skid row. Others, like me, will take a stroll in any Iowa City neighborhood at any time of night and live to tell about it. Then again, some people are born to be timid victims.

[kimberlywinchell]

I grew up in Newton, IA, a small community about an hour and a half from Iowa City, and always enjoyed my visits there. During a visit twenty years ago, my ex-husband and I were in a nightclub and was approached by a college-aged young man who asked if we wanted to buy some Grey Poupon. We gave him blank stare. Only later did it dawn on us that he was selling weed and we laughed, mystery solved. As an adult, when I lived in Des Moines, Iowa's capital, for almost 20 years I found parts of it much scarier than Iowa City ever was. There was also a lot more street activity in dealing drugs and crime.

[iowegian]

Originally Posted by reckless99

Crime is relative. I imagine that you'll find a lot of meth-heads and ICE ICE babys there. Be forewarned.

Err. Not really.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by jmgg

Go southeast of downtown across the highway and try taking a stroll at night. You'll change your opinion. The downtown area is clean and quite safe as well as the campus.

My friend lives right in that area. While it has issues and is the worst in Iowa city, I would and have walked that area at night and felt perfectly fine. They need to figure that place out before it gets worse, but it's nowhere near some south side ghetto or no mans land. It's bad for Iowa city.

[deckdoc]

If you feel you are unsafe in Iowa City because of liberalism let me swap the crime in unincorperated Mericopa county.Az for yours!

After all, we supposedly have the services of the guy who claims to be the toughest sheriff in the US ~ please take his lawsuits too!

[traveler92]

Go southeast of downtown across the highway and try taking a stroll at night. You'll change your opinion. The downtown area is clean and quite safe as well as the campus.

How far is that area from the university? (I am out of state and have only been there 2x so don't know the area that well yet). I will be a student there this coming fall and I don't plan on just wandering around all of Iowa City. I'm just going to stay in the college/downtown area.

[thtapler]

Originally Posted by traveler92

How far is that area from the university? (I am out of state and have only been there 2x so don't know the area that well yet). I will be a student there this coming fall and I don't plan on just wandering around all of Iowa City. I'm just going to stay in the college/downtown area.

On foot that is pretty far and out of the way. It would be a different story if you and a bunch of friends piled in a car and drove down there to catch a movie or go to some stores, I don't see anything wrong with that.


On this map:
-inside the green area is where, as a student, you'll most likely spend your days
-if you are staying in the dorms, I marked them with red. the one to the far north has busses running to it (as do all the rest)
-the yellow area and around there is pretty much where all the bars are that students go to, but is also a very active area with many little stores and theres also a small mall directly to the left of the yellow. Basically you never really need to venture beyond there unless you really want to
-I believe the highway to the southeast that they were referring to is highway 6 to the south, pretty much out of your way as a student, but there are stores down there and a movie theater
-the blue blob to the southwest is a wal-mart in case you don't like the convenience prices at the CVS in the mall or at the stores in the yellow circle. I've walked it several times, from within the green area, and never felt in danger but rather wished I drove because it's cold out in the winter.

the yellow area is really cool, it's riddled with stores and restaurants and has a really relaxed atmosphere, it's loaded with people and theres live music. the only danger there comes from drunks but it's not bad at all

[Chicago60614]

^ the area that's becoming an issue in Iowa City - and I need to stress again that its an issue because it's new to the city, not because it's some war zone - is almost off this map. It's the area south of Highway 6 on the south end of town (the yellow road) right near where it's falling off the map. I have no idea why a student would be in that area anyway - there's no reason to be, and I still wouldn't fear for my life by any means. The mall/stores/movie theatre down there are on the north side of the highway, and are perfectly fine. I was there last month at a sushi restaurant for a birthday, and the last thing that ever crossed my mind was feeling unsafe for any reason.

Honestly, I went to the University of Iowa for 4 years, and I would say roughly 85% of the students in the city probably have no idea that area of the city even exists around Hollywood/Broadway south of the highway.

You're going to be spending 90%+ of your time in Iowa City either downtown, across the river on campus and in the sports area, or if you're shopping the main mall/Wal-Mart commercial area is in Coralville off to the Northwest of this map.

Being really worried about the southeast side of Iowa City as an undergrad at the University of Iowa is kinda like worrying about going to Great America in the northern Chicago suburbs because of crime on the West Side of Chicago.

I know it's closer in Iowa City, and things happen, but there's 30,000 students at the University, and they really have nothing to do with anyone on the southeast side, and no one down there wants anything to do with the students.

Is there a chance you could be mugged in Iowa City? Yes. How likely is it? Extremely unlikely compared to most other cities in the country.

Be aware of your surroundings and use your brain (as in general in life - don't walk in front of cars), but don't be in FEAR about walking around in Iowa like it's the Bronx or South Philly.

[timeofseasons]

Thanks for the replies

I do think, however, that the area below highway 6 is very close. For me, thats like walking to my high school.

I was reading this article:Iowa City-to-Chicago passenger rail request awaits Obama announcement « Des Moines Register Staff Blogs | The Des Moines Register
In the article so far from the comments I've read there was one poster expressing the same concerns I've read here that "Chicago thugs" coming to Iowa City is because of the cities Section 8 which has only done it more harm. I'm sure the city has express these concerns to Section 8, anyone know their responses?