Teams
Forum List
Toggle sidebar

Thinking about moving out of Iowa

Gonzo said:
Raleigh/Durham
Click to expand...
I love RDU. My company had a mfg facility just outside Raleigh so I have spent lots of time down there during every month of the year. Yeah, summer might be slightly hotter, but not noticeably. Winters ARE noticeably warmer.
and you are couple of hours to mountains OR the ocean.
 
Moved to New England 25 years ago and never looked back. I do come back for a few football games, but other than that, we are good here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NWICY
After college I have lived a handful of places. Chicago (The Loop and Northern Suburbs), St. Louis, and Denver. I eventually settled in Denver in 2011.

Before I go into the pros and cons of Denver, I’ll address Iowa. I absolutely loved growing up there. My wife and I visit family in Ames once or twice a year and every time I am reminded how lucky I was to grow up there. That being said, I have zero love for the state itself and would never live there again. If I had kids I might change my tune, but as a happily childfree person there is nothing outside the city of Ames that appeals to me, and the shift in state politics makes it unlikely for that to change for me.

As for Denver, I’m kind of unique in that I honestly don’t have a lot of love for the city itself but do really like living here. We bought our first house when Denver was still affordable, which set us up for better homes once the boom started. It is definitely expensive here and all along the front range, but there’s a reason for that. Mild winters, hot but dry summers, easy access to the mountains are all positives. Poor air quality, forest fires, lack of natural lakes are all negatives.

Denver as a city itself is pretty typical for a mid to large sized metropolis. You don’t have to look hard to find something to do every weekend. The city itself is going through post boom/post Covid growing pains right now, and it’s a definite low point. If I didn’t have tons of close friends and an amazing house here I would consider getting out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BACyclone
For those of you that have moved, did you know anyone else living there? Kind of debating between trying to go somewhere that I already have some connection or not. I have some friends around Minneapolis that really want me to move there and even though their winters are worse, it has more to offer than Iowa and is drivable to Ames/DSM/Waterloo (parents).
But also my cousin lives in Colorado Springs and I'm heavily considering that, just would have fewer connections from the start.
 
mschmitty17 said:
For those of you that have moved, did you know anyone else living there? Kind of debating between trying to go somewhere that I already have some connection or not. I have some friends around Minneapolis that really want me to move there and even though their winters are worse, it has more to offer than Iowa and is drivable to Ames/DSM/Waterloo (parents).
But also my cousin lives in Colorado Springs and I'm heavily considering that, just would have fewer connections from the start.
Click to expand...

I think that's probably personal preference. I prefer somewhere I don't know anyone. It makes you get out in the area and figure out what you like and see new things. Go new places, join new clubs, find new people to meet that may have different hobbies than you're used to. If you go somewhere you already know people, you tend to stick to the same things they're doing or that you've been traditionally doing with those friends. I don't really consider that a real fresh start.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BACyclone
mschmitty17 said:
For those of you that have moved, did you know anyone else living there? Kind of debating between trying to go somewhere that I already have some connection or not. I have some friends around Minneapolis that really want me to move there and even though their winters are worse, it has more to offer than Iowa and is drivable to Ames/DSM/Waterloo (parents).
But also my cousin lives in Colorado Springs and I'm heavily considering that, just would have fewer connections from the start.
Click to expand...
No. But I'm kind of an antisocial person anyway.
 
mschmitty17 said:
For those of you that have moved, did you know anyone else living there? Kind of debating between trying to go somewhere that I already have some connection or not. I have some friends around Minneapolis that really want me to move there and even though their winters are worse, it has more to offer than Iowa and is drivable to Ames/DSM/Waterloo (parents).
But also my cousin lives in Colorado Springs and I'm heavily considering that, just would have fewer connections from the start.
Click to expand...
I didn’t know anyone and it took a good 6 to 9 months before I felt like I had a lot of friends. Most of the places listed in this thread I think you would be able to meet people and make friends but you will probably need to be intentional about it, meaning get involved in stuff, whether it’s clubs or a gym or an adult sports league or something. It helps if you are an extrovert, I could imagine some people might not love the process of moving to a new place and trying to find a social circle.
 
MountainManHawk said:
I’ve definitely noticed the same thing. As a general rule, in areas with lots of transplants it’s fairly easy to make friends because lots of other people will be in your same shoes and are looking to add to their friend group and will be quick to invite you in.

In areas where everyone has lived there their whole life and been friends since kindergarten, it can be kind of tough. Everyone seems to already have all of the friends they want/need and they aren’t super quick to invite in anyone new. You always feel kind of like an outsider because everyone else has already been friends for a long time and you’re the only new one.

I bet some people experience the same thing when they move to Iowa. Compared to most places listed in this thread, Iowa probably has a high percentage of people that have lived their whole lives in the state.
Click to expand...
You just described Dubuque. I've known people who moved to Dubuque for work, my wife included, and they were never really comfortable there. Always the outsiders.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MountainManHawk
BigTurk said:
You just described Dubuque. I've known people who moved to Dubuque for work, my wife included, and they were never really comfortable there. Always the outsiders.
Click to expand...
Large parts of Iowa are very cliquish, my wife and I lived in Bloomfield for 33 years, and there were times we still felt like outsiders because we did not go to high school there, so we were never part of the townie group. But our kids which all graduated from HS there, are part of that group.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MountainManHawk
ISUJason said:
Oh no, the Land of Entrapment got you!

I lived there for 2 years after college, and everyone I worked with immediately told me to "have a plan and make sure that you don't get stuck here."
Click to expand...
I was told the same, but back then I really loved it here. Eventually that changed and now I hate living here. I tried talking my boss into letting me move to Iowa and work from home but no dice. Maybe he will change his mind one day.
 
  • Friendly
Reactions: NWICY
mschmitty17 said:
For those of you that have moved, did you know anyone else living there? Kind of debating between trying to go somewhere that I already have some connection or not. I have some friends around Minneapolis that really want me to move there and even though their winters are worse, it has more to offer than Iowa and is drivable to Ames/DSM/Waterloo (parents).
But also my cousin lives in Colorado Springs and I'm heavily considering that, just would have fewer connections from the start.
Click to expand...
When my wife and I moved to CO springs we knew no one there. Made friends through work.

Also when we moved in, two houses away people were flying a Hawk flag. Turned out to be great people. And one of those weird coincidences: we had moved back to Ames, they had moved around via the military and ended up in Houston. 20 years later at college orientation for our daughter at EIU, and their daughter was in the same college orientation group of like 20 kids.
 
  • Wow
  • Like
Reactions: BigTurk and BACyclone
Cybone said:
I lived in Colorado for 15 years. Miss it terribly, mostly the weather. However, the cost of living, sprawl and escalating crime makes it a hard no for me to consider going back. Maybe the western slope?

Austin was alright. I joke that central Texas has two seasons, hot and surface of the sun. At least in Iowa, the two weeks of bitter cold, you can put on a blanket or dress for the cold, in the heat, you cannot get anymore naked. I miss HEB down there, those who know, know. Texans are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, until they get behind the wheel, then they want to kill you.
Click to expand...
San Antonio area here.

There are two seasons in Texas…

Hot as hell.
Pollen.

We loved KC and would move back.

Raleigh was nice, but it’s east coast and the triangle is sprawled out all over. We had friends in multiple parts of town an hour or more in all directions.

San Antonio is ok. Wife’s from here and people are nice. It’s hot, pollen is bad at certain times and allergies can be rough. Traffic has gotten worse.

If I was moving back to Iowa it would be Ames or nothing…but not sure I could do winters again.

If I had to pick…Kansas City.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Derek Duke and BACyclone
demoncore1031 said:
I have lived in New Mexico for over 20 years. All I can tell you is don't move here. It sucks.
Click to expand...
We drove through last week on the way to LA. Drove through it 4 times now…not a fan.

BUT if you ever feel depressed…go to Blyth, CA. We had to stop for gas and it’s unbelievable that people live there and find the will to carry on each day. I can tell you meth is probably keeping most of them this side of the turf…until it finally isn’t.
 
  • Funny
Reactions: NWICY
1SEIACLONE said:
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.
Click to expand...

My company is a licensee of a larger company based out of Davidson (northern suburb of Charlotte) so every summer I go there for a conference. I've always enjoyed though I'm treating it more like a trip vs living there. The airport is only 6 miles from downtown so to your point easy to get in and out of. Charlotte is a banking town and Des Moines an insurance town so American flies there non stop at least 2x a day.
 
  • Like
  • Informative
Reactions: NWICY and BACyclone
mschmitty17 said:
For those of you that have moved, did you know anyone else living there? Kind of debating between trying to go somewhere that I already have some connection or not. I have some friends around Minneapolis that really want me to move there and even though their winters are worse, it has more to offer than Iowa and is drivable to Ames/DSM/Waterloo (parents).
But also my cousin lives in Colorado Springs and I'm heavily considering that, just would have fewer connections from the start.
Click to expand...

My first job out of college was in suburban Detroit. Frankly didn't know anyone, although I moved there with my (now) wife.

I made several friends through work especially, and some of them I still interact with through some fantasy football leagues. (I moved back to Iowa) I wish I could get back there more often and play some golf and poker with them again.

You're going to make connections, through work and social activities. You just have to get out there and do stuff and don't be afraid to introduce yourself to people, try new stuff, and make friends.

I think if you're on the fence about pulling up stakes to Colorado (or Minnesota), go visit for like a week and mill about the place, see if you can see yourself settling in there.
 
xr4ticlone said:
San Antonio area here.

There are two seasons in Texas…

Hot as hell.
Pollen.

We loved KC and would move back.

Raleigh was nice, but it’s east coast and the triangle is sprawled out all over. We had friends in multiple parts of town an hour or more in all directions.

San Antonio is ok. Wife’s from here and people are nice. It’s hot, pollen is bad at certain times and allergies can be rough. Traffic has gotten worse.

If I was moving back to Iowa it would be Ames or nothing…but not sure I could do winters again.

If I had to pick…Kansas City.
Click to expand...
A fellow Cyclone in San Antonio? We got to grab a beer or watch a game sometime!
 
demoncore1031 said:
I was told the same, but back then I really loved it here. Eventually that changed and now I hate living here. I tried talking my boss into letting me move to Iowa and work from home but no dice. Maybe he will change his mind one day.
Click to expand...
So what is the deal with NM? Why does it suck so much? I've always had that state in mind if we ever want to move to the SW.

One thing that worries me about moving out of Iowa is cost of living. Recently we were back to my wife's hometown, to which I would move tomorrow, but housing costs are outrageous. Our 1800 sq ft early 2000s build house in Ankeny would be well over $1million there . How could I possible afford that? Even the little 1000 sq ft ranch post WWII homes in that town are running $600-$700 thousand. Insane. One long time Des Moines resident once said to me, "Des Moines is a great place to live but you sure don't want to visit." I am thinking that is pretty true.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: clonechemist
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Help Support Us

Become a patron
Top Bottom
Back