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Ames Living. Apartments?

CheapClone1202

CheapClone1202

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Sep 8, 2019
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Hey guys, I have lived in Nebraska my entire life, and I would say I am likely to stay here, but I am considering all of my options. I graduate college in a month and have no real plan of what's next for me, but I am looking at life in Ames or nearby areas. I think my questions to you all would be, A. Am I an idiot for looking to move to unfamiliar territory? B. Is it possible to find cheap living in Ames that doesn't operate mostly for students? C. Am I going to be able to find a job? I wont give you my life story but I am definitely more of a white collar guy with a soon to be degree in criminal justice, but my #1 passion will always be Iowa State athletics. Sorry if this comes off as the rantings of a lunatic but anxious to hear your thoughts as I search the internet for apartments in Ames.
 
CheapClone1202 said:
Hey guys, I have lived in Nebraska my entire life, and I would say I am likely to stay here, but I am considering all of my options. I graduate college in a month and have no real plan of what's next for me, but I am looking at life in Ames or nearby areas. I think my questions to you all would be, A. Am I an idiot for looking to move to unfamiliar territory? B. Is it possible to find cheap living in Ames that doesn't operate mostly for students? C. Am I going to be able to find a job? I wont give you my life story but I am definitely more of a white collar guy with a soon to be degree in criminal justice, but my #1 passion will always be Iowa State athletics. Sorry if this comes off as the rantings of a lunatic but anxious to hear your thoughts as I search the internet for apartments in Ames.
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A) Not at all
B) How cheap is cheap? By yourself or fine with roommates? I lived in West Ames sophomore through senior year in a few different places and absolutely loved it.
C) I'm not gonna be much help there but best of luck.
 
There are a few non-undergrad apartment buildings in west Ames off Mortensen. I lived in the complex by the research park for a couple years out of school. I'd also check out the Somerset neighborhood.
 
Huxley, Nevada, SC will all be cheaper but if you're young, I'd stay in Ames. Somewhere like Sommerset.
 
CheapClone1202 said:
Hey guys, I have lived in Nebraska my entire life, and I would say I am likely to stay here, but I am considering all of my options. I graduate college in a month and have no real plan of what's next for me, but I am looking at life in Ames or nearby areas. I think my questions to you all would be, A. Am I an idiot for looking to move to unfamiliar territory? B. Is it possible to find cheap living in Ames that doesn't operate mostly for students? C. Am I going to be able to find a job? I wont give you my life story but I am definitely more of a white collar guy with a soon to be degree in criminal justice, but my #1 passion will always be Iowa State athletics. Sorry if this comes off as the rantings of a lunatic but anxious to hear your thoughts as I search the internet for apartments in Ames.
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You're not an idiot. If Ames is someplace you really want to live that's a pretty achievable goal. Iowa in general is low cost living and the DSM metro is a reasonable commute for finding a job if you can't find something in Ames.
 
mtowncyclone13 said:
What about Ames do you find appealing? I love Ames in college and right after, but you could love many places just the same.
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I think the biggest pull is life in a smaller town that isn’t farmland, that still offers access to a bigger city (DSM). Combine this with my regret of going to college at home and not (as if I could afford it) going to Iowa State and I’m very attracted to being in that community. Doesn’t hurt that I’ve been surrounded by Nebraska fans my whole life.
 
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CheapClone1202 said:
I think the biggest pull is life in a smaller town that isn’t farmland, that still offers access to a bigger city (DSM). Combine this with my regret of going to college at home and not (as if I could afford it) going to Iowa State and I’m very attracted to being in that community. Doesn’t hurt that I’ve been surrounded by Nebraska fans my whole life.
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You said criminal justice, Polk County has a zillion openings in various law enforcement fields. (Targeted Facebook Ad)
 
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JP4CY said:
You said criminal justice, Polk County has a zillion openings in various law enforcement fields. (Targeted Facebook Ad)
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I also do some sports journalism now and would kill for that in the future but definitely have no educational background to back that up nor would I know how to get into that in a way that I’d like
 
I did not grow up in Nebraska but a year out of college I was ready to get out of Ames. I have since moved back and as a 32 year old I love Ames again. I would suggest Des Moines if you are young, single, looking for a job, and don’t have friends in the area.
I will say Ames has done a much better job at keeping young professionals after college so I wouldn’t completely rule it out, I just can’t speak to it.
 
I’ll add one last thing. There are plenty of people (many here) that are successful in fields that have no relation to what they studied. Any other passions or skills?
 
What part of Nebraska? I would say Ames is a much more liberal environment (especially school system) than much of rural Nebraska. I grew up there and have a lot of family in the rural areas of Nebraska. Ames is a great community but that would probably be the biggest difference. I think south Ames by the airport has newer apartments for non students.
 
I've lived all over Ames and several spots weren't in college kid areas. South Ames is good and I currently live in Somerset in north Ames. Rent isn't cheap but you can shop around and find something that works for you.

As others have said, good opportunities for young professionals in the area especially if you look at places in Des Moines.
 
CheapClone1202 said:
Hey guys, I have lived in Nebraska my entire life, and I would say I am likely to stay here, but I am considering all of my options. I graduate college in a month and have no real plan of what's next for me, but I am looking at life in Ames or nearby areas. I think my questions to you all would be, A. Am I an idiot for looking to move to unfamiliar territory? B. Is it possible to find cheap living in Ames that doesn't operate mostly for students? C. Am I going to be able to find a job? I wont give you my life story but I am definitely more of a white collar guy with a soon to be degree in criminal justice, but my #1 passion will always be Iowa State athletics. Sorry if this comes off as the rantings of a lunatic but anxious to hear your thoughts as I search the internet for apartments in Ames.
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A. Are you graduating from Iowa State? If yes, then you probably know enough about Ames to determine whether this is a good choice. If no, then you probably should spend some significant time in Ames and talking to people in Ames before you move.

B. Cheap is what you make it. It is more of a lifestyle question. And if you are an Iowa State student, use your networks now to try to find housing opportunities. If not, it will be much harder.

C. Again jobs are what you make them. There is always some kind of work in Ames. And with low unemployment, you should be able to find something in a field of interest, even more if you are willing to drive to DM.

Go Cyclones. Please tell us more about how someone growing up in Huskerland became such a big Iowa State fan.
 
I lived in Ames for 4 years after graduating in 2010, left in 2014. The thing about living in Ames after graduating is that as people start to graduate, they begin to leave and your friend group can begin to dwindle. At about 3-4 year post graduating, all of my friends had left, and those seeking graduate studies began leaving too. The only thing keeping me there was getting my MBA. Once I got my MBA, I left for Kansas City.
 
If I were in your position I’d move downtown Des Moines over Ames. Waaaay more to do and more job opportunities, plus really close to Ames for game day.
 
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CheapClone1202 said:
Hey guys, I have lived in Nebraska my entire life, and I would say I am likely to stay here, but I am considering all of my options. I graduate college in a month and have no real plan of what's next for me, but I am looking at life in Ames or nearby areas. I think my questions to you all would be, A. Am I an idiot for looking to move to unfamiliar territory? B. Is it possible to find cheap living in Ames that doesn't operate mostly for students? C. Am I going to be able to find a job? I wont give you my life story but I am definitely more of a white collar guy with a soon to be degree in criminal justice, but my #1 passion will always be Iowa State athletics. Sorry if this comes off as the rantings of a lunatic but anxious to hear your thoughts as I search the internet for apartments in Ames.
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I’m having trouble squaring this all up. Are you looking for a house or apartment? Houses in Ames are, in my experience more expensive than anywhere on Nebraska. A quick trip to Google will give you a good idea about rental options. Same with employment. It’s not unreasonable to expect to commute to Des Moines for work, and I wouldn’t recommend planning a move without having a job squared away.
 
There are a number of apartment complexes that won't rent to undergrads. The couple near the research park as already mentioned, and one just behind the north Fareway grocery store - I have known a couple different people who live(d) there and they all really liked the complex (plus the actual apartments are quite nice). The job market for better paying jobs is kind of tight, but not impossible. The county seat is Nevada (one town to the east, about 6500 people), so county criminal justice jobs would be there.

Ames is pretty cool, honestly. There's always stuff to do when there's no pandemic happening. It's not in your face, like larger cities - you have to seek some stuff out. But I tell people if you're bored here, it's your own fault. Plus DSM is an easy drive for bigger city amenities.
 
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