Why Move to Iowa???
- Thread starter MileHiCyclone
- Start date
TRAFFIC---or a lack of, even and Air Traffic Controller can appreciate a lack of road traffic :smile:. Who wants to waste half their life waiting in their car driving to and from things?
Friendly people.
Good food-relatively cheap compared to some other places.
Great bang for you buck as far as house/land and cost of living. You can make your money last here.
Good luck!
Friendly people.
Good food-relatively cheap compared to some other places.
Great bang for you buck as far as house/land and cost of living. You can make your money last here.
Good luck!
If your kids are young, then having a set of grandparents close is big. I wouldnt choose a rural house, had a couple friends who tried this with NYC wives and they couldn't handle the quiet and not walking to everything.
Ethnic and religion diversity is the only diversity that you could lack in a smaller town. We are in a town of 2k and economically my kids go to school with families that are poverty to ones earning over 1MM a year. Nobody points out the disparity and the kids get along fine. One of my four year olds better friend is Hispanic so there is some diversity of cultures.
We help our neighbors out, most are 80 plus, we live in a nicer area of the town, and they always keep an eye out for our kids safety and have no issue with them impeding on their property when they play. We do have younger couples to do things with, we just dont live by them
I have a 30 mile drive to work, which takes just as long as my nephews 2 mile Minneapolis commute. In a smaller school, 100 or so per grade, they can participate in whatever they want and not have try outs and might get cut. You will know your kids' friends and not need to worry about who their friends are this year, they will usually stay pretty consistent.
Ethnic and religion diversity is the only diversity that you could lack in a smaller town. We are in a town of 2k and economically my kids go to school with families that are poverty to ones earning over 1MM a year. Nobody points out the disparity and the kids get along fine. One of my four year olds better friend is Hispanic so there is some diversity of cultures.
We help our neighbors out, most are 80 plus, we live in a nicer area of the town, and they always keep an eye out for our kids safety and have no issue with them impeding on their property when they play. We do have younger couples to do things with, we just dont live by them
I have a 30 mile drive to work, which takes just as long as my nephews 2 mile Minneapolis commute. In a smaller school, 100 or so per grade, they can participate in whatever they want and not have try outs and might get cut. You will know your kids' friends and not need to worry about who their friends are this year, they will usually stay pretty consistent.
i moved back to iowa (now des moines) after living in the twin cities for 6 years. l miss some things but the traffic is why i never live there again. unless the right job comes around $$$$
We left ISU and moved to KC for 9 years. We wanted to raise our son in Iowa so we moved back when he was under 3. Other than the weather, it was a great move for us. Being able to attend BB games anytime I want is a huge deal. Being located in Iowa, you can go to any "big" city in the nation and you are centrally located for shorter flights.
Ankeny is where we ended up and has been the best "community" I have been apart of. Living in Denver has gotten your family used to snow and cold weather, so that shouldn't be the big downside. DSM has everything most would want to do, bars, arts, sports. It's just not as varied or available as freely. But who wants to go to a play every week. :wink:
Take her on RAGBRAI this year and both of you will make it a priority to move back.
Ankeny is where we ended up and has been the best "community" I have been apart of. Living in Denver has gotten your family used to snow and cold weather, so that shouldn't be the big downside. DSM has everything most would want to do, bars, arts, sports. It's just not as varied or available as freely. But who wants to go to a play every week. :wink:
Take her on RAGBRAI this year and both of you will make it a priority to move back.
I'd tell here we are moving. My way or the highway. Will probably turn her on if you take charge like that. 
I'm not a native Iowan so I can completely relate to your wife. Definately play up the "it's best for the kids" routine. It's the only thing that has kept us here for so long. Less traffic, lower cost of living and relative close proximity to other major midwest cities are also a selling point. Promise he a few shopping trips a year (if that is something important to her) and a commitment to nice trips outside the state on a regular basis.
You should easily be able to find a neighborhood to meet your personality in the DM area so that shouldn't be a problem. I assume that family would be closer and that is HUGE.
Don't pretend that it's not that big of a deal for her to move here because it is a big deal. But perhaps you could could convince to at least try it for a year or two before she completely dismisses the idea. Stress that it is mostly for the kids and time will fly by while your here.
You should easily be able to find a neighborhood to meet your personality in the DM area so that shouldn't be a problem. I assume that family would be closer and that is HUGE.
Don't pretend that it's not that big of a deal for her to move here because it is a big deal. But perhaps you could could convince to at least try it for a year or two before she completely dismisses the idea. Stress that it is mostly for the kids and time will fly by while your here.
Buy season tickets and come to all home games. A few drives across Nebraska ought to convince her.
There's no realistic advantages to sell her on. You can find quality living around Denver just as easily as around Des Moines. Nice communities, safe streets, good schools, etc. etc. etc. Lower cost of living maybe? That's about all you've got.
If your parents are still living in Iowa, the being close to grandparents angle can't be oversold. That would probably be your best bet.
There's no realistic advantages to sell her on. You can find quality living around Denver just as easily as around Des Moines. Nice communities, safe streets, good schools, etc. etc. etc. Lower cost of living maybe? That's about all you've got.
If your parents are still living in Iowa, the being close to grandparents angle can't be oversold. That would probably be your best bet.
Look I love Iowa State as much as the next person, but if I were married to you and you were thinking of moving from Denver to Des Moines I would poison you.
There is no competition between living in the Denver area and anywhere in Iowa.
There is no competition between living in the Denver area and anywhere in Iowa.
Iowa is not for everyone, and I like it that way.
But to answer your question -- Zombie Burger.
But to answer your question -- Zombie Burger.
This sums up my thoughts well. I grew up in Iowa, moved to Fort Collins and then later moved back to the midwest (Illinois). I regretted that decision for 3 years. Now I'm in NW Arkansas (not as nice as Fort Collins, but I like it), and don't foresee myself making that same mistake again.
I'm guessing less stress at DSM in your job, so you living longer would be another reason for her.
Iowa's best selling points relative to other states are: lower cost of living, fiscally conservative, above average (used to be tops) education, and hospitality. All of these, though, can be negated if you aren't connected. It is important then to match connection opportunities within the neighborhood, community, school system, work place, etc. to your family situation. If she is a stay-at-home mom, identify a few small-to-medium communities where she can become involved in the school system and community fairly easily such as Ames, Ankeny, or Indianola (I don't really know the good small towns in that corridor). If she works outside the home, point out medium-to-large communities where the connection opportunities match her comfort zone such as Ames, the western Des Moines suburbs, and Indianola. Another benefit in Ames and Indianola is that they are "college towns". College towns tend to keep a younger profile and outlook due to the focus on serving students. This helps families with school-age children find connection opportunities.
Personally for me, I'd love to relocate to Ames even though that would mean a 30 - 45 minute commute for you. That wouldn't bother me as I had the same commute time for 29 years in the Detroit area in order to pick a community that matched my family but I can understand that you may have better opportunities.
Personally for me, I'd love to relocate to Ames even though that would mean a 30 - 45 minute commute for you. That wouldn't bother me as I had the same commute time for 29 years in the Detroit area in order to pick a community that matched my family but I can understand that you may have better opportunities.
Well the winters here in the Des Moines area only get to 38 degrees with little to no snow. Well this year anyway.
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
Some points to ponder:
1) I had a college friend at ISU from Detroit. She moved to the Phoenix area for five years but actually missed the chang of seasons. If you are a golf lover, it would be hard to make that move back compared to playing 12 months there, but for diversity of sports (ever try to cross country ski in Phoenix?) it was a sell for her.
2) I moved to South Africa for work and lived out of Iowa for 4 years. Moving back helped me understand what we valued, as well as what we miss here. Family was our number one reason for being here. I work in ag, so the job opportunities are here, but I can move to Minneapolis if I would like, but there is a 20+% cost of living change in doing so. We accidentally left our garage door up one day and were gone all day and nothing was missing! My kid has people from 13 countries in his school, yet thinks it is pretty "Lilly white" as his school in SA had kids from 55 countries!
3) Lots of planes leave Des Moines, but it is butt expensive to air travel from. I fly a ton for work and it is more expensive from here compared to KC, Omaha, Minny...etc., but you can always drive and fly from there.
1) I had a college friend at ISU from Detroit. She moved to the Phoenix area for five years but actually missed the chang of seasons. If you are a golf lover, it would be hard to make that move back compared to playing 12 months there, but for diversity of sports (ever try to cross country ski in Phoenix?) it was a sell for her.
2) I moved to South Africa for work and lived out of Iowa for 4 years. Moving back helped me understand what we valued, as well as what we miss here. Family was our number one reason for being here. I work in ag, so the job opportunities are here, but I can move to Minneapolis if I would like, but there is a 20+% cost of living change in doing so. We accidentally left our garage door up one day and were gone all day and nothing was missing! My kid has people from 13 countries in his school, yet thinks it is pretty "Lilly white" as his school in SA had kids from 55 countries!
3) Lots of planes leave Des Moines, but it is butt expensive to air travel from. I fly a ton for work and it is more expensive from here compared to KC, Omaha, Minny...etc., but you can always drive and fly from there.
I grew up in rural SW Iowa. I was one of those guys whose dorm had more people in it than my entire K-12 high school. I really enjoy living in Des Moines, which is plenty big city for me. Seems like it's a good balance of small town (low traffic, low cost of living, hunting, fishing, biking) and big city stuff (lots of restaurants, plenty of shopping, tons of shows, sporting events (ISU), etc)
I really can't think of something that KC or Minneapolis offer that Des Moines doesn't. In broad terms, that is. :nah:
I really can't think of something that KC or Minneapolis offer that Des Moines doesn't. In broad terms, that is. :nah:
