Murph and Andy- Craptowns

[canker2323]

Out of touch w/reality much?

Best Places to Live 2010 - Top 100: 1-25 - from MONEY Magazine

I agree that the Smart Growth morons need to be booted, but Ames is a loooooonnnngggg ways away from being a dump.

Nope not out of touch with reality at all. Born and raised in Ames. Moved away for college. Get back 2 or 3 times a year. I shouldn't say Ames is a dump, but it is getting crappier by the year.

Those rankings are nothing more than a list for the chamber of commerce to thump their chests about.

 

[hawkeyeh8r]

Like many states, Iowa has trimmed university funding, but the school has not had to make drastic cuts.

how did ISU not have to make drastic cuts in 2010 and prior to that? that list is a scam because ft collins should be higher than that

 

[Al_4_State]

Nope not out of touch with reality at all. Born and raised in Ames. Moved away for college. Get back 2 or 3 times a year. I shouldn't say Ames is a dump, but it is getting crappier by the year.

Those rankings are nothing more than a list for the chamber of commerce to thump their chests about.

I haven't lived in Ames for 3 years, but I think it has more going on than it ever has. I guess I'm just not seeing this "getting crappier every year" at all. Downtown has a lot more than it did when I was starting school; Campustown could use a facelift, but I don't think it's getting any worse, and the "smart growth" idiots are getting pushed out. All the blighted trailer parks on Lincoln Way are gone; South Duff is getting revitalized, the University is constantly getting aesthetic improvements, and West Ames is coming along nicely.

I guess I fail to see this running down of Ames. Maybe the area east of Lincoln Center and south of downtown, but that's such a small pocket, and seems negligible in comparison to the rest of town.

 

[Havs]

Grew up near Marshalltown, which has one bad pocket of town, while the rest is actually pretty nice. That one pocket of town sure has a lot of problems though...

 

[cyclonedave25]

Grew up near Marshalltown, which has one bad pocket of town, while the rest is actually pretty nice. That one pocket of town sure has a lot of problems though...

Did you grow up in Haverhill?

 

[Havs]

Did you grow up in Haverhill?

Yep :smile:

I can assure you it is not an Iowa Crap Town!

 

[cyclonedave25]

Yep :smile:

I can assure you it is not an Iowa Crap Town!

Here's a funny/weird/creepy story.
I grew up in Newton and was driving to Marshalltown a few years ago and I saw a sign that said "Haverhill" with an arrow pointing off in that direction. And never in my life had I ever seen or heard of Haverhill, except for your screen name on here. I immediately thought of you and was like "hmmm I bet that's where that guy is from." :twitcy:

 

[mustangcy]

God I love these threads...we just can't seem to get more than a month or two with out a 'what Iowa town is the crappiest' can we? It's also nice to know that pretty much every town in the state gets mentioned outside of the DSM area of course (I mean the DSM area is just the greatest place on the planet right?) Anybody dumb enough and redneck enough to live outside the metro has got to be crazy, right?

My opinion...anybody that would live in Ankeny or any town even close to it is a lot dumber than someone living somwhere where you neighbor house isn't ten feet away from yours and you pay 5K in property taxes so your can feel good about yourself. People in the dsm area are getting more arrogant and materialistic by the day. Life is more than cookie cutter homes built like **** and 1/10th of an acre of land that you can push mow in 10 minutes.

 

[hawkeyeh8r]

My opinion...anybody that would live in Ankeny or any town even close to it is a lot dumber than someone living somwhere where you neighbor house isn't ten feet away from yours and you pay 5K in property taxes so your can feel good about yourself. People in the dsm area are getting more arrogant and materialistic by the day. Life is more than cookie cutter homes built like **** and 1/10th of an acre of land that you can push mow in 10 minutes.

youre right but you forgot a few things. you forgot the lexus/BMW/foreign car in the driveway and the man cave in the basement. that is what life is all about.

 

[Al_4_State]

God I love these threads...we just can't seem to get more than a month or two with out a 'what Iowa town is the crappiest' can we? It's also nice to know that pretty much every town in the state gets mentioned outside of the DSM area of course (I mean the DSM area is just the greatest place on the planet right?) Anybody dumb enough and redneck enough to live outside the metro has got to be crazy, right?

My opinion...anybody that would live in Ankeny or any town even close to it is a lot dumber than someone living somwhere where you neighbor house isn't ten feet away from yours and you pay 5K in property taxes so your can feel good about yourself. People in the dsm area are getting more arrogant and materialistic by the day. Life is more than cookie cutter homes built like **** and 1/10th of an acre of land that you can push mow in 10 minutes.

Just because a lot of smaller Iowa towns are dumpy doesn't mean there aren't a lot of nice smaller Iowa towns outside of DSM.

Spirit Lake/Okoboji
Decorah
Marquette/McGregor
Dubuque
Cedar Falls
Grinnell

There are plenty of other small well kept towns through out the state. I've been throughout most of the state and there are plenty of good small towns. I like Des Moines because I like what it has to offer, and the conveniences it affords. Being from a small town originally I completely understand why someone would want to live in a rural area, it just isn't for me right now.

 

[mustangcy]

Just because a lot of smaller Iowa towns are dumpy doesn't mean there aren't a lot of nice smaller Iowa towns outside of DSM.

Spirit Lake/Okoboji
Decorah
Marquette/McGregor
Dubuque
Cedar Falls
Grinnell

There are plenty of other small well kept towns through out the state. I've been throughout most of the state and there are plenty of good small towns. I like Des Moines because I like what it has to offer, and the conveniences it affords. Being from a small town originally I completely understand why someone would want to live in a rural area, it just isn't for me right now.

Your missing the point...most of these towns, if not all, are not that dumpy. Just because a community doesn't have the money that West Des Moines has and doesn't have an Applebee's on every corner doesn't make it junky. Let's be honest here...most of these towns everyone also seems to list are more diverse. So any town with a high hispanic population is dumpy right? I'm raising my family in a community that doesn't have a lot of money and I wouldn't have any other way. Best people in the world that have their priorities straight and don't need to be up to their necks in debt to chase the Jones. All those fancy cars and man caves? Have fun working your life away paying for a bunch of **** you don't need.

But please let's add some more towns to the list since I think we've only covered about half the state. Btw, has anybody been down south or out east? These town are like heaven in comparison.

 

[Al_4_State]

Your missing the point...most of these towns, if not all, are not that dumpy. Just because a community doesn't have the money that West Des Moines has and doesn't have an Applebee's on every corner doesn't make it junky. Let's be honest here...most of these towns everyone also seems to list are more diverse. So any town with a high hispanic population is dumpy right? I'm raising my family in a community that doesn't have a lot of money and I wouldn't have any other way. Best people in the world that have their priorities straight and don't need to be up to their necks in debt to chase the Jones. All those fancy cars and man caves? Have fun working your life away paying for a bunch of **** you don't need.

But please let's add some more towns to the list since I think we've only covered about half the state. Btw, has anybody been down south or out east? These town are like heaven in comparison.

Just because you live in a city doesn't mean you're an idiot who tries to keep up with the Jones's. I couldn't give a god damn about what the Jones's are doing. I'll always drive a cheap car.

Even in Des Moines, it's still Iowa. The people aren't all that different than the people in some of the smaller towns. They're pretty responsible, friendly, and hard working. Yeah, there are lots of suburban cookie cutter places just like you described in West Des Moines and Ankeny, but the whole area isn't like that. There are lots of neighborhoods that are very much like small towns without Applebee's on every corner and people up to their eyeballs in debt trying to drive Jaguars.

And regarding the towns being dumpy, it's all relative. Dumpy by Iowa standards is very nice compared to other parts of the country. I think we all know that.

 

[cstrunk]

But please let's add some more towns to the list since I think we've only covered about half the state. Btw, has anybody been down south or out east? These town are like heaven in comparison.

I agree with most of what you are saying. If you really want to find a "craptown"... come visit me and I'll show you some real sketchy places.

 

[tm3308]

Fort Dodge was what immediately springs to mind, and I've only been there once (technically twice, but it was for the state softball tournament last summer). But Centerville also deserves at least a mention.

Corydon isn't anything special, either.

 

[Cyhart]

God I love these threads...we just can't seem to get more than a month or two with out a 'what Iowa town is the crappiest' can we? It's also nice to know that pretty much every town in the state gets mentioned outside of the DSM area of course (I mean the DSM area is just the greatest place on the planet right?) Anybody dumb enough and redneck enough to live outside the metro has got to be crazy, right?

My opinion...anybody that would live in Ankeny or any town even close to it is a lot dumber than someone living somwhere where you neighbor house isn't ten feet away from yours and you pay 5K in property taxes so your can feel good about yourself. People in the dsm area are getting more arrogant and materialistic by the day. Life is more than cookie cutter homes built like **** and 1/10th of an acre of land that you can push mow in 10 minutes.

Murph and Andy inspired this one. And I dont think they are mean-spirited guys.
Relax. Everything will be ok.

 

[CyFan61]

Your missing the point...most of these towns, if not all, are not that dumpy. Just because a community doesn't have the money that West Des Moines has and doesn't have an Applebee's on every corner doesn't make it junky. Let's be honest here...most of these towns everyone also seems to list are more diverse. So any town with a high hispanic population is dumpy right? I'm raising my family in a community that doesn't have a lot of money and I wouldn't have any other way. Best people in the world that have their priorities straight and don't need to be up to their necks in debt to chase the Jones. All those fancy cars and man caves? Have fun working your life away paying for a bunch of **** you don't need.

But please let's add some more towns to the list since I think we've only covered about half the state. Btw, has anybody been down south or out east? These town are like heaven in comparison.

So basically, you are calling people out for what they call dumpy towns, and at the same time criticizing many of their towns/cities in the same sense that they are criticizing others, too.

Pot meet kettle.

 

[michaelrr1]

Des Moines.

 

[CloneIce]

They should have classes based on population. Hard to argue with Ottumwa among larger towns, but who could argue the per capita craptastic merits of a Lehigh or Hamburg or Little Sioux?

Yeah, I think Little Sioux and River Sioux have to be the winners per capita. Do they even have paved streets? Basically nothing but trailer parks left. I know someone who was attacked by a pack of wild dogs in the "city" limits.

 

[Al_4_State]

My home town had 1 1/2 paved streets. One of these was the county highway that passed along the edge of town. The other was the first two blocks of main street. "Snow removal" was nothing more than the mayor firing up his row-crop Farmall Super H with a bucket on the front of it and pushing a path from his house to the bars.

 

[CloneIce]

If things don't change (Smart Growth, idiots on city council), Ames will be on the list of crappiest towns in Iowa.

Everytime I go back to visit family the town gets dumpier (not sure if this is a word, but it applies to Ames).

Ames is consistenly ranked as one of the best places to live in the entire freaking country.

That post was an utter failure. Ames is an incredibly nice town. If you think Ames is a crappy town, you must have incredibly limited exposure to other towns its size.