Please tell me that Iowa is not ALL bad! (Des Moines: 2015, to buy)

[lurtsman]

Originally Posted by Ericthebean

The goal of an Iowa culture is an egalitarian one, that nobody is too special to be exempt from hard work, nobody is too rich to do the dirty work, yet at the same time, nobody should go to bed hungry who can't help it, but no poor person has any excuse to say "poor me". A common sense society.

Great post Eric, though I must say that I did not experience this. During the years I spent in Iowa it was the least egalitarian of the places I lived. Those who were outsiders were clearly considered inferior to the relatives and outsiders without a Master's degree or a PhD should only expect to work for minimum wage in most fields.

Rather than a sense that no one should go hungry, most of the people were perfectly content to let me die. It wasn't for lack of a skill set, as evidenced by the immediate employment opportunities offered to me upon leaving Iowa. Yes, there were some very good people, but by and large the society in Iowa did not resemble that of the more socially inclined European countries.

I truly wish that Iowa could be as egalitarian as you describe, but that was not the case when I was there. If I had to rank every state as a viable place to live considering all factors: weather, traffic, cost of living, taxes, services, etc, Iowa would easily expect to land in the bottom ten on any intelligent comprehensive rating system.

PS. In response to an interesting point about people being accepted as they were born, that is also not the case. Iowa dismissed the state judges that legalized gay marriage. This means the majority of people in Iowa did not support accepting people as they were born.

PPS. Eric, I hope more people with your desires and level of discourse decide to put efforts into improving Iowa so it can embody the ideals that you have put forth for it. It would become a much more attractive place to live if your philosophy became the dominant one.

[Juice Malone]

Originally Posted by Ericthebean

I would say Iowa people are fair, kind, low key, accepting of people who are different from them but strict nontheless that people be moral and respectful. The discipline system of Iowa parenting and schools is strict like Baptist evangelical school system or Catholic school, but the dogma is instead non-sectarian, everyone can be who they were born to be but nontheless must have a certain set of behavioral manners and Iowa society is very strict on this.

Yea I see the whole being raised by the collective aspect of Iowan society, but I'm not seeing the strictness in my neck of the woods (DSM and central Iowa). I for one feel parents are way to lenient with their children. The amount of kids I see sitting or crawling around on the floor, playing with stuff they shouldn't be, and wandering of is almost as shocking to me as seeing the parents doing very little to nothing to address it. Our neighbors rarely supervise their children when they play outside in the street. I see this sort of hands off approach all over the place in many aspects of Iowa and it can work in a very homogeneous, safe society where it seems just about everyone is born and raised here, but I think these guys are in for a rude awakening in the coming decades as things continue to grow and start to become more diverse. Iowa seems ripe for some culture shock that will irreparably change there way of life in a manner that they are simply not prepared for. Luckily most of the people that immigrate there are also from the upper Midwest.

As far as acceptance, I don't necessarily agree. They just have to much of that upper midwest nice to voice their opinion in public or amongst people they don't know extremely well.

[moriaOR]

Hi, I am 29 and I was born and raised in Sioux City. everywhere I have been it is red and faith based. So if you are an atheist it is going be kind of hard to breathe. I am mellow and open minded and there a always people to click with. it might take awhile to find them. I personally want to go Salem Oregon because from what i have seen there is more thought/passion/history/stuff to do and see. I will admit i don't know much about Des Monies.... traveling to other iowa cities bigger or smaller doesn't seem to matter much. I don't like shopping so .. drugs? if weed is your thing you will be at home because it is everywhere. harder stuff is only somewhat harder to find.. PM me if you have more questions? I couldn't suggest iowa but good luck to you!

[Movingrightalong...]

Originally Posted by moriaOR

Hi, I am 29 and I was born and raised in Sioux City. everywhere I have been it is red and faith based.

It's all a matter of perspective, I think. Someone from San Francisco or Portland might look at Iowa and see "red and faith based". As a southerner, on the other hand...

[Tek_Freek]

That corner of Iowa is. Bunch of old fart farmers that don't want a single thing to ever change, and by God they'll vote for any idiot that promises them it won't.

[atler8]

Would you perchance be specifically referring to the far northwestern Iowa corner area above Sioux City, such as in Sioux County & thereabouts? (not to be confused w/ Sioux City)

[Cryinbaby]

Why would someone from a great West Coast city like Portland move to the boondocks that is small-town Iowa?

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by moriaOR

Hi, I am 29 and I was born and raised in Sioux City. everywhere I have been it is red and faith based. So if you are an atheist it is going be kind of hard to breathe. I am mellow and open minded and there a always people to click with. it might take awhile to find them. I personally want to go Salem Oregon because from what i have seen there is more thought/passion/history/stuff to do and see. I will admit i don't know much about Des Monies.... traveling to other iowa cities bigger or smaller doesn't seem to matter much. I don't like shopping so .. drugs? if weed is your thing you will be at home because it is everywhere. harder stuff is only somewhat harder to find.. PM me if you have more questions? I couldn't suggest iowa but good luck to you!

That's funny. I grew up in Iowa City and it was almost the opposite. I never knew anything of religion growing up. None of our neighbors were religious and none of my parents friends ever said a word about god. In Iowa City it was almost like you were a nut if you talked about church and religious stuff. I never declared I was an atheist, but it was just nothing that ever interested me. My parents didn't keep it away from me or bad talk it, it was just something some people dig and others don't. No harm no foul if you don't feel like being a Christian. Some people like gardening, some don't. Some like knitting, some don't. Some like religion....some don't.

[lurtsman]

Originally Posted by Cryinbaby

Why would someone from a great West Coast city like Portland move to the boondocks that is small-town Iowa?

One of the top nursing programs in the country. Oregon has a lottery system to get in, so if you have a wonderful wife that has a 4.0 and she gets denied entrance through the lottery, you have her apply to a few top programs in the country. Then you go, no matter where it is.

[Sculptor]

Originally Posted by lurtsman

During the years I spent in Iowa it was the least egalitarian of the places I lived. Those who were outsiders were clearly considered inferior to the relatives and outsiders without a Master's degree or a PhD should only expect to work for minimum wage in most fields.

Rather than a sense that no one should go hungry, most of the people were perfectly content to let me die. It wasn't for lack of a skill set, as evidenced by the immediate employment opportunities offered to me upon leaving Iowa. Yes, there were some very good people, but by and large the society in Iowa did not resemble that of the more socially inclined European countries..

The state is BIG, judging an entire state by your very limited experience in one town or county is like saying all black people are violent criminals and will rob you because ONE did when you were in the big city on a vacation trip.

With your way of thinking, someone living in New York City would assume the entire state of New York and all the people in the state are just like the 4 thugs in their neighborhood who smashed their car window one night.

Originally Posted by moriaOR
I was born and raised in Sioux City. everywhere I have been it is red and faith based. So if you are an atheist it is going be kind of hard to breathe.

I'm in a small Iowa town and I'm a pagan, everyone at at work knows and I'm sure plenty of others do too via the grapevine though I don't have a sign up on my front lawn "PAGAN LIVES HERE." I've never had any issues or problems in the 17 years here, not one. I suspect someone who does have problems either comes off to neighbors and others as "rich and stuck up" "uppity" or "snobbish" or a chronic complainer or something else.

I have not seen or heard of the gay people here having any issues either, but then none of those I know sit in the town square making out and putting it on display, they are not "in your face" about it and they don't wear "GAY PRIDE LIKE IT OR LUMP IT" tee shirts either.

A lot of how people are treated by neighbors and others in any town is directly a result of something they do, are doing, or don't do.
Most rural or poor working people probably don't like some rich uppity type moving in next door and then complaining to the city about those neighbors' unmowed grass, junk car in the backyard or fence that is broken.

On the flip side, people in Beverly Hills would strongly not like and resent some backwood unkempt hick moving in next door to them and parking junk cars on the front lawn and leaving junk piled up on the driveway.

Do your homework and move into a neighborhood that matches the type person you are, if you are a "Bevrly Hills" type don't move into Drinkwater Tn, population 73, if you are from Drinkwater Tn and your daddy who never finished grade school ran the local bait and tackle shop his whole life, don't move into Beverly Hills and expect to be loved and treated like one of the family by the neighbors!