Iowa City vs. Cedar Rapids (Coralville, North Liberty: rental, house, neighborhood)

[Sparks]

I thought we were going to be looking south of DM but now our search "may" have moved east.

Not looking to live where I can touch my neighbor, we have no kids, late 30's couple. Prefer nice neighborhood or rural town.

Found a LOVELY home online in IC on Foster St. very near the university, I REALLY liked the house but it's a little too congested in that area for our liking.

I almost think it would be better to rent for 6 months or so since we are pretty unfamiliar with these areas.

Any suggestions on what areas to look? Why would you pick one city over the other? Amenities, jobs, crime, etc?

[iowegian]

If you want to be in town, I would pick Iowa City. I'm biased because I grew up there (well, in Coralville) but I just like the looks of Iowa City better, and there are more things to do here than in CR. We get more cultural events here because of the University, like concerts, theatre, etc. I also think Iowa City is maybe a little safer, (except for the far SE side of town) but I have no way of objectively comparing them, so I don't know.

Coralville and North Liberty are nice too, but very suburban, and so maybe not what you're looking for. Rent is cheaper in Coralville and NL than it is in Iowa City, because it's farther from campus, but I think you would find it too congested. Even Tiffin is growing so fast that I wouldn't recommend it for you.

You might want to look into Solon, Swisher, Shueyville, and Ely. These are all small towns in between IC and CR. I like Solon the best out of those, because it's the largest and also very close to the lake, which is nice. West Branch is east of Iowa City and is a very nice small town, as are Hills, Riverside, and Lone Tree south of IC, and Oxford west of IC. All of these are roughly 30 minutes or less from downtown Iowa City. You might have trouble finding rental properties because these towns are smaller, but you may be able to find something.

[Sparks]

Thanks. I'll look online for homes in those communites. I've only been looking online for homes and jobs so far. Don't think I'll look for a rental until we are 100% sure on the move - the rental would be temporary anyway. That way if we get to Iowa and decide it's really not for us, then we aren't stuck with a house to sell.

[JMsioux]

I've compared both cities recently and we chose Cedar Rapids versus IC. I've never really wanted to live in a "college town" even though there is enough space in IC to get away from the campus. The housing in CR tends to be lower than IC and the property taxes are the 3rd lowest of Iowa's ten largest cities. The school system in IC is also in a bit of upheaval due to some redistricting while CR has remained fairly stable.

[Evan_Lanctot]

Plus you'll be close enough to drive to IC anytime. I found IC to have a bit of an "attitude" when I lived there(and I am liberal).

Cedar Rapids isn't nearly as "nice" but it's good enough.

[jmgg]

Originally Posted by Evan_Lanctot

Plus you'll be close enough to drive to IC anytime. I found IC to have a bit of an "attitude" when I lived there(and I am liberal).

Cedar Rapids isn't nearly as "nice" but it's good enough.

Very true on the "attitude". IC is a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. To me the best of all worlds is to live in one of nicer subburb towns mentioned or even in a CR subburb and still be close to IC for the fun. If looking for housing in CR, check very closely where the flood zones are.