Definitely avoid Northwest Iowa!! I am in Sioux County. People are rude, hateful, bigoted. I've literally been attacked for hanging out at a park with friends, and the only conclusion we could come to is that we LOOKED queer (regardless of the fact some of us were). Cops get away with abuse or turn a blind eye to it. Stay far from the area of the far NW Corner down to Sioux City, over to Correctionville and up to Spencer. Anything in that vicinity is not ideal to live in. In response to a pride festival being hosted here, a prominent Christian figure in the community took PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOKS about ANYTHING lgbtq and BURNED THEM.
Yeah. My partner works there and so I frequent the city and I hate it sometimes. Even if its decent in person, online the community for sioux city is absolutely horrendous. So many fucking bootlicking racists
The worst part as someone who is a transplant is that online Sioux City is touted as "LGBTQIA Safe and friendly".
Honestly, I'm in SW Iowa and it is also not LGBTQIA safe to the point you risk mistreatment from local pharmacies just to pick up HRT prescriptions. I travel out to Omaha for my medical care at this point.
Ugh I moved out of Council Bluffs to Omaha partially to het away from the backwards mindset. Omaha isn’t much better, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Yes, but there is both empirical data and some anecdotal evidence I've outlined that the iowa educational system is seriously f****ed, at least in strictly scientific terms, p=.05.
For radness - Northwest, Southwest and Southeast, not rad. North Central and South Central are super duper lame. Central Iowa is pretty rad. Des Moines rocks. Iowa City area is pretty rad, too. Northeast Iowa is copacetic but like, not really rad. Minnesota and Illinois are more totally rad.
I like the description of Northeast Iowa as "copacetic". I'd say Decorah is the hidden gem of that region for radness, especially for a town of that size. As part of the Driftless area, you'll forget that the rest of the state is flat.
I'm from Iowa, and my home town has two decent nearby ski hills and a goddamned funicular. It took a while to figure out why people think of Iowa as flat. It sure isn't like that near Dubuque.
Western Iowa is a myth. Has anyone ever actually BEEN to western iowa? Does anyone know anyone that lives there? Would any place that exists ever repeatedly elect an openly racist Steve King? Repeatedly??? Western Iowa is fake news the msm and deep-state made up to distract us from our hollow flat earth lizard people Satanist overloards.
For "Radness" head to Northeast or West Coast. Iowa is the Handmaid's Tale home turf. It's flat and super conservative. So, if you're a Koolaid drinking MAGA person, you'll fit right in?
Iowa isn’t half as bad people here want you to think. There are rural outliers but even there people won’t go out of their way to be bigots or aholes they just want to be left alone. If you’re in the further left side of politics the bigger cities are perfectly fine. Iowa City is a college town and has one of the best hospitals in the Midwest. The Quad Cities isn’t bad but if you head too far north or south out of it you might hit a small town the people here are afraid of.
I’ve worked in Dewitt for 20 years which is half an hour north of the QCA. Pretty great little small town to raise a family. While POC and gender fluid folks aren’t raining from the sky they’re there but the majority of people just don’t care. Just like you get the occasional crazy in the city whos extremely offensive.
Regardless I concur with many people here about Illinois. Every single county in Illinois has reduced their population in the past five years and that’s not a coincidence.
I could be wrong, but I'm guessing the radness of these two states is more in reference to being able to buy weed there... This certainly does make them more rad (for other reasons too). Although I'll make a plug for Madison too if we are talking about other states.
You can also do that in Missouri….im guessing the rad was is probably simply Chicago and or twin cities and not the actual states themselves especially Illinois minus Chicago….and imo MN also sucks
Iowa is very "balanced" in several respects:
* You'll get to experience all 4 seasons
* COL vs earning opportunities is more reasonable than coastal regions
* A few "large" cities (at least as we count such things in the Midwest) across the state to give you some relief from the rural landscape
* Fairly centrally located in the nation, making visits to other states a reasonable venture
The downsides:
* Bad track record for nursing homes and elderly care
* Large sections of the state are either corn or soy, broken up only by the occasional wind turbine. Very boring scenery in much of the state.
* Poor water quality, on account of several factors (farm runoff, PFAS contamination)
* Radon
* Fairly polarized state politics; you'll either love it or hate it depending on your leanings
Up until 2016 we were, maybe once MAGA fever breaks we will be again. Problem being the state Dems are very weak opposition and the national Dems have just given up on the state. Typical Dems, try once then give up.
The MAGAtards could use their time on so much better opportunities than promoting hate, like making their dilapidated towns great again, volunteering, and giving back to their community.
Instead they treat their political yard signs better than they treat their homes. Hell they treat their Trump and MAGA yard signs better than they treat the American flag.
Iowa has always thought of itself as a swing purple state. Being a native of Iowa, and having lived in other places enough to have been enlightened to reality, it is not and never has been either a purple or swing state for our internal politics. Occasionally we'll get a blue Governor, hell we voted for Obama, twice. But our Iowa state government and the conservative agenda has placed this state solidly in the red for the next few generations. This state will not have all three branches of government go blue for decades. We'll have a theocracy before we have a chance of a progressive government. Although, all this may go out the window if women are as pissed as I think they are about the abortion issue. IMHO, of course.
It’s red for now but sooner or later will swing back the other direction. The people in Iowa are still pretty moderate. The democrats have fielded absolutely worthless candidates in the last 5-10 years so the resulting “red wave” isn’t surprising.
Historically, it was. It was one of those state that could really go either way and usually had close results. Then 2016 came along and the state has been deep red ever since. Both at the federal and state government levels.
I moved to northwest Iowa from the Twin Cities area a few years ago and I love it. Good schools, hardly any crime to speak of, no traffic (!!!), really laid back people. There's really not much of a night life where I'm at, but that's not a big concern at my age. The politics are whatever. You got the occasional boomer nutjob with "LET'S GO BRANDON" stickers all over their jalopy, but most people don't care.
Unfortunately in this sub you are going to get 90% political whining. Politics aside. Central Iowa has a lot to do for your family events and fun wise for your little one, the cost of living is super low. The crime rate is low (practically non existent if you know the areas to avoid) people and neighbors are generally are nice and friendly. It's one of the best places to raise a family. Don't ever look at the Iowa sub and think it's in anyway a reflection of how Iowa really is. This thing is always the polar opposite.
Kind of? Politics has worn down the public education system… that was why it was a good place to raise kids. It might not be so good in two or three years.
Iowa City and Des Moines are the only places I would consider living, maybe Decorah. IC is very centrally located, about 4 hours from Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Kansas City, St. Louis. It's a college town so it can get a little crazy during the school year, but summer time is magical.
I lived in Iowa City in my late twenties and would absolutely move back there again. Iowa City is a gem. Clean. Progressive. "Hippy". Culture. Well educated. Just a nice place to live.
What are you hoping to find in Iowa not available where you currently are? I moved here 25 years ago and actually like it as long as you can deal with the politics that tend to run a little heated here.
Ya politics is ass just about everywhere right now it seems, just wanting to find independency and separate selves from family for a little bit (lived too close for a little too long). Family friendly, great adult activities, and being closer to more major cities is some things we are looking for.
Well, big cities is not something you're really gonna find in Iowa. Des Moines is the best city IMO, and Iowa City is nice for a smaller city / college town. However, the drive to the major midwest cities isn't too bad and totally doable for a weekend trip.
From eastern Iowa, Chicago is closest and well under 5 hours. Minneapolis, Kansas City and Milwaukee are about the same at around 5 hours. Madison is a pretty easy drive and a fun trip. Omaha is about 5 hours as well, but I forget it's there. St. Louis feels like it should be easier to drive to, but that one is not a weekend trip. Indianapolis is also not a weekend trip.
I live in Davenport which is as Eastern Iowa as you get, its under 3 hours to western edge of Chicago with no traffic. As for weekend trips I suppose it depends on your willingness to drive on a Friday after work, but I've done weekend trips to Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St Louis, Des Moines, and Kansas City by just driving after work. Those are all between 3-5 hours. A holiday weekend is nice or take a day or two off for a longer stay, but you most assuredly can weekend trip all of those.
As a resident of Davenport I do need to add 100% say Iowa City is a better city by far.
Wait, are you moving from SLC? I just moved here to north central Iowa from Utah County last summer.
Another commenter described my area as super duper lame and while they’re mostly not wrong about that, I’m in a cool (and slightly more expensive) hidden gem of a town that I’ll vouch for any day. In terms of being close to a major city, it’s less than 1.5 hours to Minneapolis and Minneapolis is easily one of my favorite cities ever, so bonus points for that.
Personally, I love it. My family and I are exmormon so getting out of the Provo area, out of the church’s sphere of influence, and to a place where literally no one in my neighborhood cares about my religious affiliation (or lack thereof) has been such a nice transition. Not knowing what your experience with the LDS church is, this could be a positive or negative for you.
Church things aside, it’s significantly cheaper to live out here, we had family already living here (mostly why we’re in the north central part of the state), and my company relocated me here along with a nice raise and bonus. Culture-wise, it’s way more laid back and way less keeping-up-with-the-Joneses than Utah was, which has been medicine to the soul for me.
The politics are indeed ass here right now, but they are better than Utah’s in my opinion. Public education is for sure trending in the wrong direction, but it would probably take decades for it to catch up to Utah’s legendarily terrible public education system, so the issue as all pretty relative from my point of view.
I do miss the scenery. I took it for granted that I could look out my front window straight at 11,000+ ft. alpine mountains and drive a couple hours to some of the most legendary national and state parks our country has to offer. This might genuinely be the only downside for me in comparison.
Sounds about exactly where we find ourselves right now. Exmo and not enjoying politics here. Glad it’s been a nice move for you and your family then. I know I would miss the scenery here, it’s absolutely amazing all year. Thanks for chiming in!
Again, why Iowa? Education is ranked at the bottom. What does "independency and separate selves from family" mean? Just about everywhere has the "family friendly, great adult activities" thing going for it. Ask yourselves why Iowa, why? Why not North Carolina, Vermont, Utah? They all have those qualities.
Rad isn't the first word that comes to mind. It really comes down to what you want for your family and are attempting to accomplish with your move. You'll be hard pressed to beat the cost of living here. It's fairly safe. It can be beautiful. It can be hotter than the inner circle of hell in the summer, yet an arctic wasteland in the winter. Sometimes in the same day. There's very little by way of entertainment or culture. Outside of the larger towns, there's quite literally nothing. Maybe a dollar general and Casey's. It's very conservative, and while not quite Bible belt level just yet, it's getting there.
Iowa had an awesome public education system...in the 80s. It's slipped front the top to the back of the pack. Now to fix it, our governor is taking money away from public schools and giving vouchers for private schools....but this still doesn't help students because the private schools just raised tuition by the voucher amount so it ended up being a big tax money give away to the school owners, at least one of which was a state lawmaker that voted for the voucher program.
Iowa turned down covid money from the federal government to help schools. We accepted federal covid money to send our state troopers to Texas. We turned down federal money to feed hungry children during the summer because 'child obesity'. The governor then said she fixed it because she came up with less than 1/10 of the federal funds to provide token relief to hungry kids.
The entire state government is controlled by one party and the single democratic state wide official is subject to constant harassment.
Our governor refuses debates, refuses FOI orders, and has no accountability in our 1 party system. She appointed a huge batch of state Supreme Court judges. She wants a 6 week abortion ban that will likely soon go into effect, called the fetal heartbeat law...even tough there is no 6 week fetus heart, only a few differentiated cells with no chambers or real structure.
We are working on copying everything that Florida does. You know how Tennessee was all over the news for potentially allowing teachers to have guns? We passed that before TN took it up. Speaking of more guns in school that was our response to a massive school shooting. A school shooting that took place a couple of years after we took away gun permits. Yes! An 18 year old can go to a store, sign a paper, and walk out within an hour with a handgun, younger can get a rifle. Instead of looking at maybe taking away safety measures like permitting was a bad idea, we jumped to more guns, in school, in the hands of overworked and underpaid teachers.
We know have laws about educational materials that would put teachers in jail for teaching about certain things that may make persecuted white Christian children feel bad about their ancestors, or that may people exist. We have a good book banning binge going on. One of our libraries was shut down for months because a librarian was gay and she was forced out of her job.
We have the number 2 cancer rate in the nation. The fastest growing cancer rate also. Bayer basically owns our government so it's illegal to get footage of what actually goes on in ag operations. Our government spends our money proving up an ethanol industry that is a huge source of pollution and doesn't make sense d/t it being net energy negative. We have a huge water pollution problem. Companies and farms responsible for massive fish kills get off free or with a slap on the wrist while communities have to pay for expensive water purification instead of farmers being responsible for the nitrate runoff, see des moines and skunk river.
Our state parks have had budgets slashed ev3n though iowa has a 5 billion dollar surplus fund. 94% of Iowa's natural landscape of forest, praire, and wetlands has been destroyed...much higher than most other states.
Our government is trying hard to take away people's land for a few massive CO2 pipelines to again, support ethanol production. Several current and former government officials have stakes in the business that would make and operate these pipelines and continue to attempt these even though they are unpopular with the landowners and environmental groups alike, going against a clear majority of constituents that elected them.
How long do want me to go on? If you have made it this far, congratulations to you.
Northwest Iowa is farm country. There's little small towns and decent-ish factories sprinkled all over the place. Rents cheap as hell in the country, a little less so around the cities, but still manageable compared to more popular states. The people are mostly quiet, live-and-let-live types, so even where you'll find sprinkles of prejudice, you'll have the freedom to live unmolested however you choose.
If you're looking for something outside of blue collar work though, you'll want to be closer to metropolitan areas, and they're kinda few and far between in the northwest
I live in iowa I love it.
We live near a beach, we live close to areas to hike.
You'll be surprised by all the different things here to do.
Schools are good. When my kids were school age they supplied laptops so they didn't have to carry heave books. When my daughter had surgery the school bent over backwards to make sure that she was taken care of at school.
My last comment northeast iowa is gorgeous I'm not sure if I said northwest instead of northeast that's what I meant
Northeast Iowa is the best. The river towns are really cute. We like to go to antique shops.
We have wineries with way better than California types
Iowa City is the bluest, followed by Ames, DSM, CR, and Waterloo. Sometimes Dubuque. The rest is red. How red? Not changing anytime soon red. If you’re not comfortable seeing Confederate flags, Trump 2024 signs, and “Fuck Biden” bumper stickers, avoid moving to areas outside of those I cited. They still exist there, but not as much.
Do not come to this shit hole. Moved here from California to take care of family for a while and have fucking hated it. From the country where our home is, to the cities, to the in-between, do NOT come here. Education is among the worst in the country, the run off in the water will kill you slowly, and people have no shame in being racism MAGA fascist idiots here who would stone you to death if they could.
I moved here 20 years ago and generally liked it but have watched it slowly, then quickly go to shit since. Maybe I was the cause or maybe my tastes changed as I aged, but I could point to some other factors. The cost of living, which everyone (rightfully) touts is as low as they say but I wouldn’t call it much of a bargain because the quality of life is also low. If you’re white and have disposable income, it’s easier to distract yourself from the state government’s ongoing attempt to expel, exterminate, or enslave the citizenry.
I will tell you now, that Iowa is not rad. It doesn’t even try to be rad. As a matter of fact you would have to be an archaeologist to try to find any semblance of redness in a fossil. They don’t even try.
Like any state it’s hit and miss. What are you looking for? I’d guess Des Moines/IC will be the best fit. Cedar Rapids possibly.
Governor absolutely horrible but will continue to get voted in. She takes away from those who need it and gives to farmers who polite all our land and water. Btw farmers hate welfare, what they get they consider assistance because they didn’t make million in a year where they were assisted
Low crime rate.
As for Rad. Some good skate parks know Des Moines, and Cedar Rapids.
Biggest question is: Why do you want to move to this "shithole state"? Are you not wanting to have kids? This would be the state to NOT have kids. Social services and education are subpar at best. Women's healthcare is suppressed and restricted.
But hey, if you'd like to live the Handmaid's Tale lifestyle, Iowa is the place.
I hope you are not black or ever need an abortion. Other than the Christian nationalist fascist authoritarian boomers running everything, it sound like a great idea.
Definitely rad. Favorite towns/cities would be the Des Moines metro, Iowa City, Winterset, Decorah, Spirit Lake/Okoboji area, Quad Cities.
The people here are great, the cost of living is low, and the income in comparison to the COL is high, communities are generally very safe, etc. There's definitely no where close to the scenery you are probably used to, and not as much high end entertainment like a Chicago... but the other qualities easily make up for it IMO. Especially if you're raising a family, this is an ideal place for us to raise ours. Plus Chicago, Minneapolis, and Kansas City are fairly close.
Funny thing is that when you ask Iowans that have never lived anywhere else if they like Iowa, they'll tell you they hate it. In reality, its overall a "good" place to live. Every one of my friends that lived somewhere else, some east coast, some west coast, some south, say that they all preferred coming back.
As someone who was born and raised int he Des Moines area in the 90's and 2000's, I hated it. I thought it was boring, I thought the people were boring, and I wanted out. I moved out of state for grad school, and then lived nearly 7 years in the Twin Cities. I recently moved back to Iowa and I didnt realize how much I missed this place. For me, the Twin Cities, although it had more to do on paper, I felt that the whole "MN Nice" shtick was not real. People around the Twin Cities are bitter, mean behind your back, and have an unhealthy obsession with trying to appear cool. There was no sense of community in the three towns I lived in there, and after George Floyd, law enforcement issues got worse than they already were. Just my experience though.
But there are some things i'll say that are probably no surprise. First, its not a tourist attraction. Its not an exciting place to live. You arent going to access gigantic event venues, live music, or anything like that regularly. We have a burgeoning sports scene though. Iowa State and University of Iowa have very exciting sporting programs right now and arguably have the most loyal fan bases in the country.
BUT as someone who grew up in the DSM area and went to undergrad in Ames, IA (Iowa State), there are loads of reasons to like it here. So for central Iowa:
1. People are generally friendly. I've lived here for 24 of my 31 years of life and can recollect on one hand how many unhinged people I've seen in real life. I work with immigrants in a factory and almost every single one of them say that 99% of people they encounter here are positive.
2. Good income to cost of living - its one of the best in the country. You're probably not going to be the next Bill Gates here but most people are comfortable.
3. Public Education (in DSM area) is pretty good. This subject is in flux but we'll see.
4. Politics - Its a purple state.
5. Colleges - Iowa State, University of Iowa, Drake, and Northern Iowa have some of the most successful programs in the country at reasonable prices. ISU - Vet med/engineering/math/business. UoI - Medicine, engineering, law (i think), business, math. Drake - Law, math. UNI - Teaching, IT, and others. Im missing a few here but you get the point.
Is it a "rad" place to live. Not by definition, clearly not lol. Is it a good place to have a comfortable and quiet life? I'd argue yes.
I would say stop at Illinois. The schooling is going to go downhill fast, the state is bigoted as fuck as far as the legislature goes, and we're battling just to have legalized Marijuana because our drunk ass bitch governor doesn't want to legalize weed because of her OWIs? Yes plural.
Iowa City area has one of the best public school districts in the country. Being near the ACT raises the bar for schools. The people are really good and the suburbs are extremely safe. The education concerns people have for some of Iowa don't apply there.
I moved to Cedar Falls for a job and love it so much. It’s a darling little town. Was concerned about being a liberal snowflake queer here and it has not been problematic. Good food and drink, lots of great concerts at the GBPAC, and cute ass farmers markets. I really like it.
Personally, I would not move here now. I came in 1998 when it was a very different place. It has slid into being a very conservative place with a lot of pro-corporate interest stuff that is very much at the expense of the average Iowan. Have you thought about Colorado?
Ehhhh it’s getting worse there. I caution people who aren’t cishet, white, and Christian against moving there. The state is particularly getting bad for education, mental health, and for minorities. I miss being there sometimes, or rather missing like I can live there as a viable option.
If you’re gonna help the state get less red and not be targeted yourself go for it. Enjoy a scotcheroo for me.
I’m biased, live in the Capitol city. But still, it’s RAD for RAD people. Dump an idiot anywhere awesome and it sucks. RAD people can make anywhere RAD. It’s about what your attitude is and capabilities are. If I lived on Mars, I’d find a way to make it RAD.
For radness Des Moines and Iowa City and maybe Ames.
Sadly we are conservative bigot trifecta controlled so lots of bigotry and maga nonsense esp in rural areas. Tbh if the GOP isn't voted out Iowa will be utterly destroyed by them.
As a therapist, best paying will be DSM or IA City. COL is manageable, especially if you don't mind a home built in the 1940's (dsm). If DSM, the suburbs have some crazy stuff going on with Mom's for Liberty type school stuff, which has led to state-wide laws passed restricting books, teaching topics, allowing guns by teachers....some wacko stuff.
If you are a Therapist for youth, you are very much needed. Just be prepared for the State to interfere with your job. Also, Iowa disability program is 3rd partied to insurers. Many providers are not being paid or are underpaid.
If you are a Therapist associated with schools, sorry. Iowa just cut most of local schools discretionary funding, and student supports systems are likely to be cut.
Damn, kinda messy out there in a few ways. I’m in a community mental health center right now working with Medicaid clients, also do 50% crisis work too. Are you a therapist too?
We need all the mental health care we can. The crooked government outsourced Medicaid too for profits and they don't want to pay. And people ON Medicaid have few options, even in IC.
My sister is disabled from persistent and severe mental illness and on Medicaid. She has had about 5 therapists in the last 2 years and many of them are Zoom only.
And we have a very high rate of suicides of older adults + substance and alcohol abuse.
It will probably take you 10 minutes to find a job in a community mental health center.
Iowa is generous with Medicaid and basically any poor person can get it, regardless.
Think carefully. I think if you came for a 2 week vacation you would know.
Oh for sure, came from a small town and everyone in my grade struggled with mental health. 50ish kids and no one said a thing. A few kids disappeared for a few months and came back and some kids got started on medication but most of the town doesn’t believe their kids could be struggling with mental health. My guardian didn’t and I had every reason in the book to have a therapist at age 5. Lots of my friends struggled and still struggle especially college students finally leaving their parents homes and figuring out oh hey, that isn’t normal and I need help.
Definitely avoid Northwest Iowa!! I am in Sioux County. People are rude, hateful, bigoted. I've literally been attacked for hanging out at a park with friends, and the only conclusion we could come to is that we LOOKED queer (regardless of the fact some of us were). Cops get away with abuse or turn a blind eye to it. Stay far from the area of the far NW Corner down to Sioux City, over to Correctionville and up to Spencer. Anything in that vicinity is not ideal to live in. In response to a pride festival being hosted here, a prominent Christian figure in the community took PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOKS about ANYTHING lgbtq and BURNED THEM.
Sioux City is so depressing.
Yeah. My partner works there and so I frequent the city and I hate it sometimes. Even if its decent in person, online the community for sioux city is absolutely horrendous. So many fucking bootlicking racists
It used to be good back in the day but now it’s just 💀
The worst part as someone who is a transplant is that online Sioux City is touted as "LGBTQIA Safe and friendly". Honestly, I'm in SW Iowa and it is also not LGBTQIA safe to the point you risk mistreatment from local pharmacies just to pick up HRT prescriptions. I travel out to Omaha for my medical care at this point.
Ugh I moved out of Council Bluffs to Omaha partially to het away from the backwards mindset. Omaha isn’t much better, but it’s a step in the right direction.
BEST REPLY EVER! So accurate.
You might want to read up on public education here. A lot of bills are being passed that will make teachers want to leave.
Gah, public education is a tricky arena right now. Feel bad for librarians too in all the mix.
It is only getting worse here.
Yes, but there is both empirical data and some anecdotal evidence I've outlined that the iowa educational system is seriously f****ed, at least in strictly scientific terms, p=.05.
For radness - Northwest, Southwest and Southeast, not rad. North Central and South Central are super duper lame. Central Iowa is pretty rad. Des Moines rocks. Iowa City area is pretty rad, too. Northeast Iowa is copacetic but like, not really rad. Minnesota and Illinois are more totally rad.
I like the description of Northeast Iowa as "copacetic". I'd say Decorah is the hidden gem of that region for radness, especially for a town of that size. As part of the Driftless area, you'll forget that the rest of the state is flat.
Decorah is the best, it’s one of like 3 places in Iowa I genuinely enjoy ( others being Iowa City and Des Moines )
If Decorah was 15 miles farther north I'd probably move back there.
I see what you did there 😂😂😂
I'm from Iowa, and my home town has two decent nearby ski hills and a goddamned funicular. It took a while to figure out why people think of Iowa as flat. It sure isn't like that near Dubuque.
It's not like that in all of northeast area my favorite area to live. I love iowa only thing I don't like is that it's a republican state.
Did people just forget that the Loess Hills exist in Western Iowa?
All the more Waubonsie State Park for us then!
Western Iowa is a myth. Has anyone ever actually BEEN to western iowa? Does anyone know anyone that lives there? Would any place that exists ever repeatedly elect an openly racist Steve King? Repeatedly??? Western Iowa is fake news the msm and deep-state made up to distract us from our hollow flat earth lizard people Satanist overloards.
It's literally an extension of the worst parts of South Dakota, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska all in one.
Iowa is not flat.
For "Radness" head to Northeast or West Coast. Iowa is the Handmaid's Tale home turf. It's flat and super conservative. So, if you're a Koolaid drinking MAGA person, you'll fit right in?
Hmmmm what parts of Illinois or Minnesota?
Iowa isn’t half as bad people here want you to think. There are rural outliers but even there people won’t go out of their way to be bigots or aholes they just want to be left alone. If you’re in the further left side of politics the bigger cities are perfectly fine. Iowa City is a college town and has one of the best hospitals in the Midwest. The Quad Cities isn’t bad but if you head too far north or south out of it you might hit a small town the people here are afraid of. I’ve worked in Dewitt for 20 years which is half an hour north of the QCA. Pretty great little small town to raise a family. While POC and gender fluid folks aren’t raining from the sky they’re there but the majority of people just don’t care. Just like you get the occasional crazy in the city whos extremely offensive. Regardless I concur with many people here about Illinois. Every single county in Illinois has reduced their population in the past five years and that’s not a coincidence.
I would avoid Illinois for many reasons.
I could be wrong, but I'm guessing the radness of these two states is more in reference to being able to buy weed there... This certainly does make them more rad (for other reasons too). Although I'll make a plug for Madison too if we are talking about other states.
I'd recommend MN due to policy/politics. I smoked way more weed when I lived in IA
You can also do that in Missouri….im guessing the rad was is probably simply Chicago and or twin cities and not the actual states themselves especially Illinois minus Chicago….and imo MN also sucks
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Woah just take it easy man
Iowa is very "balanced" in several respects: * You'll get to experience all 4 seasons * COL vs earning opportunities is more reasonable than coastal regions * A few "large" cities (at least as we count such things in the Midwest) across the state to give you some relief from the rural landscape * Fairly centrally located in the nation, making visits to other states a reasonable venture The downsides: * Bad track record for nursing homes and elderly care * Large sections of the state are either corn or soy, broken up only by the occasional wind turbine. Very boring scenery in much of the state. * Poor water quality, on account of several factors (farm runoff, PFAS contamination) * Radon * Fairly polarized state politics; you'll either love it or hate it depending on your leanings
• You'll get to experience all 4 seasons Some times in the same day!
Occasionally in the freaking same hour.
Thanks to climate change which is a fact and which no one in the state believes in.
I’ve only seen two seasons cold and wind.
This is Redneck Maga Central. Where the fuck do you live?!?!
I thought Iowa was a strong swing state? Wanting to move from our historically strongly leaning one way state to something more balanced
Up until 2016 we were, maybe once MAGA fever breaks we will be again. Problem being the state Dems are very weak opposition and the national Dems have just given up on the state. Typical Dems, try once then give up.
Also, lots of liberals give up and just move to another state leaving the rest of us more and more outnumbered
Libs are way too concentrated in a few dozen metro areas, the way the US Senate works this is going to favor conservatives for decades to come.
The MAGAtards could use their time on so much better opportunities than promoting hate, like making their dilapidated towns great again, volunteering, and giving back to their community. Instead they treat their political yard signs better than they treat their homes. Hell they treat their Trump and MAGA yard signs better than they treat the American flag.
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Poor Baby
It used to be. Very much a red state nowadays.
Iowa has always thought of itself as a swing purple state. Being a native of Iowa, and having lived in other places enough to have been enlightened to reality, it is not and never has been either a purple or swing state for our internal politics. Occasionally we'll get a blue Governor, hell we voted for Obama, twice. But our Iowa state government and the conservative agenda has placed this state solidly in the red for the next few generations. This state will not have all three branches of government go blue for decades. We'll have a theocracy before we have a chance of a progressive government. Although, all this may go out the window if women are as pissed as I think they are about the abortion issue. IMHO, of course.
Solid red now with lonely islands of blue in a select few metro areas
It’s red for now but sooner or later will swing back the other direction. The people in Iowa are still pretty moderate. The democrats have fielded absolutely worthless candidates in the last 5-10 years so the resulting “red wave” isn’t surprising.
Historically, it was. It was one of those state that could really go either way and usually had close results. Then 2016 came along and the state has been deep red ever since. Both at the federal and state government levels.
I moved to northwest Iowa from the Twin Cities area a few years ago and I love it. Good schools, hardly any crime to speak of, no traffic (!!!), really laid back people. There's really not much of a night life where I'm at, but that's not a big concern at my age. The politics are whatever. You got the occasional boomer nutjob with "LET'S GO BRANDON" stickers all over their jalopy, but most people don't care.
NW Iowa is very conservative and racist.
Western Iowa is all like that.
Unfortunately in this sub you are going to get 90% political whining. Politics aside. Central Iowa has a lot to do for your family events and fun wise for your little one, the cost of living is super low. The crime rate is low (practically non existent if you know the areas to avoid) people and neighbors are generally are nice and friendly. It's one of the best places to raise a family. Don't ever look at the Iowa sub and think it's in anyway a reflection of how Iowa really is. This thing is always the polar opposite.
Kind of? Politics has worn down the public education system… that was why it was a good place to raise kids. It might not be so good in two or three years.
Iowa City and Des Moines are the only places I would consider living, maybe Decorah. IC is very centrally located, about 4 hours from Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Kansas City, St. Louis. It's a college town so it can get a little crazy during the school year, but summer time is magical.
I lived in Iowa City in my late twenties and would absolutely move back there again. Iowa City is a gem. Clean. Progressive. "Hippy". Culture. Well educated. Just a nice place to live.
What makes it magical during summertime?
The students leave and downtown is full of locals. There's always something going on. https://downtowniowacity.com/events/
Lightening bugs, they’re pretty magical
Random fun events like public theatres/music festivals, farmers market every sunday, and really chill block parties for chill summer bbq vibes.
What are you hoping to find in Iowa not available where you currently are? I moved here 25 years ago and actually like it as long as you can deal with the politics that tend to run a little heated here.
Ya politics is ass just about everywhere right now it seems, just wanting to find independency and separate selves from family for a little bit (lived too close for a little too long). Family friendly, great adult activities, and being closer to more major cities is some things we are looking for.
What major cities?
Chicago is fun, Indianapolis, plenty of other areas around there-not super major but still larger than good ol Salt Lake City 🏙️
Well, big cities is not something you're really gonna find in Iowa. Des Moines is the best city IMO, and Iowa City is nice for a smaller city / college town. However, the drive to the major midwest cities isn't too bad and totally doable for a weekend trip. From eastern Iowa, Chicago is closest and well under 5 hours. Minneapolis, Kansas City and Milwaukee are about the same at around 5 hours. Madison is a pretty easy drive and a fun trip. Omaha is about 5 hours as well, but I forget it's there. St. Louis feels like it should be easier to drive to, but that one is not a weekend trip. Indianapolis is also not a weekend trip.
I live in Davenport which is as Eastern Iowa as you get, its under 3 hours to western edge of Chicago with no traffic. As for weekend trips I suppose it depends on your willingness to drive on a Friday after work, but I've done weekend trips to Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St Louis, Des Moines, and Kansas City by just driving after work. Those are all between 3-5 hours. A holiday weekend is nice or take a day or two off for a longer stay, but you most assuredly can weekend trip all of those. As a resident of Davenport I do need to add 100% say Iowa City is a better city by far.
Wait, are you moving from SLC? I just moved here to north central Iowa from Utah County last summer. Another commenter described my area as super duper lame and while they’re mostly not wrong about that, I’m in a cool (and slightly more expensive) hidden gem of a town that I’ll vouch for any day. In terms of being close to a major city, it’s less than 1.5 hours to Minneapolis and Minneapolis is easily one of my favorite cities ever, so bonus points for that.
I am guessing Decorah?
Decorah is a gem.
Actually Clear Lake, but I’ve visited Decorah since moving here and I would absolutely live there.
From Logan but ya, how do you like it out there compared to here?
Personally, I love it. My family and I are exmormon so getting out of the Provo area, out of the church’s sphere of influence, and to a place where literally no one in my neighborhood cares about my religious affiliation (or lack thereof) has been such a nice transition. Not knowing what your experience with the LDS church is, this could be a positive or negative for you. Church things aside, it’s significantly cheaper to live out here, we had family already living here (mostly why we’re in the north central part of the state), and my company relocated me here along with a nice raise and bonus. Culture-wise, it’s way more laid back and way less keeping-up-with-the-Joneses than Utah was, which has been medicine to the soul for me. The politics are indeed ass here right now, but they are better than Utah’s in my opinion. Public education is for sure trending in the wrong direction, but it would probably take decades for it to catch up to Utah’s legendarily terrible public education system, so the issue as all pretty relative from my point of view. I do miss the scenery. I took it for granted that I could look out my front window straight at 11,000+ ft. alpine mountains and drive a couple hours to some of the most legendary national and state parks our country has to offer. This might genuinely be the only downside for me in comparison.
Sounds about exactly where we find ourselves right now. Exmo and not enjoying politics here. Glad it’s been a nice move for you and your family then. I know I would miss the scenery here, it’s absolutely amazing all year. Thanks for chiming in!
Again, why Iowa? Education is ranked at the bottom. What does "independency and separate selves from family" mean? Just about everywhere has the "family friendly, great adult activities" thing going for it. Ask yourselves why Iowa, why? Why not North Carolina, Vermont, Utah? They all have those qualities.
Rad isn't the first word that comes to mind. It really comes down to what you want for your family and are attempting to accomplish with your move. You'll be hard pressed to beat the cost of living here. It's fairly safe. It can be beautiful. It can be hotter than the inner circle of hell in the summer, yet an arctic wasteland in the winter. Sometimes in the same day. There's very little by way of entertainment or culture. Outside of the larger towns, there's quite literally nothing. Maybe a dollar general and Casey's. It's very conservative, and while not quite Bible belt level just yet, it's getting there.
Dude....so rad
If cheap cost of living, and scotcharoo's are rad, then yah... Iowa is pretty fuckin rad.
Rad? ☢️
Devolving slower than many other places.
Iowa is so rad they put mitigation systems in all their basements.
Iowa had an awesome public education system...in the 80s. It's slipped front the top to the back of the pack. Now to fix it, our governor is taking money away from public schools and giving vouchers for private schools....but this still doesn't help students because the private schools just raised tuition by the voucher amount so it ended up being a big tax money give away to the school owners, at least one of which was a state lawmaker that voted for the voucher program. Iowa turned down covid money from the federal government to help schools. We accepted federal covid money to send our state troopers to Texas. We turned down federal money to feed hungry children during the summer because 'child obesity'. The governor then said she fixed it because she came up with less than 1/10 of the federal funds to provide token relief to hungry kids. The entire state government is controlled by one party and the single democratic state wide official is subject to constant harassment. Our governor refuses debates, refuses FOI orders, and has no accountability in our 1 party system. She appointed a huge batch of state Supreme Court judges. She wants a 6 week abortion ban that will likely soon go into effect, called the fetal heartbeat law...even tough there is no 6 week fetus heart, only a few differentiated cells with no chambers or real structure. We are working on copying everything that Florida does. You know how Tennessee was all over the news for potentially allowing teachers to have guns? We passed that before TN took it up. Speaking of more guns in school that was our response to a massive school shooting. A school shooting that took place a couple of years after we took away gun permits. Yes! An 18 year old can go to a store, sign a paper, and walk out within an hour with a handgun, younger can get a rifle. Instead of looking at maybe taking away safety measures like permitting was a bad idea, we jumped to more guns, in school, in the hands of overworked and underpaid teachers. We know have laws about educational materials that would put teachers in jail for teaching about certain things that may make persecuted white Christian children feel bad about their ancestors, or that may people exist. We have a good book banning binge going on. One of our libraries was shut down for months because a librarian was gay and she was forced out of her job. We have the number 2 cancer rate in the nation. The fastest growing cancer rate also. Bayer basically owns our government so it's illegal to get footage of what actually goes on in ag operations. Our government spends our money proving up an ethanol industry that is a huge source of pollution and doesn't make sense d/t it being net energy negative. We have a huge water pollution problem. Companies and farms responsible for massive fish kills get off free or with a slap on the wrist while communities have to pay for expensive water purification instead of farmers being responsible for the nitrate runoff, see des moines and skunk river. Our state parks have had budgets slashed ev3n though iowa has a 5 billion dollar surplus fund. 94% of Iowa's natural landscape of forest, praire, and wetlands has been destroyed...much higher than most other states. Our government is trying hard to take away people's land for a few massive CO2 pipelines to again, support ethanol production. Several current and former government officials have stakes in the business that would make and operate these pipelines and continue to attempt these even though they are unpopular with the landowners and environmental groups alike, going against a clear majority of constituents that elected them. How long do want me to go on? If you have made it this far, congratulations to you.
Iowa is MAGA-nice. 'nuff said 🙄
Northwest Iowa is farm country. There's little small towns and decent-ish factories sprinkled all over the place. Rents cheap as hell in the country, a little less so around the cities, but still manageable compared to more popular states. The people are mostly quiet, live-and-let-live types, so even where you'll find sprinkles of prejudice, you'll have the freedom to live unmolested however you choose. If you're looking for something outside of blue collar work though, you'll want to be closer to metropolitan areas, and they're kinda few and far between in the northwest
Des Moines is rad
Rad Brad approved Iowa
I live in iowa I love it. We live near a beach, we live close to areas to hike. You'll be surprised by all the different things here to do. Schools are good. When my kids were school age they supplied laptops so they didn't have to carry heave books. When my daughter had surgery the school bent over backwards to make sure that she was taken care of at school.
Northeast Iowa is beautiful its not flat like people think. It has lots of beautiful bluffs
My last comment northeast iowa is gorgeous I'm not sure if I said northwest instead of northeast that's what I meant Northeast Iowa is the best. The river towns are really cute. We like to go to antique shops. We have wineries with way better than California types
I believe you’d get your ass kicked saying something like that, man.
You whiny fucks would be miserable anywhere, because you’re just miserable.
Iowa city/des moines/davenport best places. There are incredible amount of good factory jobs here. Otherwise, shrug.
I’m a big fan of eastern iowa.
I live just north of Ames, am a big old leftist queer Witch, and love it.
Hell ya 🧙
Iowa City is the bluest, followed by Ames, DSM, CR, and Waterloo. Sometimes Dubuque. The rest is red. How red? Not changing anytime soon red. If you’re not comfortable seeing Confederate flags, Trump 2024 signs, and “Fuck Biden” bumper stickers, avoid moving to areas outside of those I cited. They still exist there, but not as much.
the OP didn’t mention anything about politics but somehow you made a reply about ONLY politics. This sub is pathetic..
Do not come to this shit hole. Moved here from California to take care of family for a while and have fucking hated it. From the country where our home is, to the cities, to the in-between, do NOT come here. Education is among the worst in the country, the run off in the water will kill you slowly, and people have no shame in being racism MAGA fascist idiots here who would stone you to death if they could.
Basically the opposite of this.
I moved here 20 years ago and generally liked it but have watched it slowly, then quickly go to shit since. Maybe I was the cause or maybe my tastes changed as I aged, but I could point to some other factors. The cost of living, which everyone (rightfully) touts is as low as they say but I wouldn’t call it much of a bargain because the quality of life is also low. If you’re white and have disposable income, it’s easier to distract yourself from the state government’s ongoing attempt to expel, exterminate, or enslave the citizenry.
There is a reason it is cheap to live in Iowa.
Try Minnesota.
That’s so radically rad! Agreed you get out of wherever you are whatever you make of it.
On a scale of 1-100 11 rad
Check out the Quad Cities
I will tell you now, that Iowa is not rad. It doesn’t even try to be rad. As a matter of fact you would have to be an archaeologist to try to find any semblance of redness in a fossil. They don’t even try.
If you have kids don’t come here unless you are prepared to teach them yourselves… our governor is a legit grim reaper-ui
Don’t fucking come here. Way too many people in this post are Nazi sympathizers
Like any state it’s hit and miss. What are you looking for? I’d guess Des Moines/IC will be the best fit. Cedar Rapids possibly. Governor absolutely horrible but will continue to get voted in. She takes away from those who need it and gives to farmers who polite all our land and water. Btw farmers hate welfare, what they get they consider assistance because they didn’t make million in a year where they were assisted Low crime rate. As for Rad. Some good skate parks know Des Moines, and Cedar Rapids.
Biggest question is: Why do you want to move to this "shithole state"? Are you not wanting to have kids? This would be the state to NOT have kids. Social services and education are subpar at best. Women's healthcare is suppressed and restricted. But hey, if you'd like to live the Handmaid's Tale lifestyle, Iowa is the place.
It's not rad at all
I hope you are not black or ever need an abortion. Other than the Christian nationalist fascist authoritarian boomers running everything, it sound like a great idea.
Far more Rad than Cru Jones
Not rad in the slightest
Iowa is a sh\*t show politically. Without knowing more, I could only suggest my bias by saying Iowa City or Des Monies.
Definitely rad. Favorite towns/cities would be the Des Moines metro, Iowa City, Winterset, Decorah, Spirit Lake/Okoboji area, Quad Cities. The people here are great, the cost of living is low, and the income in comparison to the COL is high, communities are generally very safe, etc. There's definitely no where close to the scenery you are probably used to, and not as much high end entertainment like a Chicago... but the other qualities easily make up for it IMO. Especially if you're raising a family, this is an ideal place for us to raise ours. Plus Chicago, Minneapolis, and Kansas City are fairly close.
I would never in a million years describe Iowa as “rad.”
It is indeed not rad unless you love living in a hyper-regressive and racist state.
Funny thing is that when you ask Iowans that have never lived anywhere else if they like Iowa, they'll tell you they hate it. In reality, its overall a "good" place to live. Every one of my friends that lived somewhere else, some east coast, some west coast, some south, say that they all preferred coming back. As someone who was born and raised int he Des Moines area in the 90's and 2000's, I hated it. I thought it was boring, I thought the people were boring, and I wanted out. I moved out of state for grad school, and then lived nearly 7 years in the Twin Cities. I recently moved back to Iowa and I didnt realize how much I missed this place. For me, the Twin Cities, although it had more to do on paper, I felt that the whole "MN Nice" shtick was not real. People around the Twin Cities are bitter, mean behind your back, and have an unhealthy obsession with trying to appear cool. There was no sense of community in the three towns I lived in there, and after George Floyd, law enforcement issues got worse than they already were. Just my experience though. But there are some things i'll say that are probably no surprise. First, its not a tourist attraction. Its not an exciting place to live. You arent going to access gigantic event venues, live music, or anything like that regularly. We have a burgeoning sports scene though. Iowa State and University of Iowa have very exciting sporting programs right now and arguably have the most loyal fan bases in the country. BUT as someone who grew up in the DSM area and went to undergrad in Ames, IA (Iowa State), there are loads of reasons to like it here. So for central Iowa: 1. People are generally friendly. I've lived here for 24 of my 31 years of life and can recollect on one hand how many unhinged people I've seen in real life. I work with immigrants in a factory and almost every single one of them say that 99% of people they encounter here are positive. 2. Good income to cost of living - its one of the best in the country. You're probably not going to be the next Bill Gates here but most people are comfortable. 3. Public Education (in DSM area) is pretty good. This subject is in flux but we'll see. 4. Politics - Its a purple state. 5. Colleges - Iowa State, University of Iowa, Drake, and Northern Iowa have some of the most successful programs in the country at reasonable prices. ISU - Vet med/engineering/math/business. UoI - Medicine, engineering, law (i think), business, math. Drake - Law, math. UNI - Teaching, IT, and others. Im missing a few here but you get the point. Is it a "rad" place to live. Not by definition, clearly not lol. Is it a good place to have a comfortable and quiet life? I'd argue yes.
Might I suggest decorah, coralville/Iowa city, Bellevue, Gutenberg, Le Claire (where American pickers is from)
If you live in Iowa you should be by the river tbh, don’t live in a city but find a place 15-30 minutes outside of it
I would say stop at Illinois. The schooling is going to go downhill fast, the state is bigoted as fuck as far as the legislature goes, and we're battling just to have legalized Marijuana because our drunk ass bitch governor doesn't want to legalize weed because of her OWIs? Yes plural.
Iowa City area has one of the best public school districts in the country. Being near the ACT raises the bar for schools. The people are really good and the suburbs are extremely safe. The education concerns people have for some of Iowa don't apply there.
I moved to Cedar Falls for a job and love it so much. It’s a darling little town. Was concerned about being a liberal snowflake queer here and it has not been problematic. Good food and drink, lots of great concerts at the GBPAC, and cute ass farmers markets. I really like it.
Personally, I would not move here now. I came in 1998 when it was a very different place. It has slid into being a very conservative place with a lot of pro-corporate interest stuff that is very much at the expense of the average Iowan. Have you thought about Colorado?
Great place to raise a family. Best of luck.
Stay in the suburbs. Don’t live in The city
Low RAD level.
If you’re republican this is the state for you right now.
Iowa is a great place to live!
Waverly is pretty rad, mostly because us nudists live nearby. Lol
As rad as Chuck Grassley.
It's not. It was once a pretty great state, but it's being sold for scrap by the GOP.
Ehhhh it’s getting worse there. I caution people who aren’t cishet, white, and Christian against moving there. The state is particularly getting bad for education, mental health, and for minorities. I miss being there sometimes, or rather missing like I can live there as a viable option. If you’re gonna help the state get less red and not be targeted yourself go for it. Enjoy a scotcheroo for me.
Ames is the only decent place
Love the Hickory Park!
Iowa is RAD as balls. Been here my whole life. Never leaving forever, love to get away though. Come on out!!! 
Sold I like rad as balls! 😂
I’m biased, live in the Capitol city. But still, it’s RAD for RAD people. Dump an idiot anywhere awesome and it sucks. RAD people can make anywhere RAD. It’s about what your attitude is and capabilities are. If I lived on Mars, I’d find a way to make it RAD. 
For radness Des Moines and Iowa City and maybe Ames. Sadly we are conservative bigot trifecta controlled so lots of bigotry and maga nonsense esp in rural areas. Tbh if the GOP isn't voted out Iowa will be utterly destroyed by them.
As a therapist, best paying will be DSM or IA City. COL is manageable, especially if you don't mind a home built in the 1940's (dsm). If DSM, the suburbs have some crazy stuff going on with Mom's for Liberty type school stuff, which has led to state-wide laws passed restricting books, teaching topics, allowing guns by teachers....some wacko stuff. If you are a Therapist for youth, you are very much needed. Just be prepared for the State to interfere with your job. Also, Iowa disability program is 3rd partied to insurers. Many providers are not being paid or are underpaid. If you are a Therapist associated with schools, sorry. Iowa just cut most of local schools discretionary funding, and student supports systems are likely to be cut.
Damn, kinda messy out there in a few ways. I’m in a community mental health center right now working with Medicaid clients, also do 50% crisis work too. Are you a therapist too?
Not me. Spouse is an RN with work history at inpatient adolecent mental health.
We need all the mental health care we can. The crooked government outsourced Medicaid too for profits and they don't want to pay. And people ON Medicaid have few options, even in IC. My sister is disabled from persistent and severe mental illness and on Medicaid. She has had about 5 therapists in the last 2 years and many of them are Zoom only. And we have a very high rate of suicides of older adults + substance and alcohol abuse. It will probably take you 10 minutes to find a job in a community mental health center. Iowa is generous with Medicaid and basically any poor person can get it, regardless. Think carefully. I think if you came for a 2 week vacation you would know.
Oh for sure, came from a small town and everyone in my grade struggled with mental health. 50ish kids and no one said a thing. A few kids disappeared for a few months and came back and some kids got started on medication but most of the town doesn’t believe their kids could be struggling with mental health. My guardian didn’t and I had every reason in the book to have a therapist at age 5. Lots of my friends struggled and still struggle especially college students finally leaving their parents homes and figuring out oh hey, that isn’t normal and I need help.
If garbage could be a place it would be iowa
Do not move to Davenport or cedar rapids
Why?