Thinking about moving out of Iowa

[jcf817]

Another advantage of living in Charlotte or close by is its a major hub airport, you can get to almost anywhere directly flying out of there, but it's kind of a cluster for a setup. Regular Charlotte to Des Moines flights daily.

What do you mean by a cluster for a setup? The airport? It's a very busy airport, but it's a very easy to get in and out of, it's well laid out, and they have been investing A LOT of money into it. I've never flown anything but American in and out of Charlotte, so I'm not sure what it's like for other airlines.

 

[jcf817]

Good friend of mine moved there many years ago, she was used to Midwest winters. One of their first winters down there they got maybe 1 inch of snow and it was almost like the entire city shut down. Schools were cancelled. People were freaking out about driving in it. She found it very funny.

That was my exact experience, as well. I laughed about it, but then you realize that they have ZERO infrastructure for handling winter weather and most of the other drivers on the road have no idea how to handle it. It's much safer to stay home in winter weather, even if you know what you're doing.

 

[NWICY]

It doesn't have "a lot" of rain, it's just a grey, misty drizzle from like November to March. The no sun thing is legit though and it really bothers some people, it just doesn't bother me personally.

I had a 3 day experience of it when I was out there. no thunder no lightning just rain anything from a drizzle to a nice soft rain, it was really quite nice.

 

[1SEIACLONE]

What do you mean by a cluster for a setup? The airport? It's a very busy airport, but it's a very easy to get in and out of, it's well laid out, and they have been investing A LOT of money into it. I've never flown anything but American in and out of Charlotte, so I'm not sure what it's like for other airlines.

Heard lots of people say it's one of the worst airports to fly in and out of, I have only been through there once, but it's too small for the amount of traffic that rolls through there. It's a major regional hub and should have been expanded years ago is all I am saying.

 

[CyCrazy]

I am going somewhere in the Carolinas or Georgia when I hang it up. Something near Athens Ga, Asheville NC, Charleston SC.

 

[Pope]

Move to Ankeny. Everyone else has.

 

[1SEIACLONE]

I am going somewhere in the Carolinas or Georgia when I hang it up. Something near Athens Ga, Asheville NC, Charleston SC.

Just a beautiful area of the county, lots of trees and the people are very cordial at least on the surface. We really like the Ashville area but we have not been there since the hurricane a few years ago and that did a lot of damage.

 

[Derek Duke]

Living in South Texas, the first thing I think about when I come back from vacation from other states is "Why do I live here?" I don't ever blame people for wanting to leave somewhere where they have been for years and years.

 

[Cyched]

I live in Denver; while it shouldn’t be a major factor in deciding where to live, one thing that has been nice is the number of ISU alums out here. If you’ll miss being close to ISU for games and such, it may help to find a metro with a decent number of alums and active alumni group.

While there’s plenty of “competition” in terms of outdoor activities and stuff to do in the city, it is nice to have a solid group that can put on game watches and other activities. It may help you meet people depending on where you end up.

 

[JEFF420]

Just got out of a long-term relationship a few months ago and I've been thinking about moving out of Iowa now that I have nothing tying me down.
I wanted to hear from others who have left where you ended up, if you have any advice about picking a place to live, etc.
I'm thinking somewhere with mild winters, relatively close to mountains or beaches, good job market and lots of people around my age (30s). My current job is as a Product Owner at an insurance company so thinking it would be relatively easy to find something similar in a bigger city.
Thanks!

if you are a desert guy.... I like New Mexico but its takes a certain person to see the beauty.

 

[mramseyISU]

SLC could maybe foot the bill.

I spent a week out there for work a while back. It was really cool being surrounded by mountains on 3 sides. It was weird though all the laws out there from being mostly Mormon though. The weirdest one was you can't just go buy a beer in a bar, you had to buy food so most bars had a bowl of rice on the menu that you had to order first before you could get a beer.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

The Golden research triangle, and Ashville are beautiful areas, in South Carolina, Columbia is very nice and cheaper prices, feels much like a bigger version of Ames because its the state capital, but also the home of the Gamecocks. South Carolina does get humid, especially along the coast, but towards the west by Clemson is very nice weather wise.

When we took my daughter to Clemson for a campus visit, I came away impressed with the area. The feel of the university, people and surrounding area was as close to an Ames vibe as I'd gotten at any other college town we visited.

 

[AuH2O]

Wife and I lived in CO springs and moved back to Iowa (DM then Ames) about 15 years ago. When we were there cost of living was very good. Housing has really jumped there since, though. Regret leaving a lot. Quick drive and you’re in the mountains, about an hour to Denver activities, skiing etc.

As others said, Asheville, NC was great. In the mountains and reasonable drive to the ocean for a weekend. Too far for a day trip. But I haven’t seen it since all the floods a few years ago. They were really bad.

Asheville was also pretty spendy, but the thing is, housing is expensive in these places because they are great places to live. Comparing it to living in Iowa, you have to take into account that we are in the middle of a cancer-ridden cornfield.

 

[Derek Duke]

if you are a desert guy.... I like New Mexico but its takes a certain person to see the beauty.

I prefer Arizona or Utah

 

[Big Daddy Kang]

Good friend of mine moved there many years ago, she was used to Midwest winters. One of their first winters down there they got maybe 1 inch of snow and it was almost like the entire city shut down. Schools were cancelled. People were freaking out about driving in it. She found it very funny.

Yeah, my friend from Charlotte gets more snow days than I do (in Madison, WI).

 

[ackatch]

I lived in Ames for 2.5 years after college and finally realized I needed to get out. Applied and applied for jobs in Minneapolis because I had/have a ton of friends up there. Finally landed a job and moved up, met my now wife, job hopped a bit and had a kid. Finally moved back to Iowa because driving back for football games just got to be exhausting and we realized a lot of our friends that were at the same phase of life were down here.

I love Minnesota and the Twin Cities to this day. As someone who has been traveling for work a lot, having a major airport in MSP is a massive win (not to mention it's one of the nicest airports in the country).

Winters suck though.

 

[AuH2O]

I spent a week out there for work a while back. It was really cool being surrounded by mountains on 3 sides. It was weird though all the laws out there from being mostly Mormon though. The weirdest one was you can't just go buy a beer in a bar, you had to buy food so most bars had a bowl of rice on the menu that you had to order first before you could get a beer.

Water problems and the Great Salt Lake could be massive problems there in the real near future. It could be some catastrophic talk, but people there are getting really worried. It’s like 30% of its peak water volume, and the resulting dry bed/dust presents a real toxicity concern.

SLC area is really nice though. Hopefully they can figure out the Great Salt lake stuff.

 

[JP4CY]

I spent a week out there for work a while back. It was really cool being surrounded by mountains on 3 sides. It was weird though all the laws out there from being mostly Mormon though. The weirdest one was you can't just go buy a beer in a bar, you had to buy food so most bars had a bowl of rice on the menu that you had to order first before you could get a beer.

Last time I was out there, I drove from Provo up the east side of the mountain range. Just amazing. Almost a "A River Runs Through It" vibe.

 

[cytor]

I live in Minny and I do concur that the airport is top notch. That being said, when I retire, I'm leaving to a state that has no state tax. The state taxes up here are pretty high. I'll likely keep my house, but move for 6 months and 1 day to establish residency somewhere else. I'll come back up in the summer months. Northern Minn is gorgeous.

 

[TiedieCy2022]

Moved to Houston about 2.5 years ago. Really enjoy it, certainly not for everyone as Houston is not saw as the premier Texan city, screw DFW and Austin. Above average alumni base here as well.