got a job! moving to IOWA!
- Thread starter shoe gal
- Start date
sounds good! i am excited to meet midwesterners; my good friend in college was from iowa city and i think of her when i think of iowans, especially since you say they are progressive and well-educated. and, its good to hear there's good shopping around
Congratulations Shoegal, I live in Minneapolis and my folks & sister live in Grinnell, IA. (very small town, but big college there) It is about 50 miles east of Des Moines. It is much cheaper to purchase a home in the smaller towns. food & gas will not be too much cheaper (unless you live in So. CA) I watch the nightly news and Minneapolis is usually right there with the National average, but when we go to visit my folks, we can usually find gas around 3-5 cents cheaper per gallon. I know when we moved to MN from So Ca, everyone told me how much cheaper it was in the mid-west.....WRONG.
The only real savings was the initial cost of our home, but clothing, day care, car insurance, property taxes, food (we had so much fresh produce that grew in CA) and utilities were much higher. Partly due to the fact in So CA, you didn't need heavy winter clothes or the heat & gas in the winter. I lived by the ocean and in the summer, we did not need a/c and we could leave the doors open without the BUGS. Also, I lived in a burb 60 miles from LA, so car insurance was priced accordingly and we did not have the snow factored into the insurance.
Anyway, there are many wonderful things here in the Midwest too, so feel free to contact me if you have any questions when you find out the specifics.
thats very helpful, thanks so much! i had no idea that the cost of living might actually be more. i am definitely looking forward to more affordable housing, though. i'm used to paying a lot!
honestly, i didn't see how food and gas could be much cheaper. i'm hoping to live on a smaller budget, though, with less expensive restaurants, less time to go shopping (from working long hours!), and housing.
we'll see!
I'm currently going to school in Ames, but I was born in Fort Dodge, IA. There's not much to say about Iowa. The biggest problem is that it can be pretty boring and there's not much shopping--I end up doing way too much online. There are a couple of decent malls in Des Moines (Valley West and Jordan Creek) and one in Coralville. Wherever you are, you'll find something, plus you'll have an awesome job. One great thing (to me) is that everyone for the most part is really nice and everything is a little more laid back. I used to get offended when my husband's family (from France) would say that it must be so nice living in Iowa since everything is so slow, but then I realized it's true. I'm sure working with a campaign will be chaotic at times, but it's definitely possible to really relax here...to the point of boredom. Oh, I also noticed that after living in Minnesota for a few months dining out and gas are definitely less expensive here. Keep us posted on where you end up being located.
i definitely will post when i find out exactly where i will be. thanks for the info! i'm glad to hear that gas and dining may be cheaper...i'm used to paying quite a bit on the east coast. whats the weather like? i'm used to east coast - new jersey/washington, dc weather. is it much colder?
I am from Iowa and miss it often.
It really does matter where you live-one side of the state to the other is very far.
I assume you'll be in/near Des Moines, the capital. It is acually a cool city with some really great sections of town to live in; more open minded and liberal.
It is great to be in IA for the election which is why I miss it right now.
The people are so nice-if you get a flat tire 25 people will stop to help you. Here in Vegas everyone walked past me while I was trying to change my flat while wearing a dress. I am independent but come on- I got my dress and shoes all dirty.
Please PM me with any questions. I have some friends in Des Moines who work pretty closely with the Dems.
Oh, and don't forget, Go Hawkeyes!
It really does matter where you live-one side of the state to the other is very far.
I assume you'll be in/near Des Moines, the capital. It is acually a cool city with some really great sections of town to live in; more open minded and liberal.
It is great to be in IA for the election which is why I miss it right now.
The people are so nice-if you get a flat tire 25 people will stop to help you. Here in Vegas everyone walked past me while I was trying to change my flat while wearing a dress. I am independent but come on- I got my dress and shoes all dirty.
Please PM me with any questions. I have some friends in Des Moines who work pretty closely with the Dems.
Oh, and don't forget, Go Hawkeyes!
The weather is pretty extreme. We have tons of snow during the winter and it's freeeeeeeeezing and it gets extremely hot/humid in the summer. Outsiders always joke that we have no spring.
Congratulations!
I'm from Nebraska (Iowa's neighbor) and definitely like living in the midwest.
The shopping isn't great (though Omaha is getting better...), but the people are friendly, the cities are safe, and life isn't overly-hectic.
Gas prices right now (in NE) are in the low-mid $2 range. As far as housing goes, you will be able to find something nice and affordable. I pay $740 a month for my secure entry two-bedroom apartment in a very nice apartment complex.
Nightlife isn't going to be super exciting, but drinks will be much less expensive
If you have any more questions, feel free to PM-me. Like I said, I'm not from Iowa, but Nebraska is very similar.
I'm from Nebraska (Iowa's neighbor) and definitely like living in the midwest.
The shopping isn't great (though Omaha is getting better...), but the people are friendly, the cities are safe, and life isn't overly-hectic.
Gas prices right now (in NE) are in the low-mid $2 range. As far as housing goes, you will be able to find something nice and affordable. I pay $740 a month for my secure entry two-bedroom apartment in a very nice apartment complex.
Nightlife isn't going to be super exciting, but drinks will be much less expensive
If you have any more questions, feel free to PM-me. Like I said, I'm not from Iowa, but Nebraska is very similar.
I lived in Iowa for over 20 years. It is a progressive state where most parents put the emphasis on education. DSM metro area is probably about a half million people.
I had a friend that worked the caucus years ago. He invited us down to the headquarters & we had so much fun! With your job you will meet a ton of people. And you being right out of college, you'll have fun. Don't miss out on the festivals that most of the cities have each summer. When are you moving there?
I too prefer midwesterns. They are good honest people, wouldn't dream of looking you in the face & lying to you.
I hear you marymoon!
I had a friend that worked the caucus years ago. He invited us down to the headquarters & we had so much fun! With your job you will meet a ton of people. And you being right out of college, you'll have fun. Don't miss out on the festivals that most of the cities have each summer. When are you moving there?
I too prefer midwesterns. They are good honest people, wouldn't dream of looking you in the face & lying to you.
I hear you marymoon!
