Please tell me this isnt true about iowa!! (Des Moines, Sioux City: section 8, crime rate)

[Tek_Freek]

Originally Posted by ruman82

My main concern was the fact that we will always be looked at as outsiders. I don't want to go to a job where people don't like me because I'm not a native.

I am a Des Moines native.

My neighborhood. I am one of two. Des Moines natives, that is.

Some are from small town Iowa.
Houston
Kenya
Wisconsin (for a while every house around me was populated by Wiconsians - it was weird, but the beer brats were the best!!
Illinois - Chicago mostly (Mrs. Tek is from South Chicago)

Etc.

Simply put Des Moines (and West Des Moines where I am) is populated by a lot of out of staters. Mostly because of the nature of the main business here: insurance.

I can guarantee you that you will experience bias. It is after all, everywhere. People will not like you because you talk differently, your skin is the wrong color, you weigh too much (or too little), you're gay, blah, blah, blah.

Bigots are a part of our society. We've got one on our street. When a black couple moved in she told me she didn't like it because they were bringing the house values down. What!? I told her I'd rather have blacks living next door than someone who thought like her.

You could've heard a pin drop.

She's never brought it up again.

Move to DSM, It's a great place to live, but you'll hate the weather about 8 or 9 months out of the year.

[GraniteStater]

You will like Des Moines or Iowa City just fine. Just avoid the smaller towns and rural areas that tend to be extremely insular where many people are related.

[Chicago60614]

Iowa City area:

1990: 96,119
2010: 130,882
+34,763
+36%

Des Moines area:
1990: 405,411
2010: 558,679
+153,268
+38%

Des Moines and Iowa are growing very quickly, and a majority of that growth is from people who aren't from the area, many are from out of state. The fact you're trying to get a job and not from the area really won't matter at al in those larger cities. That would more be an issue if you're moving to some smaller town of 6,000 people that hasn't grown in 60 years.

Especially Iowa City, with a revolving student population of 30,000 that's always churning who's living in the community. People come and go for school, people come and go because the job situation is very nice in the city (and Des Moines).

Des Moines is a fairly decent sized area:

[Heckler]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

You will like Des Moines or Iowa City just fine. Just avoid the smaller towns and rural areas that tend to be extremely insular where many people are related.

And we don't like strangers horn'n in. Des Moines is a quagmire of genetic morons. Square pegs trying to adapt to a round hole.

[Stavemaster]

Originally Posted by ruman82

We are a married Lesbian couple, both 28, and black/Hispanic, considering a move to either Iowa City or Des Moines. We just want to live in a welcoming, affordable state where we can plant our roots. Currently residing in Philly, but I'm from NYC.

Did some research on Iowa, got so excited about the good things that I completely crossed off San Diego, CA as an option (mother in law lives there and wants us to move there). I literally checked out job info, schools (we both want to go back to school), apartments, and so much more. We were 100% sure that Iowa was a place for us. After all, we are laid back, stay to ourselves and just want to start a family. Not party animals in the least.

Then I read this:

Iowa Is a Godforsaken Waste Land - A Personal Story (Mobile Version)

After reading it I began googling bad things about Iowa and now I'm so defeated. I wanted Iowa to be our new HOME, a place where we could be ourselves.....but maybe its not huh?

Is Iowa City or Des Moines apart of said article? Or just smaller, more rural areas? I'm really upset.....

You'll do fine. You might get a few looks at first, especially outside of DM or IC, but a big part of that is novelty; lesbian couples of color still just aren't all that common in Iowa. But as long as you're nice and friendly and take the time to get to know people, the vast majority will return the favor.

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

Move to DSM, It's a great place to live, but you'll hate the weather about 8 or 9 months out of the year.

If she can handle Philly, she can probably handle Des Moines.
The summer is about the same (this past July wasn't typical, thank God), the winters are colder on average but not that much worse.

[Stavemaster]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

*don't spend time looking up reasons why people hate areas, spend your time researching what's there and what positive things are going on. You'll find disillusioned and angry people who just hate everything in all parts of the country. Your life is what you make of it, don't get too concerned about people who live to hate. I read people screaming rants about Chicago all day long. If you ate them up for truth you'd probably think this was a hell on earth. I couldn't possibly be any happier. I love my city, my friends and my job.

I can't rep you yet, but this was a great post. It's kind of like dating. If you go on a run of two or three bad dates, that can be chalked up to bad luck. But after, say, 20 or 30 bad dates, you need to start considering the possibility that the problem is you, not them.

Same with hating on a place. Everywhere has its jerks, but if you've been in Iowa (or California, or Texas, or France, or North Korea, or wherever) for years and still haven't met any decent people, it may be time to take a look in the mirror.

[swlmc2]

As others have mentioned, there are bigots everywhere, even in NY or CA. I am from NY and moved first to Iowa City to attend the University, and then to Des Moines where I have been for 4 years now. Iowa City is very much a small college town with most of the economy based around or related to the University or Uni Hospital system. I think you would fit right in there, no problem. Many people who live there now originally came to attend the Uni and then stayed because they liked the town so much. I moved for purely economic reasons in 2007 because I couldn't find work permanent work there at that time (lots of temp jobs available though).

Des Moines is a nice small city. From my experience, it may take you awhile to feel accepted in the DM area, but NOT because of sexual orientation or ethnicity, rather because even with people coming in from outside Iowa, it is still largely a city where natives know everyone through either familial or school ties, so it 'tends' to be a closed community. jmho, your mileage may vary. That doesn't mean that it isn't a great place to live, just that it may take time to make friends and feel part of a community. My suggestion would be to live in one of the areas such as East Village or Ingersoll areas where you will meet a younger "hipper" group of people.

Good luck, and as others have said, don't rule Iowa out yet!

[NDak15]

Iowa City and Des Moines would probably be your best bets. Most of my family is from Iowa and although I have not lived there in many years, I have always gotten the impression that while Iowans are friendly and down to earth, they seem insulated to me. There seems to be a belief among many that there is no other state besides Iowa.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by Heckler

And we don't like strangers horn'n in. Des Moines is a quagmire of genetic morons. Square pegs trying to adapt to a round hole.

huh??? haha

[steel03]

Originally Posted by WyoEagle

Iowa City and Des Moines would probably be your best bets. Most of my family is from Iowa and although I have not lived there in many years, I have always gotten the impression that while Iowans are friendly and down to earth, they seem insulated to me. There seems to be a belief among many that there is no other state besides Iowa.

That attitude may just be coming from a desire to prove that Iowa is worthwhile. We do get a ridiculous amount of flack, considering we are an average state in just about every way (#20-30 on most lists, including population and area, lots of small cities with one major metro in the center of the state, and a pretty evenly dispersed population). Many many many Iowans have connections all over the Midwest, especially in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and trips to MSP, Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Chicago are common. DSMers go to KC all the time, I can tell you that. It may also be worth mentioning that three of our largest metros straddle borders - Davenport with Illinois, Council Bluffs with Nebraska, and Sioux City with both Nebraska and South Dakota.