Need some honest advice on moving or not or perhaps looking at a new city in Iowa (Des Moines: section 8, apartments)

[operaphantom2003]

I have posted several times on here about Iowa and other states. I have only been through Iowa, so I rely on the internet for information. I have been looking at Mason City for a while. It looks good on paper, yet also looks bad on paper. Here is my story and my concerns about Mason City/Iowa:

My son is 5 and just started kindergarten. Boy was that a mistake. He already knows how to read, write, etc. and the teacher refuses to let him do anything above the rest of the class' level. Out of 20 kids 12 came in knowing NO letter at all, 3 came in 0-12 letters, 1 came in knowing 12-15 letters, and then there was my kid. So far we have dealt with bullies, a stalker kid, and extreme bordem leading to misbehavior in class ( and an overly critical teacher). The school only has a 30% proficiency in English which is understandable since even in their bilingual classes they don't teach the kids anything. All that and to mention Salt Lake City is overpriced and over populated. ( I have lived here off and on again most of my life and have seen both sides to Utah and I really dislike it.)

Reasons for liking Iowa in general:
1. Home prices (I would love to be able to buy my son a home)
2. Good schools (even the worse one I found was still better than his current one)
3. Seems to be a lot of activities for kids and families that is reasonably priced (It would have cost $160.00 for him and I to see the Circus this year)
4. Open spaces. Lots of room between cities
5. The average age is NOT 23. I am so tired of everything being catered to the "young, hip professional"--we don't all like to wear clothing with the store's name printed on the butt.
6. Extremely low rent prices (Average 3 bedroom apts I have seen are around $650 which is well below what I am paying for a 2 bedroom here)

Some reasons I am concerned about moving to Iowa (mainly Mason City since that is where I have focused on):
1. Based on the Daily Incident Report from the police report--the town seems full of nosy people who complain about the smallest things (neighbor's dog barking, strange car on the street, stranger walking down the street, etc)
2. Home prices seem to good to be true (5 bedroom house for $45,000)
3. The newspaper mentions the debate between creationism and evolution still. (This concerns me because I do not want to leave one controlling dominate religion for another)
4. It seems that there is an increase on drugs in Iowa. Just how bad is it getting.
5. Very strong "not like me" mentality. (I was reading the Ames newspaper awhile back and they blamed all the crime on "section 8" people and wanted a list published of all the names being helped by the program.--well I would not like that nor agree with it. This is concerning behavior to me.)

I would also be forced to move on a VERY tight budget but I have moved on less money. I just need some advice or suggestion from someone who is actually familiar with Iowa. I also have concerns about employment. I have seen more and more must be bilingual to apply postings. That is TOO much like here. Is it becoming a problem? I have a degree in economics but lose offers because I am not bilingual.

Cities I have looked at include:
Ames--too much like here
Iowa City--seems to have growing crime problem
Le Mars -- cute but no transportation system
Mason City -- as mentioned above--benefit is the VA outpatient for my mother
Spenser -- higher prices then other places


HELP!!!!!

The family makeup that would be moving is me (35) my son (5) and my mother (67)

[gemae]

you better not moving to city that has high crime rate..

i'm pretty sure that you have ur own trasport, so it should'nt be a problem

[operaphantom2003]

I have never owned a car. Nor has my mother. We could never afford one. Right now I earn $10.00 and can't afford one. I guess I don't really have to pay rent, est, or anything like that though...

[zz4guy]

Sh_tty weather, boring people and slow drivers. You can have it all in Iowa!

[leonard213]

The apartmente is a beautiful view of the greenery around. The apartment is fully furnished, a kitchen with all electrical appliances, a bathroom with a tub and a washing machine, a toilet separately.
There is an Excellent accessibility - quiet street,This is an excellent location right in the city center
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Near the house there is the famous Vysehrad and very nice Vysehrad gardens where you can freely browse. All civic amenities guaranteed..........The apartment is completely new and modernly furnished, there is a fully equipped kitchen including a stove with ceramic hob, fridge / freezer, microwave oven and dishwasher. Introduced TV, satellite and internet connection and telephone line. In these closed complex are many beautiful apartments, all with underfloor heating, available to tenants is a garden, reception and security. Location offers a wide Excellent accessibility & communication)................... - quiet street,This is an excellent location right in the city center.
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If you are intrested for more Enquiry....Get back to me with your contact information.

Regards
Contact E.mail: [email]leonard.dennie@yahoo.com[/email]

[Mistizoom]

You definitely need to stick with larger cities in Iowa if transportation is an issue. Not every city offers public transportation. I would say eastern Iowa would be better for you if you are of a more progressive mindset (re: creation vs. evolution debate). Iowa City has lots of "hip 20 somethings" being a college townm, but there are lots of families too. It also certainly people complaining about section 8 housing occupants and "Chicago people" but just as loudly there are others who fight back against those voices. Have you considered Cedar Rapids or Davenport? Maybe those are too big for you. They certainly have some higher crime areas than the smaller cities you mentioned but you just need to know what areas to avoid (same with Iowa City, just avoid most of southeast Iowa City south of highway 6 and east of approximately Gilbert or Boyrum street). You could also consider Coralville which is a smaller community adjacent to Iowa City (still has good public transportation).

[iowegian]

Originally Posted by Mistizoom

You could also consider Coralville which is a smaller community adjacent to Iowa City (still has good public transportation).

I second this suggestion.
To address your concern about drugs and crime, I haven't heard of a huge drug problem in Coralville (and I've lived there 18 years.) Meth is an issue in more rural areas but in the cities, the occasional marijuana bust is about as bad as it gets. Coralville has a few crimes here and there like anywhere, but overall it is a very safe suburb with access to buses and plenty of shopping.

Iowa City schools are great, some of the best in the state as far as test scores go. All of the Coralville elementary schools are exceptional, except for Kirkwood which is still at least average. The junior highs are great and the high school is Iowa City West (of which I am a proud graduate) which is a wonderful school.

The Iowa City community is one of the most liberal, accepting places in Iowa. There is no predominant religion and it is diverse for a town of its size. There are of course a lot of young college students, but there are plenty of families around, as Mistizoom said. Especially in Coralville and North Liberty, the majority is definitely families.

I don't think you would have a problem finding a job that doesn't require proficiency in Spanish. For any business-related jobs, it may be easier to find a job in Cedar Rapids (you could try a suburb like Marion or Hiawatha) but Iowa City does have some of the lowest unemployment in the nation so you may be able to find something. With the economy as it is, it's anyone's guess. You'd have to look into it.

The downside to Coralville is that it is kind of expensive compared to other Iowa cities, but it is considerably cheaper than Iowa City. (North Liberty is even cheaper, but they do not currently have a bus system. They are working on it but it will probably be at least a couple years I would say.)

Of course, there are many other places in Iowa that could fit your needs. I just think you should consider Coralville and perhaps the west side of Iowa City. I feel perfectly safe anywhere in Coralville and I really don't think crime should scare you away from such a great area.

[TJinTX]

Iowa has amazing schools that is true and a wonderful place to raise a child, but you also need to support yourself when you get there and the job market is tight, especially in more rural areas like Mason City. (I'm not sure what type of work you do.) My husband and I, native Iowans, just relocated to TX due lack of jobs in Iowa.

We lived near Mason City (originally from near Iowa City) and Mason certainly would be last on the list you mentioned. It's much more conservative than Iowa City and feels quite isolated. Housing in Iowa City/Coralville will be much pricier as others have mentioned. Even in Mason City the $45k houses you've been seeing are probably dumps.

I can't imagine getting by without a car in Iowa, you'd have to live in one of the larger cities and even then... As for people complaining about dogs barking, that's because there isn't much "real crime" to put in the police report in certain areas, so take that as a good sign. Everywhere I've lived in Iowa people have been very "neighborly". I never realized how liberal IA is until we moved to TX!

[nmc82]

There are many places to choose from here in Iowa. I just moved from a tiny town in Southeast Iowa called Bloomfield. The schools are great,rent is CHEAP, and it is a clean town. We were paying $325 a month for a two bedroom CLEAN apartment,that included utilities. You could buy a pretty nice house for less than $85,000. The schools and park,pool and pretty much everything else were in walking distance. There is a hospital there,nursing home,3 gas stations and grocery store there,dollar general etc. (there is more there as well,but that is most of it in a nut shell). There is very little crime rate.Overall people there are friendly. But,there are many more towns in Iowa obviously,but this town I actually know a lot about. It is also close to other towns;Ottumwa has walmart,target and much more and is about 20 minutes away. Des Moines is about an hour and 15 min.

[duster1979]

Originally Posted by operaphantom2003

3. The newspaper mentions the debate between creationism and evolution still.

What do you mean, "still?"

Darwin's theory of evolution is "still" just a theory 150 years later despite the tremendous amount of time and money that has been spent trying to prove it. Truly open-minded people will continue this debate until Darwin's theory becomes Darwin's law.

What you, and everybody else, should be concerned about is sending your son to a school where scientific theory is presented as absolute fact.