Possible move to Davenport (Cedar Rapids, Burlington: apartments, lofts, construction)

[Smitty211]

Recent college grad here. A couple of job prospects have popped up for me in SoCal, and now I'm looking at a position in Davenport.

Based on surface-level data, cost of living seems very reasonable and the area appears quite friendly. My question is, are there affordable and serviceable apartments in the area that wouldn't wear out a college grad's wallet? I would prefer not to have to commute far.

I'm from a fairly rural part of the PNW but crave a respectable city/urban vibe. How can I expect my transition be if I land the job and move in?

[QuadCityImages]

As other people are surely going to begin posting, the Quad Cities isn't Portland, Seattle, or LA. We're not that size of a metro, with all of the good/bad differences that go along with that.

That said, the Quad Cities have a lot of good stuff going for them, and especially coming from a rural area, have a bit of an urban although midsize, city feel. There's a festival of some sort going on basically every weekend during the summer, and there's a good mix of activities available. I would argue that we've got a lot of advantages over other metro areas our size. There's also pretty easy access to truly urban Chicago, which will soon be even easier with the coming Amtrak line.

Rents aren't overly cheap, but a lot of hip new apartments are being built/renovated downtown, and its possible the coming influx will cause downtown rents to drop a little bit. The stuff available downtown now is awesome, but generally pricey unless you make under $25k a year and qualify for the low/moderate income units. For example, in the new Democrat Lofts (named after the former newspaper building they're in, not limited by affilation!) there is a smallish Efficiency unit available for $599, but the next ones available above that are over $1000 a month. But they're pretty amazing places to live..

[ipkl07]

I heard they doing lofts downtown. Might want to consider that. I think a lot of people are doing the lofts downtown now days.

[Smitty211]

That mid-sized feel actually might be closer to what I'd thrive in at this point in my life/career, so that's perfect.

If I were to end up living in one of the other Quad Cities, what would the commute to Davenport be like? Are there moderately heavy traffic areas/hours to avoid when possible, and how are gas prices over there?

Also, a major concern of mine when relocating is climate. I'm a lifelong eastern Washingtonian and have never been to the Midwest. I get the impression that winters are harsh and summers are super humid. Anything else to know on that front?

[ipkl07]

Winters, it all depends as some years it's easy and other years winter never ends and it is long, hard, cold and snowy. Traffic is hit and miss. Summer it can be humid but the last couple summers have been cool. Never know when something is going to be backed up. A lot of times I see the I-74 bridge connecting to Iowa and Illinois backed up. When it is not snowing and cold they are doing construction. I would definitely say the weather here for the most part is cloudy and cool or cold. On a positive note the airport is easy to get to usually with not a long wait typically at the QCA airport. Gas prices are fairly decent. The commute is normally decent as traffic is moving; however, once summer comes that all can change depending on what they close down to work on or narrow down to one lane. Seems like summer they always have a ton of roads they are working on.

[funksoulbro]

Originally Posted by Smitty211

That mid-sized feel actually might be closer to what I'd thrive in at this point in my life/career, so that's perfect.

It depends on what you actually define as mid-sized.

The Quad Cities may be mid-sized on paper, but the vibe here is not what I'd call mid-sized at all. It's more of a Burlington, IA on steroids. Most people I've met who moved here from other mid-sized towns are usually looking to leave after their first year. It doesn't really offer much of anything.

[funksoulbro]

Originally Posted by ipkl07

On a positive note the airport is easy to get to usually with not a long wait typically at the QCA airport.

When you only have 8 flights per day on the tiniest planes available, you're typically not going to see long lines even if every flight is booked to 100% of capacity. The Quad City airport has been leaking passengers to other airports with better service for a couple years now.

[ipkl07]

Yeah, I have seen the planes coming and going out of that airport and they are definitely small for the most part. lol

[funksoulbro]

Originally Posted by ipkl07

Yeah, I have seen the planes coming and going out of that airport and they are definitely small for the most part. lol

The days of 35-50 seater regional jets are numbered. Airlines just can't make money flying those things like they used to, and this continuing trend is going to hurt the Quad City Airport even more. By the year 2020, I bet there's only a small handful of daily flights operating out of the market. In the late 1980s, QC's airport had 50 flights per day, including some on mainline DC-9s, 737s, and 727s. Those days are gone.

Meanwhile, Cedar Rapids' airport seems to be holding its own and even adding some service. Between CR and the Chicago airports proximity, I don't see much good happening for the Quad City airport. That's going to make attracting better jobs difficult, too. Companies want an airport where a decent level of airline service already exists.

[Dport7674]

Originally Posted by funksoulbro

It depends on what you actually define as mid-sized.

The Quad Cities may be mid-sized on paper, but the vibe here is not what I'd call mid-sized at all. It's more of a Burlington, IA on steroids. Most people I've met who moved here from other mid-sized towns are usually looking to leave after their first year. It doesn't really offer much of anything.

You once said you'd only 'been thru the QCA once or twice on business'.

It was always obvious that you lived there. Why would anyone, who had only passed thru once or twice, care about bashing a place as much as you do?

All those exaggerations to the point of humor and you were lying the whole time. lol. Turd.