Why Move to Iowa???
- Thread starter MileHiCyclone
- Start date
I was born and raised in small town Iowa. I lived there until I was 20 and from 22-25. I now live in my third different state in the past six years and I can honestly say I don't miss Iowa. Don't get me wrong, I love Iowa and miss my friends and family, but I honestly don't know if I will ever move back. Sure it's an amazing place to raise kids, and when that part of my life starts my mind may change. But as of now, I have so many more opportunities outside our great state.
Thank you all for the info, good and bad. The biggest things I have been using is having family closer to be around the kids, and the community you get from getting away from bigger cities.
Colorado can get us one of those but the I have 26 close relatives between Des Moines and Ames along with another 15 an hour north, that is hard to beat.
I will keep slowly prodding but if I push too much it becomes an impossibility, so hopefully in the next year or two I will be looking for advice on where to live.
Colorado can get us one of those but the I have 26 close relatives between Des Moines and Ames along with another 15 an hour north, that is hard to beat.
I will keep slowly prodding but if I push too much it becomes an impossibility, so hopefully in the next year or two I will be looking for advice on where to live.
I moved to Chicago after ISU and lived there for 14 years, met my wife, married, had two kids and convinced her to move to Iowa. She was raised in Atlanta attended Florida State and Tennesse before moving to Richmond VA and then Chicago. She was obviously tentative but quickly grew to love it has said more than once that we should have done it sooner. Not sure what kind of rat race you live in but with kids Chicago lost alot of the appeal that 20 somethings in Lincoln Park enjoy. She asked on her first day of work how long she'd need to leave to get there on time. I told her 6 miles - maybe 10 minutes. Obviously we are closer to my family now and that is great. Now we go back to Chicago to see friends instead of driving 7 hours on holidays to see family. PLUS - we've had season tickets to football games for 4 years and that is a major plus. Not much for her since she was at FSU in the late eighties early nineties but she obliges.
good friendly people -- my wife is from costa rica and she loves iowa because of the people -- many of whom on here on CF!! She says good people and great friends trump climate everyday!!!
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Born in my hometown ....... Walnut IL. !!!!!He did until we decided to bowl in the south end.
everything is better in iowa, but weather.
can drive anywhere you want, and parking is easy. commutes are fast.
great dining, malls, people love college, and highschool athletics here. that being said, since we have love of highschool athletics most highschools are well taken care of.
cost of most everthing is probably a little better. great down town and surronding areas where you do not have to worry that much about crime, which is big espicially when you have children.
can drive anywhere you want, and parking is easy. commutes are fast.
great dining, malls, people love college, and highschool athletics here. that being said, since we have love of highschool athletics most highschools are well taken care of.
cost of most everthing is probably a little better. great down town and surronding areas where you do not have to worry that much about crime, which is big espicially when you have children.
Ive lived in Miami, and Denver for multiple years.. i chose Iowa over both of them.
I'm kind of torn on whether to recommend Iowa.
Living in Johnston here are my thoughts :
Crime=yeah it's good that there is low crime but it's doubtful I would move anywhere with a problem.
Schools=No kids so I could care less.
Jobs =I think this is one of the strongest points.
Commute =Also very good
Entertainment =I can always find something to do.
Housing =Reasonable
Weather =Sucks
So in general, pretty good. DM is a good size. If I moved to a place like Denver or Minneapolis how would my life be any better? Close to skiing would be nice but after that you still have 355 days in the year. Regardless where I live I think I'd pretty much do the same things. If I'm making the move anywhere it would be out of the country so that I could experience real change.
Living in Johnston here are my thoughts :
Crime=yeah it's good that there is low crime but it's doubtful I would move anywhere with a problem.
Schools=No kids so I could care less.
Jobs =I think this is one of the strongest points.
Commute =Also very good
Entertainment =I can always find something to do.
Housing =Reasonable
Weather =Sucks
So in general, pretty good. DM is a good size. If I moved to a place like Denver or Minneapolis how would my life be any better? Close to skiing would be nice but after that you still have 355 days in the year. Regardless where I live I think I'd pretty much do the same things. If I'm making the move anywhere it would be out of the country so that I could experience real change.
I'd tell here we are moving. My way or the highway. Will probably turn her on if you take charge like that.
Best answers...:twitcy:
I cant find a good pork tenderloin sandwich outside of Iowa. Otherwise the only thing that would excite me about moving back to Iowa would be family and season tickets to mbb and football games. Jethros might have the best wings Ive ever had.
Read up on all these acknowdgements that DM metro rec'd just last year (go back to link to find previous year's information if desired). Get familair with these impressive qualities so that anytime the subject comes up of moving back and she questions something, you'll have some good ammo in the back of your mind. Yes, it is good to say, "it is a great place to raise a family", but much more powerful if you're able to add color around that statement.
Good luck! I love living in DM and can't imagine how much of a downer if would be to not be attend games whenever I want.
2011 Rankings
Good luck! I love living in DM and can't imagine how much of a downer if would be to not be attend games whenever I want.
2011 Rankings
- Des Moines Ranked #3 for jobs for 2012 (December, Forbes)
- Des Moines #3 Best City for Business (December 13, MarketWatch)
- Des Moines is Greenest City (December issue, Self Magazine)
- Iowa ranks in top five of "best run" states (November 29, 247WallSt.com)
- Des Moines Named Age-friendly city (October 11, World Health Organization's Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities)
- Gray's Lake Park Named One of America's "Great Public Spaces" (October 4, American Planning Association)
- Beaverdale Makes America's Prettiest Neighborhoods list (September 28, Forbes)
- KaBOOM! Names Ankeny Among 151 "Playful City USA" Communities (September 6, Kaboom)
- Urbandale, Johnston, Ankeny ranked in top 100 cities to live (August 15, CNN Money Magazine)
- Iowa ranks 2nd in America in Volunteerism (August 9, Volunteering in America report released by the Corporation for National and Community Service)
- Adventureland and Adventure Bay named one of America’s Top 10 Water Parks (August 3, TripAdvisor)
- Des Moines #1 City for Young Professionals (July 12, Forbes)
- Des Moines is rated the #2 place for business and careers by Forbes (June 29, Forbes)
- Iowa is first in the nation for cost of doing business, and among the top ten states for doing business overall (June 29, CNBC Special Report)
- U.S. News Says Des Moines is Richest Metro Area (June 2, U.S. News & World Report)
- Greater Des Moines ranks #2 in the Midwest and #16 nationwide for small business and population growth. (April 14, The Business Journals)
- Des Moines #5 Best Midwest Food Town. (March, Midwest Living)
- Des Moines named the best place to live on the Silicon Prairie, and one of 18 “coolest places to live in America.†(March 8, Men's Journal)
- Des Moines ranked in the top 100 socially networked cities. (March 8, Men's Journal)
- Des Moines Arts Festival #7 on list of Top 10 Fairs and Festivals (February 2011, AmericanStyle Magazine)
- Des Moines metro ranks well on Farmers Insurance “most secure†list (February 11, Farmers Insurance Group)
- Wells Fargo Arena Receives Highest Ranking in Venue History (January 25, Pollstar Top 100 Worldwide Arena Venues)
bone chilling cold with no mountains (or even hills) to ski down in winter! and the winter scenery...i dare you to find a state that has better rivals that of iowa's.
humidity that will choke you in the summer with only a sparse lake here and there to cool off in! Complete with bugs! that bite!
and oh the hay fever! love me some hay fever!
humidity that will choke you in the summer with only a sparse lake here and there to cool off in! Complete with bugs! that bite!
and oh the hay fever! love me some hay fever!
