Could I get a 2014 update on Sioux City, please? (Des Moines: best city, credit)

[Goldenredclay]

I have read most all of the negative posts about Sioux City and have noted that many were written 5-10 years ago. Can someone with current insight tell me what the positives are about Sioux City/surrounding Siouxland area? My husband is considering a long term strategic career move that would bring our Georgia family short term to the Sioux City area. We are trying to view the move as an adventure and a chance to see the Midwest.

Do you have CURRENT information on Sioux City? Where would you direct a family to search for a home in a safe commutable area with good schools? Our home budget would be $200-$300k. Do you have an opinion as to the most desirable Elementary or school system within a short commute (30min) to the city center? I'd love to hear from people currently living in Sioux City or surrounding Sioux City. I am compiling a short list of areas to look at from my research which contains the community of Sergeant Bluff, Dakota Dunes and the North end of Sioux City near the Sioux City Country Club as possibilities.

Any new insights would be very helpful and appreciated. My husband will fly out to the Midwest to meet with his company's leadership in that region next week to discuss this career opportunity in Sioux City.

[lurtsman]

Working at google? I wouldn't have given Sioux city any credit a decade ago, but Google might be able to do some good things for the city. It sucks that Google didn't opt to put it in somewhere with a long term desirable climate that could have given incentives to engineers to move there for lower salaries because the area is so desirable. Their call though, and they did get an enormous amount of money in tax related benefits to potentially resurrect the town.

[Goldenredclay]

No, not with Google. Is Google opening an office in Sioux City? I haven't seen that anywhere.

[Meemur]

Originally Posted by Goldenredclay

No, not with Google. Is Google opening an office in Sioux City? I haven't seen that anywhere.

I thought I heard that, too, although I can't find any articles right now. They are in Council Bluffs:

Council Bluffs - Google Careers

[nw725]

Sioux City isn't horrible but if you're looking for good schools for your children, I would recomend one of the surrounding towns. I have heard some fairly good things about Hinton and Sgt. Bluff. I live in South Sioux City, which is just over the river. The schools here are pretty good as well as the schools in Homer. My best advice is to research the local schools and base your decision off that.

[lurtsman]

Thanks guys. I was more than a little sleepy when I wrote that. My mistake. In that case, I'm less optimistic for Sioux City. Council bluffs is right by the border with access to all of Omaha already, so it was already (in my opinion) easily challenging for the best city in Iowa (vs Des Moines).

[jmgg]

Is Sioux City really that bad??

[Goldenredclay]

That's exactly what I want to know. Is it?

[atler8]

Golden
I recognize that you could be experiencing some frustration here by the crickets on your thread, at least as pertains input from Sioux Citians.
I don't know that your question of 10:13 tonight can accurately be determined here on this forum. The Iowa threads overall are fairly quiet in posting traffic volume & there is virtually nobody from Sioux City that ever posts here. It's so quiet a section of the state on the forum such that it's almost as if it doesn't even exist.
What you do get is an occasionally Iowan from elsewhere in the state commenting on Sioux City or an out-of-stater doing so given that Sioux City is at the point of a river junction & the core city in a small metro that is set in a tri-state area.
You early on in your original post mentioned the negative threads & posts of a historical nature you found here about Sioux City. A recurring problem which is abnormally large on the Iowa Forum and stands out because of the low posting volume & has been found in prior discussions of Sioux City is that people who have never visited or had any real DEPTH of experience with a particular city or town or Iowa-related topic make posts that pass on their judgement or comments, often to the detriment of the place or thing or event being discussed. So then we are left to weed out & separate reality from hearsay, rumor or bad intentions.
The bottom line is don't hold your breath if you are wanting to learn a lot about Sioux City here.
I'll plug in a little bit as regards my memory of the area near the Sioux City County Club which you mentioned. I recall that it was overall a pleasant area & had some attractive homes in a mixture of age ranges & styles that could be in your price range. Plus, the area near there is quite rugged & specifically in the Loess Hills range that goes north to south through Sioux City & all along most of the western Iowa border. It's a major geographic feature & can't be missed, trust me. It might surprise a Georgia family that there is anything like it found in the middle of a city in Iowa.
That Country Club area would be higher in elevation & more rugged & not at risk for low-land river flooding which does happen to various degrees in some of the lower-lying Dakota Dunes developments & immediate river side areas of the city itself.
Like you, I live in Georgia. And also like you, I would tend to put such a move for myself into a category you titled "adventure" status. Perhaps though unlike you, after 35 years in Georgia, I am more eager for a such major change.
Good luck!

[todd00]

If you have a good job, Sioux City isn't bad. You will make friends and life will be fine there. People might complain it's boring but really if ya need more shops there is always Omaha, 90 minutes away. I like the northside better than the more yuppie type Dakota Dunes area. I suppose cuz my grandmother lived there and I tend to like older houses better. After I saw your post, I looked on realtor.com at houses in the 51104 zip and found some nice ones that you also might like. How long do you plan to be there? Reference schools check this site below. Good luck to you.

Sioux City Schools - Sioux City Iowa School Ratings - Public and Private