Le Mars living?

[2speedy1]

People that have never lived in a small town, or in the country should probably limit their comments on moving to said small town.

Everyone knows those that hate everything but city life, and bag on anyone that suggests something other might be desirable, but if someone has never actually lived there, their opinion is not really valid, its all based in bias and stereotypes.

Personally, I think this has to be a decision made totally by the poster. Both, places have their advantages and disadvantages. And because you move to one place does not mean in a few years you cant move somewhere else.

It really all depends on what you want out of your experience, what kind of activities you like, and what you value in a particular location.

If you prefer a small town but with the luxuries of a large city find a town just outside a larger city, that fits your needs, maybe 5 or 10 miles, if you want to be close to both those towns you mention, and dont mind a small commute pick somewhere in between as someone suggested.

Obviously Iowa is not for everyone, but others Iowa is home and people love it. Same can be said for small towns and big Cities.

Sit down and talk to your partner, weigh the options and decide what is the best fit for you, and just remember if you decide it is not for you, you can always move again some day. Because you are never going to get the answer from a bunch of random strangers with opinions all over the place on a Cyclone forum.

 

[everyyard]

Omaha.

 

[CheapClone1202]

Depends upon how lucrative their speed trap is. I swear EVERY small town has a clandestine speed trap locals know about but they nail a good number of through travelers with.

I have been pulled over twice in the same spot there…

 

[KneeGusto]

I moved to a small town once.. well maybe twice. The neighbors brought over coupons for Pepsi products because they say they saw us hauling in groceries from the grocery store, which included Pepsi and Mountain Dew.

Didn't think much of it and thought it was a nice gesture. Then I slept on it. My neighbors were watching what we brought in from the grocery store.

Steven King movies started playing in my mind.

 

[Gunnerclone]

I moved to a small town once.. well maybe twice. The neighbors brought over coupons for Pepsi products because they say they saw us hauling in groceries from the grocery store, which included Pepsi and Mountain Dew.

Didn't think much of it and thought it was a nice gesture. Then I slept on it. My neighbors were watching what we brought in from the grocery store.

Steven King movies started playing in my mind.

Small town people: waaaaaalllleeeee they’re just being observant and friendly neighbors, nothing wrong with that woo howdy

City People: if they are watching us bring in groceries they are watching us shower and change clothes

 

[CYEATHAWK]

Small town people: waaaaaalllleeeee they’re just being observant and friendly neighbors, nothing wrong with that woo howdy

City People: if they are watching us bring in groceries they are watching us shower and change clothes

Small town people: nosey neighbors looking for something to talk about over coffee every morning.

City people: looking for home and away routines to get the best time to break in.

 

[RLD4ISU]

Hey folks, girlfriend lives in Le Mars, I live in Omaha, eventually one of us is gonna have to move to the other. She’s just finishing college in December, I graduated in May, nothing is really keeping us in either place but I’m looking in to moving to Le Mars just in case. Anyone here live there ever or currently? One of my bigger concerns is moving to a small town and knowing no one other than my girlfriends family and friends. Also, how hard is it going to be for me to pursue a white collar career in a small town? I feel like I have a lot of assumptions about living in a smaller area that are very skewed by living my entire life in Omaha.

I haven't read through all the replies, so sorry if I repeat. My husband and I grew up in small towns. We have lived in the area I grew up, lived in the TC area, had children, moved back to the community my husband grew up in (population 2,600), moved to a bigger community (10,000) three years ago and now we're getting ready to move back the TC area. In 9 years, we hope move to a place on a lake or somewhere with a lot of land. Priorities change over the years.

Moving away from family can be hard to do and it can be a good change. I've always said that anyone from a small town needs to go live in a bigger area for a bit.

There are good and bad to both small town living and bigger city/town living. Big city/towns still have the nosey neighbors. If you get involved with organizations, you'll still have to deal with the same stuff no matter what size town you live in. Do what's best for you & your girlfriend. (What does she want?)

I know LeMars is a Main Street community. If I were to suggest an organization to get involved with, that would be one. You're helping to invest back into the community you live.

 

[RLD4ISU]

I moved to a small town once.. well maybe twice. The neighbors brought over coupons for Pepsi products because they say they saw us hauling in groceries from the grocery store, which included Pepsi and Mountain Dew.

Didn't think much of it and thought it was a nice gesture. Then I slept on it. My neighbors were watching what we brought in from the grocery store.

Steven King movies started playing in my mind.

One thing I'm going to miss when we move is (some of) our neighbors. A retired gentleman in his mid 70s lives across the street and most days you can find him sitting on his front deck. If we are away from home, he keeps an eye on our place. If I have a package delivered while we're gone and I don't want it sitting out, he'll pick it up for me. If he's not home, we have several other neighbors that will do the same. One winter he cleared our driveway before we got home from vacation. He gardens, cans food, bakes, makes homemade jellies and gives away quite a bit of it to neighbors, his family and anyone he knows of that is in need. He knows the history of our neighborhood, who lives in it and when someone not from our area is driving around.

Awhile back, one neighbor start cutting down a tree and within 15 minutes, neighbors from four other homes were over to help out. Within 30 minutes, the tree was down, cut up and the mess was cleaned up. I think everyone kind of keeps an eye out for the children running around the neighborhood. Quite a few are quick to offer from their gardens, help with clearing snow or mowing a neighbor's yard. The neighborhood isn't perfect, but if you're going to have neighbors that can see and hear anything happening outside (and sometimes inside) your home because you live so close - it's a good one.

 

[CloniesForLife]

One thing I'm going to miss when we move is (some of) our neighbors. A retired gentleman in his mid 70s lives across the street and most days you can find him sitting on his front deck. If we are away from home, he keeps an eye on our place. If I have a package delivered while we're gone and I don't want it sitting out, he'll pick it up for me. If he's not home, we have several other neighbors that will do the same. One winter he cleared our driveway before we got home from vacation. He gardens, cans food, bakes, makes homemade jellies and gives away quite a bit of it to neighbors, his family and anyone he knows of that is in need. He knows the history of our neighborhood, who lives in it and when someone not from our area is driving around.

Awhile back, one neighbor start cutting down a tree and within 15 minutes, neighbors from four other homes were over to help out. Within 30 minutes, the tree was down, cut up and the mess was cleaned up. I think everyone kind of keeps an eye out for the children running around the neighborhood. Quite a few are quick to offer from their gardens, help with clearing snow or mowing a neighbor's yard. The neighborhood isn't perfect, but if you're going to have neighbors that can see and hear anything happening outside (and sometimes inside) your home because you live so close - it's a good one.

Having good neighbors makes a big difference. I live in the Cities and know several of our neighbors and we all look out for each other when people are traveling. It's nice to have that community.

 

[BCClone]

One thing I'm going to miss when we move is (some of) our neighbors. A retired gentleman in his mid 70s lives across the street and most days you can find him sitting on his front deck. If we are away from home, he keeps an eye on our place. If I have a package delivered while we're gone and I don't want it sitting out, he'll pick it up for me. If he's not home, we have several other neighbors that will do the same. One winter he cleared our driveway before we got home from vacation. He gardens, cans food, bakes, makes homemade jellies and gives away quite a bit of it to neighbors, his family and anyone he knows of that is in need. He knows the history of our neighborhood, who lives in it and when someone not from our area is driving around.

Awhile back, one neighbor start cutting down a tree and within 15 minutes, neighbors from four other homes were over to help out. Within 30 minutes, the tree was down, cut up and the mess was cleaned up. I think everyone kind of keeps an eye out for the children running around the neighborhood. Quite a few are quick to offer from their gardens, help with clearing snow or mowing a neighbor's yard. The neighborhood isn't perfect, but if you're going to have neighbors that can see and hear anything happening outside (and sometimes inside) your home because you live so close - it's a good one.

When we built, we were the young couple in our area, early 30s. Most of the others were retired people. We only really had one older lady who drove us a little goofy, but after a few years, a different neighbor moved in and was a lot better. We never had to worry about too much because, they kept an eye on everything and treated our kids like they were their grandkids. I did plenty of driveways and was called for odds and ends for many things, but it was what it was. Most of them have now passed on and people closer to our age have moved in, a lot of total jackwads. Don't respect anything and it's more each for their own now. I have less to do, but it's worse now.

 

[ghyland7]

I'm in my late 20s. I began a teaching career in small town (around 1k).

Socially, you will likely have a hard time getting along in a small town. There are certainly nice people around, but in my town, I could count on one hand the number of college educated people under 30. If that doesn't sound like an issue for you, then no problem. Candidly, small towns tend to be intensely conservative. Again, it's not a problem, but something to keep in mind.

I've noticed a ton of comments saying that small schools have more opportunities than large schools. I taught in a small school. This is not correct. If you want your kid to start in 4 sports, then sure, that is more likely in a small school. However, if they're involved in music? The difference between a small and big town school (particularly suburb schools) is night and day. Large schools have more clubs and niche activities, by and large. If your kid wants to do sports, they will be able to do sports. They might not be a 4 year starting QB, but they will play. The quality of the activities at large schools tends to be much higher. (Obviously Harlan football is better than some DSM public.. this is very much the exception as compared to the rule).

There are plenty of people who live in small towns and are really happy! That's great! Most metrics show, though, that for income/career potential, you should very much live in Omaha/DSM than small town NW Iowa. There is more to do, more income potential, more opportunities for kids, etc. There is a reason DSM has been growing and small towns have been stagnating, at least demographically.

 

[nfrine]

Omaha.

Thank you Peyton.

 

[madguy30]

Small town people: nosey neighbors looking for something to talk about over coffee every morning.

City people: looking for home and away routines to get the best time to break in.

Have some cousins who once had a John Deere Gator type machine stolen in their small town area.

Meth gets it done right.

 

[BigTurk]

Wasn’t expecting this thread to be this popular lol. Read every reply so far, appreciate the advice and experiences. My future father in law works in the blue bunny factory and has informed all of his kids to make sure they never do that for a living. I’ve obviously been to Le Mars a bunch, and am generally familiar with the area, I feel like a big obstacle would be explaining to my mom (whom I’m not all that close to but I have lived with her my entire life) that I’m moving to Le Mars Iowa and it’s something that is wise for my career and life. I did mention the girlfriend has no real ties keeping her there, but she does sort of have an in with her current part time employer to be promoted to middle management, but her employer has chains in Omaha too, so that’s not entirely keeping “us” in Le Mars but it is a factor

You aren't at the kids phase yet, I assume, so this is the time to be selfish and just think about you and your gf. I grew up in a small cow town and went to college in Dubuque. Met my wife there though she wasn't from Iowa. We lived there several years and moved to Des Moines. She loves Des Moines. I thought Dubuque was just fine. I am not unhappy in Des Moines.

Here is the thing that I keep going back to. What are you into? My wife and I like restaurants and Des Moines has many good ones. Dubuque's restaurants were ok, we miss the Moracco, but that's really about it. Des Moines just has more and better options. We don't do the bars scene so that's a push. I can get all the craft beer I want at Hy-Vee though I do wish I would go to breweries more often. We love live theater and Des Moines has great options and Dubuque had none.

My wife's family is much closer to Dubuque than Des Moines and all my family lives outside of Dubuque. We both miss being so close to family especially since we have kids. They don't see their grandparents much. If you don't have kids that may not be much of an issue for you. That's the biggest issue we have living in Des Moines.

We have kids and my high schooler, who isn't an athlete, has a ton of opportunities to geek out and be involved in the large metro school. There are more of his fellow nerds in a larger school too. When the kids were younger and we lived in Dubuque we went to a ton of Clarke University and Loras College sporting events. They are super cheap and very family friendly. It was a great way of finding something to do in the dead of winter. We also miss that in the larger city. Sure, ISU basketball is so much better, but it is much more expensive and the kids can't just run free around the arena like they did at the smaller schools.

Maybe this helps. Maybe it doesn't.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

I’ve never understood this. How is there MORE opportunity at a small school? This makes no sense to me. Larger schools are always going to have more and broader opportunities than a small school aren’t they?

IMO it boils down to how the parents grew up. I get it to an extent as I grew up in rural Iowa and my kids are in the WDM school district. As you get your kids involved in various activities things definitely fell much smaller than what I would have initially though. What I like about the large school is inclusion. There is literally something there for everyone.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

Can't beat 'em at Bob's Drive Inn on 75.

A Miles Inn Charlie Boy would like a word.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

Blue Bunny chocolate milk growing up was BY FAR the best chocolate milk product available and it's a travesty that it is gone.

That's all I have to add.

The Blue Bunny chip dips were far superior to A&E. The sour cream and onion is still my benchmark for all things chip dip. I used to be able to find the Land O'Lakes dips in DSM but WalMart and Fareway don't carry them anymore.

 

[ISUTex]

I went to to a big school, but grew up on a farm outside the suburb. Lived in a huge city. Worked at very large, medium and very small schools. My children are attending a small school as we live in the country outside a small rural community. It's very nice. Lots of valuable farm land and manufacturing in the area. Within 30-35 minutes from a big city. Plenty to do if you want something to do. People are a little clicky, but nice, and finding a circle of friends isn't that difficult unless you are a jerk or something.

Small schools can offer a great education and variety of opportunities for students. So can large schools. Small schools can be pretty poor. OF course large schools can as well. Lemars, from what I know, is a good school district, and kids will get plenty of opportunity there.

People on here bashing small schools must have went to a pretty sub par school, or they have no idea what they are talking about. I could throw out the same stereotypes about Des Moines schools or Ottumwa schools.

 

[BCClone]

the mission of a community college vs a research university are totally different.

I know. I responding to the post about the instruction of the larger schools college classes was better than the smaller ones. Only was that would be is if the larger ones used ISU or Iowa. Actually ISU was an option for my daughter but I didn’t want her to have her ISU gpa started in HS already.

 

[AuH2O]

When people say "city" folks, they most likely mean living in a generic suburb with a Target and Buffalo Wild Wings just down the gigantic street. There are nosey neighbors everywhere, small town, suburb, big city, etc. We lived in a small town just after getting married and were some of the only college graduates our age, so we didn't know anyone (which was good and bad) but we found ourselves going to Des Moines a lot on the weekends. Not to party, but just to go shopping, our to eat, and have something to do.

We're obviously older than you are, but we decided to live where our kids would have opportunities to meet/see people of other races, have extra curricular opportunities, and close enough to larger areas for sports games and concerts.

Yes, just visited my BiL's house North of Johnston HS, by Grimes. They considered living in places like Polk City, Huxley but in the end wanted to be close to stuff to do. It takes him 25 minutes to get downtown. It takes me 35 from Ames, and from Huxley or PC would probably be hardly any different. It's just an island of massive monuments to tan vinyl siding where you can't walk to anything except other big ugly, boring $500,000 houses. But on the bright side within a 10 minute drive he could probably select his gasoline from probably a dozen different options.

To each his own. I don't think I could live in a 10,000 person Iowa town, but I live in Ames, so not exactly a metropolis. While the idea of living in my old small hometown sounds horribly depressing, I can see people's reasoning for wanting to do it, I just don't share those ideas. Kind of like living in a Des Moines suburb or Ankeny. Those seem like hell to me, but I see why some people like it. It's just not for me.