Anyone from Eastern Iowa?

Hello All,

Moving from Massachusetts to Eastern Iowa with my girl while she pursues a PhD at Univ of Iowa. I'll be living in the Iowa City area for the next 4-5 years and am looking for folks from that area to fill me in on what to expect. What's the good? What's the bad? I am an engineer and am currently looking for a job (it appears I will be taking a salary cut moving from MA, but I am OK with this). I enjoy the outdoors, fishing, hiking, farming etc. and it looks like I'll have plenty of new places to explore. I grew up farming my entire life so the small towns and farms don't bother me one bit. I also enjoy flying & general aviation and I am going to be living right next to an airport which is great.

Hope to hear from some of my ATS friends!

I hope you like corn...

a reply to: charolais
well congrats, sounds like a nice adventure you two are about to embark on, best of luck!




and sorry, cant answer any of your questions tho, not from around there.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
I hope you like corn...

Haha, believe me I am familiar with the abundance of corn out there

originally posted by: ware2010
a reply to: charolais
well congrats, sounds like a nice adventure you two are about to embark on, best of luck!




and sorry, cant answer any of your questions tho, not from around there.

I'm excited, I haven't left MA in 26 years so it'll be a learning experience.

I have to leave a good job and some family behind which is tough, but I'm making the best of it.

a reply to: charolais

Flatlands, corn, tornados, small town America.

a reply to: charolais

So you're an Engineer, can take a pay cut and still afford to move, fly, get PHD's and all? You should be giving ATS members life lessons...

google search

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: charolais

So you're an Engineer, can take a pay cut and still afford to move, fly, get PHD's and all? You should be giving ATS members life lessons...

google search

I didn't necessarily say I could afford it, I guess I just have a way of making things work

Good and the bad in the IC? College girls

Check out Yellow River State park. Hike in camping, hills cliffs and trout fishing. It is a bit ne from there.

In town is a giant sh%@show with daddys credit card and amateur binge drinking.

I don't always go to IC when I'm back, but when I do, I usually retain a lawyer first.

originally posted by: Mandroid7
Good and the bad in the IC? College girls

Check out Yellow River State park. Hike in camping, hills cliffs and trout fishing. It is a bit ne from there.

In town is a giant sh%@show with daddys credit card and amateur binge drinking.

I don't always go to IC when I'm back, but when I do, I usually retain a lawyer first.

I've been finding the same information online regarding Iowa City. Once I find a job and the first year lease is up on the condo I plan on moving somewhere centrally located between my work and her school. Plus it'll be cheaper living outside IC.

originally posted by: charolais

originally posted by: Mandroid7
Good and the bad in the IC? College girls

Check out Yellow River State park. Hike in camping, hills cliffs and trout fishing. It is a bit ne from there.

In town is a giant sh%@show with daddys credit card and amateur binge drinking.

I don't always go to IC when I'm back, but when I do, I usually retain a lawyer first.

I've been finding the same information online regarding Iowa City. Once I find a job and the first year lease is up on the condo I plan on moving somewhere centrally located between my work and her school. Plus it'll be cheaper living outside IC.

Good call. It is only real bad around bar areas, it is a pretty cool area otherwise.
I wouldn't really call it unsafe.

The biggest problem is high rent with the colleges there. Landlords are on the credit card train too.

If I picked a place to live with jobs, it would be within 45min to an hour from the 80/35 mixmaster in Des Moines, west of 63rd street, in West Des Moines.

If I picked a place based on beauty, it would be ne Ia on the river, west of Adel, or the Cummings/Bevington/Winterset area.

Not sure of the airport situation, but there are small airports virtually everywhere in Iowa.
Signature is good in dsm, but pricey.

You can go to Adventureland!

Most of my Iowa City expirience comes from visiting people at the college so I've seen a lot of the downtown. There will be plenty of places for you to fish and hunt just a short drive away in just about any direction.

I currently live about 3 hours from Iowa City.

It's quiet here in Iowa. I guess you could say boring but it's all what you make of it.

We do have a booming Meth economy that sometimes rears it's ugly head, but for the most part I don't see the signs of it anywhere in public.

originally posted by: Mandroid7

originally posted by: charolais

originally posted by: Mandroid7
Good and the bad in the IC? College girls

Check out Yellow River State park. Hike in camping, hills cliffs and trout fishing. It is a bit ne from there.

In town is a giant sh%@show with daddys credit card and amateur binge drinking.

I don't always go to IC when I'm back, but when I do, I usually retain a lawyer first.

I've been finding the same information online regarding Iowa City. Once I find a job and the first year lease is up on the condo I plan on moving somewhere centrally located between my work and her school. Plus it'll be cheaper living outside IC.

Good call. It is only real bad around bar areas, it is a pretty cool area otherwise.
I wouldn't really call it unsafe.

The biggest problem is high rent with the colleges there. Landlords are on the credit card train too.

If I picked a place to live with jobs, it would be within 45min to an hour from the 80/35 mixmaster in Des Moines, west of 63rd street, in West Des Moines.

If I picked a place based on beauty, it would be ne Ia on the river, west of Adel, or the Cummings/Bevington/Winterset area.

Not sure of the airport situation, but there are small airports virtually everywhere in Iowa.
Signature is good in dsm, but pricey.

Thanks for the feedback, this is exactly what I was looking for! I look forward to checking out the state and am already planning weekend trips.

Iowa? That's in the middle right?

originally posted by: Sillyolme
Iowa? That's in the middle right?

Somewhere out there

Well I made it out to Iowa safely. So far I like the area and it seems like a pleasant place to live.

Unfortunately, there is a group of people from the low income housing across the street who have completely taken over the parking lot as if it is their own. They harass my gf, along with the other women who live in our condo unit, by sitting on our front step and confronting the girls as they walk out of their cars. They also use our parking lot as a shop to work on their unregistered cars. We spent the better part of this week looking at new places and have found a house to rent in Coralville for only slightly more $ than the condo we are at now. This current is not a good environment for her to study and concentrate on schooling so we will be moving out Sept 1 to Coralville.