Iowa for retirement years; what of senior & elderly years & services? (Des Moines: best cities)

[DavO's]

Hello Readers! I've recently retired and have found Iowa persuading me to take a good look into moving here. So where is the question seniors might have store amenities, health care, a safe & clean neighborhood to walk in, social activities, and good TV service (by antenna or cable) for when home? Reliable electricity, at least back in service asap after a storm, and decent tap water are concerns; any problems with power & water? Growing older, inevitably faculties diminish, senior moments increase, mirrors become abstract Picasso's ... then off to wearing a drool cup & bib and finally, the DNR last gasp ... what care centers are recommended? Being a mailman for 35 years, I have seen the 7 ages of man, so to speak, and I myself have just entered my 5th age & am looking at options. Weather doesn't bother me when prepared, as every day has it's merit. Still, when I'm 85, trudging over a mile in a snowstorm to fill a need, with my drool cup blowing in the wind behind me, no desire here to become someone's 1st prize as lawn ornament snowman. Where would the best locations be, especially for fresh groceries and to be failsafe, healthcare in proximity? Also, snakes, mosquitos, and varmints in general ... no need to make pets out of these peeves when I'm 100 & senile ... I'd forget their names! So some urban area would be more desireable than rural or waterside, still cost of living a consideration. Looking forward to replies and possibly YouTube virtual tour links. Thanks All!

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by DavO's

I've recently retired and have found Iowa persuading me to take a good look into moving here.

Where do you plan to snowbird to in the winter?

[DavO's]

@ MrRational: I plan on staying put, no snowbirding. I visited Florida / Orlando area 15+ years ago ... not enough for me to drive a current 1200 miles with essential belongings or fly with excess luggage back & forth 'twice' each year. And from Iowa, I believe it would be 1500+ miles. No roaming gypsy life for me ... I'm a neighborhood guy ... fire-up a power tool in your garage, I'm there for support. Had my share of traveling ... and there's no place like home, 4 seasons & all!

[ION1010]

We live in Cedar Falls, IA, transplanted from Chicago. If you don't mind the weather, this is a really nice town. A great downtown Main Street, super Internet services (Obama came here to highlight our 1 GB FTTP), CFU which is a well run municipal utility, and shopping typical of a pop. center of 100,000 (Waterloo is a sister city). As for seniors' support, they have it down to a science. Check out Western Homes, Much more than a retirement community, Western Home Communities offers housing and services that create fulfilling lifestyles for ages 55+.* for a big variety of housing options. Quite a few senior condos around here as well, the wife's mom lives in one. Good fishing in town if you're into that, miles and miles of rec. trails, and UNI, the smallish State University. UNI makes this town very welcoming; everyone here came from somewhere else.

The downside: bland Norwegian food. God, do we miss Chicago food. Every once in a while we'll buzz in to Chicago with a large cooler to get the good stuff. Every other year we'll go to Galena to dine, it's about 90 minutes straight east. Speaking of which, get on RT. 20 and head west and you'll be here in 5-6 hours. 4 lanes of no traffic once you leave Dubuque.

Iowa City is worth a look, too, though I can't speak personally. Much better shopping and dining options. Great health care with the UI hospitals.

We monitor the newspapers and local news of the places we're looking to retire. Here, wcfcourier.com and KWWL will give you a feel for the community.

Good luck, write back if you need more specifics.

[Meemur]

There's more senior housing and elderly services in the Des Moines area. It's all about where you want to live. I recommend checking out Altoona if you don't want to live in some of the new housing in downtown Des Moines, and there will be senior living included in that mix.

Iowa winters can be extremely tough for seniors. Des Moines is as far north as I want to live. The east part of the state (Iowa City) gets the brunt of a lot of bad weather. I'm glad I'm farther west.

College towns can be cool, but I've had my fill of living around students.

[Movingrightalong...]

Originally Posted by DavO's

Hello Readers! I've recently retired and have found Iowa persuading me to take a good look into moving here. So where is the question seniors might have store amenities, health care, a safe & clean neighborhood to walk in, social activities, and good TV service (by antenna or cable) for when home? Reliable electricity, at least back in service asap after a storm, and decent tap water are concerns; any problems with power & water? Growing older, inevitably faculties diminish, senior moments increase, mirrors become abstract Picasso's ... then off to wearing a drool cup & bib and finally, the DNR last gasp ... what care centers are recommended? Being a mailman for 35 years, I have seen the 7 ages of man, so to speak, and I myself have just entered my 5th age & am looking at options. Weather doesn't bother me when prepared, as every day has it's merit. Still, when I'm 85, trudging over a mile in a snowstorm to fill a need, with my drool cup blowing in the wind behind me, no desire here to become someone's 1st prize as lawn ornament snowman. Where would the best locations be, especially for fresh groceries and to be failsafe, healthcare in proximity? Also, snakes, mosquitos, and varmints in general ... no need to make pets out of these peeves when I'm 100 & senile ... I'd forget their names! So some urban area would be more desireable than rural or waterside, still cost of living a consideration. Looking forward to replies and possibly YouTube virtual tour links. Thanks All!

Iowa is not a retiree friendly state...the weather isn't conducive to aging, the total tax burden is high, and retirees on Medicare find themselves in competition with a larger number of Medicaid patients for health care resources since the Medicaid expansion was enacted.

[capitalcityguy]

Originally Posted by Movingrightalong...

Iowa is not a retiree friendly state...the weather isn't conducive to aging, the total tax burden is high, and retirees on Medicare find themselves in competition with a larger number of Medicaid patients for health care resources since the Medicaid expansion was enacted.

3rd party perspectives to provided for alternative consideration:

Des Moines Named One of the Top Underappreciated American Cities You Should Totally Move To (February 17, Thrillist.com)
Des Moines Ranked in the Top 10 Places to Live in the U.S. (February 12, SuccessfulMeetings.com)
2016 Rankings
West Des Moines Ranked #3 on Top Cities for Retirement (June 27, Bankrate.com)
Des Moines Ranked Best City for the Middle Class (March 7, BusinessInsider.com)
WalletHub Ranks Des Moines 11th Best Capital City (WalletHub.com)
Des Moines Ranked #4 on Best Mid-Sized Cities for Making a Living (MoneyGeek.com)
Des Moines Ranked the 10th on the Best Cities to Live and Work (RoberyHalf.com)
Gallup Ranks Des Moines/West Des Moines in Top 50 Communities For Well Being (Gallup)
Downtown Des Moines Most Budget-Friendly on Top Downtown Areas to Raise a Family (November 11, Storage.com)
Dell Ranks Des Moines in America's Most 25 Future-Ready Cities (October 21, Dell)
FlipKey ranks Des Moines as #1 City in Iowa for Affordable Vacation Rentals (September 11, FlipKey.com)
Johnston and Waukee Ranked on Money's Top 50 Best Places to Live 2015 (August 16, Time.com/Money)
Waukee Ranked in Top 10 Best Towns for Families: 2015 (July 7, FamilyCircle.com)
Des Moines Ranked #5 on 10 Best Cities for Retirement in America (June 8, Bankrate.com)
Clive Named A Top 100 Best Small Town, 2015 (June 1, Livability.com)
Buzzfeed Ranks Des Moines #11 of the 34 Underrated U.S. Cities You'll Actually Want To Move To (May 16, Buzzfeed)
Des Moines Leads U.S. Metro Areas in Community Pride (May 13, Gallup)
Gallup Poll lists Des Moines as Top Place Where Residents Feel Safe (May 4, Gallup)
Des Moines Ranked #7 in the U.S. for Metro Area Budgeting (April 24, WalletHub.com)
Iowa Ranks Sixth-Best for Retirement (March 24, Bankrate.com)
Greater Des Moines Ranked #4 for 2015 Economic Strength in Metropolitan Statistical Areas (March 23, POLICOM)
Des Moines listed in the 50 Best Places to Live in America (March 18, Men's Journal)

https://www.catchdesmoines.com/media...ines-rankings/

[Dewey59]

Originally Posted by DavO's

Hello Readers! I've recently retired and have found Iowa persuading me to take a good look into moving here. So where is the question seniors might have store amenities, health care, a safe & clean neighborhood to walk in, social activities, and good TV service (by antenna or cable) for when home?

Good over the air TV does not exist in most of Iowa.... Maybe Des Moines, I'm not familiar with their TV stations. Cable is pretty generic and available all over.

Originally Posted by DavO's

Reliable electricity, at least back in service asap after a storm, and decent tap water are concerns; any problems with power & water?

Reliable electricity and Iowa are oxymorons! With the number of thunderstorms in the summer and ice storms in the winter, the power can be out for hours or even days at a time. Water quality depends on where you live. The smaller communities have frequent boil orders. Larger cities seem a little better. Since you are concerned about water, you might also want to do some research on radon.... Big problem in most of the state.

Originally Posted by DavO's

Where would the best locations be, especially for fresh groceries and to be failsafe, healthcare in proximity?

Again, you would want to stay with the bigger cities. Des Moines, Iowa City, and Cedar Rapids have good options for all of these concerns.

Originally Posted by DavO's

Also, snakes, mosquitos, and varmints in general ... no need to make pets out of these peeves when I'm 100 & senile ... I'd forget their names!

Not so much snakes and mosquitoes, but just about every other bug and varmint is prevalent in Iowa! One of the reasons why I left when I retired. I lived in the Cedar Rapids area and constantly battled these freeloaders living in my house and yard. Rabbits eating my plants, Cicadas making such a racket that you couldn't sleep with the windows open, Cicada killer wasps digging up the yard, Woodchucks digging up the yard, Moles digging up the yard, Spiders EVERYWHERE! The list goes on and on. This was one of the first things I noticed after moving to AZ - we have 1/100th of the pests that Iowa had!

Good luck in your decision, I personally would not recommend Iowa as a retirement area, but to each their own.

[Meemur]

Good over the air TV does not exist in most of Iowa.... Maybe Des Moines, I'm not familiar with their TV stations. Cable is pretty generic and available all over.

I can't afford Cable.

I get 19 over-the-air channels in Des Moines, including the 3 from PBS. You can use TV Fool (and similar sites) to see what is available OTA in your area.

Added: I don't have an antenna on the roof. I'm using an 8" x 10" "leaf" on the wall by the front window, which was around $10 at Walmart. The "leaf" took me all of five minutes to install.