What do you love and hate about living in Iowa? (Des Moines: sales, to rent)

[corel]

Hi everyone,
Our family of four is looking to relocate from California... we have a list of about half a dozen states that we are trying to narrow down. Can you tell me about your state? I look forward to hearing more about your state, and I would love to see some pictures too (especially of all seasons). Thank you in advance.

[LPerkins33]

I love everything, except the lack of mountains.

[Iowarch]

I have lived on five continents, flown around the world, and I find that above all Iowa is by far the best place to be. You have space, good people, reasonably clean air and water, ground that will grow almost anything, and enough rain and snow to keep it moist enough to keep it that way. The weather is always changing so if you don't like it right now, wait a minute, it is likely to change!

[zz4guy]

I'm 27 and single so let me tell you what I like:
Open spaces
Cheap cost of living
No traffic or congestion
4 seasons. (I like winter)
Summers are not too bad (not as bad as most states)
All of the above and here in Eastern IA we are not more than 3-4 hours from a lot of major cities. Easy weekend trips!

Some things that suck:
We are 2-7 hours away from ANY big city, depending where you are in IA.
Ther aren't many cool places for young people in their twenties to live. Iowa City, Quad Cities, Des Moines maybe, but other than that not much.
The taxes are HIGH! There's a 5% sales tax and 1% tax for the schools throughout the state. And then there are the property taxes and high state income taxes.
HIGH corporate taxes, the highest in the nation actually. Don't expect Iowa to attract much new business in the future.
Extremely high cigarette taxes

But, if you dont mind high taxes and are married you might like it.

[jbdykstra]

We lived in western Iowa for 2 years. It's very inexpensive and safe. We could leave our car running at the grocery store and it would be fine. I once went on vacation for a month in the summer and never locked my front door. On the flip side, it is incredibly conservative, sometimes very boring, and most of the small towns are very far away from any shopping. We had to drive an hour to get to the nearest Target. If you want a little more culture or big city ammenities, you are probably better off with Des Moines or the eastern side of the state.

[Cactus Sam]

Our family also moved to Iowa from California.

It was the biggest mistake of our life, and we spent several miserable years there.

We finally sold our house in Iowa and are happily living back in California.

My only suggestion is to rent and not buy. That way you can easily return home or leave the state without much hassle.

It's always so sad when I think of other Californians going through what we went through there.

You arrive with the highest of hopes, and leave with a broken spirit.

It's not fun living where you are always going to be an "outsider" just because you were not born there.
At first, it's amusing. After a few years, it is intolerable.

Our children are thriving now that they are back in a better environment.

[dubuqueaskme]

Iowa will be a change from one coming from CA, as from any other spot in the US...

California is: much more diverse, more urban, more mountainous, more hispanics, more earthquakes, nicer weather *sometimes, more convenient.

Iowa is: diverse in the metros, a lot less urban *the largest city being less than 200,000 FLATTER, no earthquakes, *I'm sure Californians would like to hear that, and less convenient unless you live in one of the larger cities.

Now, LARGER CITIES to you and LARGER CITIES to us IOWANS are two very different things.

I'll take a look at the positives of the cities, and give you a brief rundown of things like pop., diversity, traffic, the essentials...

Des Moines, population near 195,000. The city is the most diverse in Iowa, as it is the largest. The traffic is not all that great *under Iowans standards* and the skyline is rather impressive for a city of less than 200T. The suburbs are booming, some growing in population more than 100% from 2000 to 2005. It has the highest crime rate of all cities in Iowa, which still isnt high, but there are some areas of the city that I wouldn't necessarily love to be in at nightfall... but doesn't every large city have that/

Cedar Rapids- There is a lot of negitavity expressed toward CR. Either people saying that the population is sinking, or people saying the city is stinking, literally. Going to CR almost once a month, I dont think so. Suburbs around the city, Marion, and North Liberty are prospering. The city does not smell, and is actually very pleasant. It is a stereotypical Iowan mid sized city. The population is approaching 130,000. You will most likely have everything you need right there in CR, without having to travel to larger cities for conveniences. Unless you are really high class and have to go to Chicago to dine at a five star restaraunt...

Dubuque... I LOVE DUBUQUE. It is an amazing city, and is the most visited in Iowa. Festivals every weekend in the summer are always a lot of fun, one thing that isnt is the MAYFLIES that always visit the last weekend in JUNE of the first weekend of JULY... last 4th of July was terrible with the Mayflies in Bellevue... anyway, the city has recieved awards like: 7th best public school system in the nation, 22nd nationally in job growth, which impressively puts it in between AUSTIN, TEXAS, and ORLANDO, FLORIDA... which is huge. It was an All-American City in 2007, It was ranked the best community for young people in the country...most catholic churches per capita in the country, and most bars per square mile in the country... which almost contradicts itself...

Iowa City is most likely the second most cosmopolitan city in Iowa. It is a great city, as well. UofI and an amazing downtown that rivals Dubuque's can be found in the city. Iowa City, Johnson County is growing rather quickly, and is, in my book, a great place to raise a family, but, what the heck, isnt the whole state?

You'll HAVE to get used to the snow, and maybe the summer heat and humidity...
average snowfall per year is in the 40-50" range.. rainfall being about the same i believe.

The whole state of Iowa is not flat, to much people's disbelief. But, rather the contrary. Eastern Iowa (a line from Charles City to Vinton to Mt. Pleasant and East is very hilly) and Western Iowa, 50 miles on either side of Le Mars, is very hilly too.

[Pearlbob]

I'm wondering where you moved to in Iowa that was so miserable and made you feel like an outsider?? A tiny llittle town, or one of the major cities?

Originally Posted by Cactus Sam

Our family also moved to Iowa from California.

It was the biggest mistake of our life, and we spent several miserable years there.

We finally sold our house in Iowa and are happily living back in California.

My only suggestion is to rent and not buy. That way you can easily return home or leave the state without much hassle.

It's always so sad when I think of other Californians going through what we went through there.

You arrive with the highest of hopes, and leave with a broken spirit.

It's not fun living where you are always going to be an "outsider" just because you were not born there.
At first, it's amusing. After a few years, it is intolerable.

Our children are thriving now that they are back in a better environment.

[scimitar12]

Can't add too much to what the others have posted. I really think it boils to your expectations aand the current recreational and social lifestyle you currently enjoy in CA. Not that Iowa is totally devoid of cultural and recreational activities, but it is something to consider.

Iowa is much cheaper than CA in housing; however, the taxes will surprise you. In many cases, taxes are much higher than many other states. At least Iowa does not tax for food, at least it used to be that way, not sure if it still is.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

I'm wondering where you moved to in Iowa that was so miserable and made you feel like an outsider?? A tiny llittle town, or one of the major cities?

I was gonna say, most people who move like it. That seems more like someone who just had a very bad experience than an overall view of how most people react to Iowa.