Desperate Need of Info for moving to Iowa (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids: for sale, real estate)

[MovingInfo]

My family and I are moving to Iowa this summer and all we know is that we need to move within an hour of Ida Grove. We'd like to buy land and build a house because we aren't having luck finding a house big enough and with all the ammenities we'd like. What i am looking for is a small town, but not too small, one that has at least a grocery store, a couple restaurants, mom and pop shops, but close to a bigger town like Sioux City, that has your Targets/Walmarts/etc. We have lots of young children and would ideally like to move to a welcoming town that has great schools. My husband works out of town alot so I will be home with the kids alone alot and I want to make sure I can find friends. We are in our 30's, I am a stay at home mom who loves to volunteer, we are Catholic. I'm hoping someone out there knows of a community we might mesh well in. Thanks!

[mdwst]

Check out [url=http://www.absolutedsm.com]absolutedsm.com - Des Moines Development[/url] for pictures/discussion of several places around Iowa.

[nrogers1122]

Why Ida Grove? If thats not too important to you I would suggest moving closer to Des Moines than Sioux City. Des Moines has so many more ammenities, jobs, and alternatives than Sioux City or the Bluffs. Waukee, Adel, or Grimes have what you're looking for. In Iowa you are never more than 30 minutes drive away from the country so if you are looking for land you can't really go wrong.

[MovingInfo]

We need to move to that location due to an ex with the kids. Also, we are not in need of jobs because my husband has his own company and can pretty much move anywhere.

[iowegian]

I am not very familiar with this area at all, but just looking at it on Google Maps, I think you might want to look into Correctionville. It appears to be one of the few towns between Ida Grove and Sioux City that are large enough to have a grocery store and a couple of restaurants, as you requested. I know nothing about the schools or anything else about the town, but it seems to have the amenities you want in the location you want.

[xube]

Why not live in Ida Grove? Iowa has one of the best internet systems in the world and you can have anything you desired delivered by the greatest postal service and UPS, FEDEX..etc. drivers in the world. I live in a small town of 600 north of Ames...22 miles and find that the treasurers of Iowa lie in small towns (restaurants, flea markets, antiques, old cars, wineries, fresh farm eggs, horse sales) and not in Des Moines, Sioux City, Cedar Rapids, etc. One can always go to the "big" city and stay the weekend to enjoy Walmart, Target, or a play....but to wake up in a small town and be able to walk your dogs without getting run over or yelled at for them pooping on the grass...and to have stars within an arms length...and to know your kids aren't going to become a number but will be known by not only their name but their family's name....that is worth all the Walmarts in China...aho Xube

[kenneth.kahl]

Ida Grove is a cool town with some pretty smart professionals who engineer the world's pavement equipment at Gomaco. I work in Denison, which is nearby to the South. We're an easy hour drive from both Sioux City and Omaha/Council Bluffs if the local Wal-Marts or Targets aren't sufficient. Also, the Omaha airport tends to have more options and better fairs than Des Moines or Sioux City, if you travel a lot.

Some relatively large and beautiful homes are for sale around here (and in Ida Grove), which you can see on the following realtors' websites:

Neppl Real Estate - "what i call home"
Denison Realty, Denison, Iowa
McCord Insurance & Real Estate Corporation
Real Estate (http://www.thamsagency.com/real%20estate.htm - broken link)

I'm Lutheran and with no children, so I don't have a lot of insight into the area's Catholic churches or schools, but feel free to message me specific questions and I could do some local checking. I run a real estate title company and work a lot with Western Iowa Tourism and would love to help ease your move in any way--even if it's not right here to Denison.

[leilay]

I know people who live very near Ida Grove, and I was going to suggest Denison to you. Good luck with your move; wherever you decide to settle.

[Squeamish]

From what you've said, I think you'll be happy living in pretty much any town in NW IA. I think you'd mesh well in most communities in Iowa. Most Iowans are welcoming, particularly in the small towns, if you have anything in common with them like religion. You won't want to live in Sioux City itself because it's dumpy and depressing, but it's a fine place for shopping and geographically Correctionville looks like a good fit. Denison is close to Ida Grove and has a Wal-Mart so it would also be a good fit. Geographically speaking, I'd recommend Denison. Unless you make frequent trips to other big box retailers besides Wal-Mart, you'll probably find yourself having to make far fewer trips outside town for shopping in Denison than you would in Correctionville. Plus Denison is closer to Omaha, for big city amenities. Sioux City is nothing compared to Omaha from that perspective.

I don't know anything about specific communities in that area, but most should be fine and welcoming. There are exceptions - I spoke to someone who recently moved to Waverly once, and he said that the only friend his family made since they moved there was somebody else who recently moved there. He made it clear that Waverly was a closed community that did not welcome outsiders. So there is a risk of that happening, but I think it's a rare exception in Iowa. And I'm not sure how to tell if another community is like Waverly unless somebody on here knows about it - they obviously won't want to advertise that they're a closed community.

[capitalcityguy]

Originally Posted by xube

Why not live in Ida Grove? Iowa has one of the best internet systems in the world and you can have anything you desired delivered by the greatest postal service and UPS, FEDEX..etc. drivers in the world. I live in a small town of 600 north of Ames...22 miles and find that the treasurers of Iowa lie in small towns (restaurants, flea markets, antiques, old cars, wineries, fresh farm eggs, horse sales) and not in Des Moines, Sioux City, Cedar Rapids, etc. One can always go to the "big" city and stay the weekend to enjoy Walmart, Target, or a play....but to wake up in a small town and be able to walk your dogs without getting run over or yelled at for them pooping on the grass...and to have stars within an arms length...and to know your kids aren't going to become a number but will be known by not only their name but their family's name....that is worth all the Walmarts in China...aho Xube

xube, That was a very nice perspective and a great essay on the benefits of small town living. In fact, I gave you a "rep" for that post. I think what it boils down to is what people most appreciate in life. I grew up in even a smaller town that you currently reside in, 250, in north central Iowa. While I have some fond memories and love going back go to visit my folks and friends, the things that little small town offers are not characteristics that interest me at this point in my life....and probably more importantly, my wife.

We live in the city limits of Des Moines, but in a small townhome association of 25 units. Everyone in the association knows everyone's name and we have gatherings a couple times a year. We have woods filled with mature Oak trees running the length of our neighborhood and a creek that run through it. Yes, we can hear the rumbling of the Interstate if the wind is in the right direction, but IMO that is a small price to pay to be so close to so many amenities. For example:

We have a 24 hr restaurant and 24 hr convenience store about 3 minutes from our house. (or less than 10 minutes by foot).
Starting in May/June through September/October there are Farmer's Markets on several different days of the week in different parts of the metro.
When I get my car serviced, I have 1/2 dozen places I can bring my car and be able to walk home as they work on it.
I have a bus stop 75 yards from my front door.
When we have friends or family in town, we have a long list of activities to choose from to entertain them...not to mention a plethora of restaurants.
Our church is 5 minutes from our home and it is the same denomination that both my wife and I grew up in. Despite our church being only 5 minutes from our house, we pass no less than 5 different churches of different dominations on the way to ours. (the point: cities give you choices)
(this my sound like a goofy thing...again, it all depends on what trips your trigger) - I pass 3 McDonalds on my 20 minute commute to work.
During the off chance my wife can get me to do some home improvements -- we have both an Ace Hardware Store and a Home Depot 10 minutes from our house. (ie...how often are you working on a project and realize you need something else to continue...for me, that is more often that I care to admit) If I'm working in the yard, no less than 3 garden centers with 10 minutes.
Target? approx 5 minutes away. Super Target - about 10 minutes (next to the Home Depot)
Grocery stores - I can drive several ways home from work. One route I can stop at Fareway. Another, Dahl's, and the third route - Hy-Vee. Again...city living provides you choices and convenience.

I could go on but I think I've made my point. I like camping and the outdoors, that is when I get my stars and peace and quiet (or we drive 15 minutes north to Saylorville Lake) . But in my "real life", I need and desire convinces and choices. This is what a larger city provides me that a smaller one can not. Pls don't interpret this as me saying I'm right and you're wrong (i.e...I wouldn't have given you the rep if I believed that). Instead, see it as simply offering an alternative to the opinion your provided.