Moving to Iowa - but where? (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids: crime, home, construction)

[stacycsu]

Hello all. My husband and I are looking to relocate to Iowa. We currently live in Colorado and are not happy with the direction it's going in - too many people, traffic, pot and pot farms and all that mess, you name it. We are looking for a slower pace of life and a more peaceful, quiet environment for our kids. My husband is in the military (Air National Guard) and would continue at least as a Guardsman probably at a unit there, though he's also looking into other avenues of work as he also owns a small construction/remodeling business here. We are looking for a small town (no, not a suburb) yet within commuting distance to Des Moines or other large town. We have visited the towns of Winterset and Pella and some others in that area. Hoping to get input on good small communities with quality schools (our kids are 7 and 18 months). Our daughter loves riding horses as well, so areas with an ag influence are definitely on the top of the list. Any input is welcome - and thank you in advance!!!!!

[Movingrightalong...]

Half of all immigration to Iowa in recent years has come from Chicago and California. The total tax burden is quite high and I fully expect that in another decade or two it will be suffering from Illinois-style problems.

You might be better served looking at the Texas panhandle.

There is a book titled "Strategic Relocation"...whether you agree with the author's philosophical leanings or not, there is a lot of very good objective information there which may help you make a decision.

[scimitar12]

I disagree with your statement. While Iowa taxes are higher than what some people assume, the State in no way can be compared with Illinois' financial debacle due to mostly to Illinois' poor management and being tied to its broken pension system.

While the OP inquired moving to places that are more peaceful there may be a correlation with quieter, less populated places (per sq. mile) and tax burdens. This data (from 2012) provides a list of tax burdens by state:
https://files.taxfoundation.org/lega...den_FY2012.pdf

Originally Posted by Movingrightalong...

Half of all immigration to Iowa in recent years has come from Chicago and California. The total tax burden is quite high and I fully expect that in another decade or two it will be suffering from Illinois-style problems.

You might be better served looking at the Texas panhandle.

There is a book titled "Strategic Relocation"...whether you agree with the author's philosophical leanings or not, there is a lot of very good objective information there which may help you make a decision.

[Dewey59]

My experience (lived in Iowa 18 years) was that the overall tax burden was high. However, you have to factor in what kind of taxes will affect you. For me, the most outrageous tax was my property taxes. But I lived in the Cedar Rapids metro area, which has much higher property taxes than the more rural communities.

The state income tax was also very high, but again, I was in an upper income bracket and I was single.

I suspect that if stacycsu was to live in a small town away from metro areas, and does not have a high income, that the tax burden will be manageable.

[scimitar12]

The link from Tax Foundation had Iowa ranked 31st based on State-Local Tax Burden as a Percent of State Income. For some people perhaps some types of taxes mean more to them than others. If one type of tax is more significant they may assume the overall tax rate is high.

Originally Posted by Dewey59

My experience (lived in Iowa 18 years) was that the overall tax burden was high. However, you have to factor in what kind of taxes will affect you. For me, the most outrageous tax was my property taxes. But I lived in the Cedar Rapids metro area, which has much higher property taxes than the more rural communities.

The state income tax was also very high, but again, I was in an upper income bracket and I was single.

I suspect that if stacycsu was to live in a small town away from metro areas, and does not have a high income, that the tax burden will be manageable.

[Dport7674]

Small town, not a suburb, close to a larger town.. Leclaire, Iowa.

[Qazulight]

First, why Iowa?

Why not Sioux Falls South Dakota or Boise Idaho. Both conservative fast growing areas.

Both large enough to have all the amenities and small enough to be clean and neat.

However, if Iowa, Ames is nice. It is growing, it is a college town, so lots to do, and a lot of energy. However, if that is too much, I loved Orange City. Home of the tulip festival. Don't know about work though.

I just reviewed a post from a construction manager (on MOTLEY FOOL ) about lack of labor to rebuild the onion bins that collapsed outside of Boise. I just spent 10 days there and believe it is a fine city.

I left Sioux Falls in November a miss it a great deal. It is a little larger a city than I like, (Fargo ND & Duluth MN & Ames IA or about as big as I like) so is Boise, but for thier size they are really good towns.

I am from Texas, I would not recommend moving to Texas at this time. In fact, I recommend nothing south of Des Moines nor east of the Mississippi River. (Although I have been tempted by upstate Michigan and Wisconsin)

You might check Minnisota, the taxes are high, but you get a lot for them. I have found the people in North Western Minnisota and Easter North Dakota to be the best people all around. I think it has something to do with it being inversely related to the weather.

I would avoid Minneapolis, but I would avoid alll major cities in the United States. I cannot think of a single major city that I would want to live in the U.S. Unless you consider Boise and Tacoma major.

Cheers
Qazulight

[cpat]

If you insist on Iowa, I would confine your seeking to western Iowa. It is more rural, eastern Iowa is the more industrialized part of the state.

I consider moving to Cedar RApids one of the dumbest decisions I ever made. People are unfriendly, business people are a lot of jerks, and that's putting it mildly.

I say all this having lived in 8 other states, and did contract work in 7 more (1 to 12 months in each).

[smpliving]

Crime is definitely going up in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. It seems almost weekly I read about shootings or stabbings in the local papers.

[Dport7674]

Originally Posted by cpat

... eastern Iowa is the more industrialized part of the state.

Small pockets of industrialization surrounded by farms.