Iowa's 10 worst places to live

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I-stateTheTruth

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Nov 13, 2016
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If people are into this topic they should read some of the history of Buxton, IA. It was a coal mining town with integrated schools around 1900. I believe there were 5-6000 people that was a majority African Americans.

Also on a side note, took a meandering route and went by Baxter. Since someone mentioned it in this thread I was expecting a dump, but it seemed pretty nice, especially for small town Iowa standards. Lots of new houses that you typically see in commuter towns, but It doesn't seem close enough to DM, Marshalltown or Newton to be too much of a commuter town for any of those, but maybe I'm wrong.
I just read the Wiki on Buxton -- interesting! Far better racial co-existence than you wouuld guess (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buxton_Historic_Townsite) Very fast boom and bust cycle there; the town barely made it 30 years. But they had a baseball team named the Buxton Wonders which is a very cool name, at least.
 
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im4cyru

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Mar 30, 2014
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I have some observations for two nice Iowa towns that have not been discussed in this entertaining thread.

Most small Iowa cities similar in size to Dyersville have 20 churches and 1 saloon. Dyersville can boast of 1 church and 20 taverns.

Has anyone else on here ever planned driving through Carroll on Highway 30 and hit the very first traffic signal red? Brings home the recommendation "allow yourself plenty of time".
 

RING4CY

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Having worked there for two years, I didn't think Marshalltown was that bad.

I might feel different had I lived there.
 

NWICY

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Sep 2, 2012
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Cant we all just agree with the exception of thee Des Moines/ Ames Corridor and the ICity/Cedar Rapids Corridor...well there is no good way to say this but.........The rest of this state is Dying a Slow and Torturous Death.

Most of these towns and small cities do not have enough of an economy to even support a Caseys/Kum&Go......

The 35-80 corridor has definite advantages, but if they ever finish Hwy 20 there is a good potential for an alternate route/ development area. Towns of less than 1000 are in a tough spot, but in towns 5000 and greater there is a real potential for small/medium size businesses to come with out all the associated costs of the Ames/DM/IC corridor. With more opportunity for internet type businesses there is no reason to pay DM prices for a storefront and more laid back commute/lifestyle if you so choose. As people have mentioned lots of these towns were rough but have been coming back over the last decade or so. FD,MC, SC, MTown, Waterloo all have their rough edges, but at least you know where they are. Pretty sure the DM metro area is leading the state in murders, but it doesn't make the whole area bad.
 

cloneswereall

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Aug 12, 2010
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Had a pretty good conversation with a former Associate Principal at whatever Waterloo high school is the "dangerous" school.

What it boils down to, he said, is that at one time, Waterloo was the farthest one way train stop people from Chicago could get to. So, if you're slinging drugs or running from the cops, Waterloo was where they went.

Obviously, times have changed, but a lot of people have stayed. As time goes on, those genes are eventually erased. So, in his opinion, Waterloo has become a much safer place the last couple decades, but still has the bad apples that ended up in the area.
Just out of curiosity, but did this principal retire within the past couple of years? I ask because it sounds like something I would hear coming from one particular person that worked at East.
 

ISUCubswin

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Mar 3, 2011
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Just out of curiosity, but did this principal retire within the past couple of years? I ask because it sounds like something I would hear coming from one particular person that worked at East.

Nope - he was a young guy, no longer there though. Moved to Central Iowa maybe 7ish years ago?
 

Haverhill

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Council Bluffs and Sioux City's problem is that they are so far west that they don't feel part of the rest of the state, but don't feel part of the states they are adjacent to either. CB has a horrible reputation in the Omaha area (which subsequently dampens Omaha's impression of all of Iowa) albeit undeserved.