Comments on: You Don’t Need Six Figures: The Financial Realities of Living in Iowa http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/ Financial talk for the rest of us Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:14:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: elizabeth http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-916305 elizabeth Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:43:20 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-916305 You know where it’s at? Larger college towns in rural areas. All of the advantages you’ve stated if you’re 10 miles away from town and an amazing variety of restaurants and cultural attractions.

Though I’m not the first to comment that. :)

]]> By: Bob Davis http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-915922 Bob Davis Sun, 27 Jun 2010 06:07:14 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-915922 I canno’t entertain the idea of living in a rural setting in Iowa. I am a big city person. Give me San Francisco and its waterfront any day.

]]> By: Kristin http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-915916 Kristin Sun, 27 Jun 2010 04:28:48 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-915916 While in San Francisco last summer, many people I met were shocked I lived in Iowa. They said “but you are so smart and creative, you should be living here” haha. Well, among what Trent mentioned, where I live, in Ames, IA there are these amazing things:
+ 57 miles of connected bike paths – meaning you can get anywhere in town on your bike in under a half hour,
+ several high quality museums in Des Moines as well as here in Ames. We actually just opened up another community gallery here.
+ a great bus system that also allows many of my friends to be 100% car free (my partner and I share a car).
+ Great crop share programs, farmers markets, handmade markets, and community gardens.
+ Active art organizations, craft guilds, indie press projects and businesses – from the small to the large scale.
+ An amazing indie music scene – live shows all around town just about every night in the week – and bands from the east coast all the way to japan playing right along with local bands.

And I should season all this with the fact that I’ve traveled from San Francisco to Florida to France (my partner all the way to China, Tibet, and Japan), lived right by Chicago, and lived in England. I was honestly surprised and delighted when I moved here.

]]> By: SZCZEBRZESZYN http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-915889 SZCZEBRZESZYN Sat, 26 Jun 2010 18:31:05 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-915889 Consider a midwest college town. My town is about 20,000 now, of which one quarter are students. Lots of cultural events at the colleges and lots of ethnic diversity. Among our friends are Kenyans, Chinese, Canadians, Poles, Koreans, Japanese, Thais, Vietnamese, Ghanaians (how do you spell that?), Aussies, Portuguese, Filipinos, Mexicans, and various hyphenated-Americans.

]]> By: Jill http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-856931 Jill Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:45:33 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-856931 I should also add that although I am a fan of Chicago, I am not a fan of the Chicago suburbs even though I grew up there. I now live on the city’s north side and love it. If I had to move away from Chicago, I would pick Iowa City over a Chicago suburb in a heartbeat.

]]> By: Jill http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-856924 Jill Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:24:11 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-856924 I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago but have family in Iowa. I spent a month every summer with my grandma in my mom’s tiny home town (no stop lights!) and always loved my time there. I often get homesick for that town even though I never actually lived there. I still visit every year and always feel like I have come home. There is nothing better than sitting on the porch swing chatting, snacking and having some drinks while waving to every car that goes by.

I went to school at the University of Iowa and loved the four years I lived in Iowa City. It is a great town with plenty of great restaurants and culture. My husband and I almost moved there when a job opportunity presented itself. Unfortunately, we needed to stay in Chicago to be closer to a family member with health problems. Although we love Chicago and love the culture that living in the city provides our kids, we often think about what it would have been like to have moved to Iowa City.

Where you live is certainly a personal choice but it always amazes me to see how people who have never been somewhere can judge it. Iowa is a beautiful place with beautiful and kind people. That is not to say that everything is perfect there but no place is perfect and there will always be people you encounter that are not worth your time. I have traveled all over the country (NY, PA, NJ, MN, MI, WI, IN, FL, CA, AZ, WA, DC, GA, NE, MO, OH, TX, AK, UT) and have found something to like about every place I have visited. However, I can honestly say that Iowa is my tied for my favorite place to live along with Chicago. I would truly be happy living in either place.

]]> By: Teri Davis Newman http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-711534 Teri Davis Newman Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:05:05 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-711534 I live in a small town in rural Illinois and I agree with the Iowa plan–I wish I lived there as the taxes in IL are insane–ONE THIRD of my house payment is frigging TAXES and I have no children so the excellent schools make no difference to me, but they do attract an affluent white population as we are 34 minutes from downtown St. Louis but the demographics here (courtesy US Census Bureau) are 99.1% White, .04% Asian, .04% Hispanic, .01% African American and .01% Other. This translates to a crime rate so low that people don’t lock their doors or cars, no prepay at the gas pumps needed, no need to worry about being out after dark and if you get so much as a PARKING TICKET your name will be in the bi-weekly newspaper. I love it here and I am close enough to the Lou to make a living there (I’m a wedding planner) and still have the small town life.

]]> By: Jane http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-535172 Jane Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:57:48 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-535172 true that moving can really change costs, and also quality of life. My sister recently relocated from New Jersey (where she had moved as a Katrina refugee) to Colorado Springs: taking a 25% cut in headline salary but getting a 40% increase in disposable income after housing and utilities costs (mainly by paying rent of $1000 pm for a 4 bed 2 bath home rather than $2000 for 3 bed 1 bath in NJ). And swapping a 30 minute commute on an over-crowded highway for a 5 minute drive on clear suburban roads!
And I still live in the UK- with some of the highest living costs in the world

]]> By: Lindsey http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-525434 Lindsey Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:28:56 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-525434 True, Iowans are everywhere. I know of a few teaching in North Korea right now also. And everywhere I’ve lived, in many different towns and states, I will run into someone from Iowa, and they will talk about their hometown fondly, and almost always, they say they plan to move back there someday. Iowa can’t be all that boring if everyone wants to move back there, even after seeing the world! I am moving back there this Spring to raise our daughter and be closer to my husband’s family. I was born and raised in Northern CA. I like Iowa. Yes it can get very cold and gray and sometimes be a bit too quiet, but once you learn to embrace that lifestyle, going back to the crowded city life doesn’t sound appealing to me at all.

]]> By: Laurel Wetzel http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-502669 Laurel Wetzel Sat, 31 Jan 2009 13:36:51 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-502669 But you have to remember a lot of good people and things come from Iowa. Like Curt Warner, quarterback for the Cardinals in his 3rd Superbowl tomorrow, Johny Carson, John Wayne, Field of Dreams the movie, Bridges of Madison Count the movie, Fist, the Movie. We are always guaranteed to have changing seasons of weather and when you are used to that you almost always come back to Iowa for that. (Any way I did). Once and Iowan, always an Iowan no matter where we live and move and roam. You will see us all around the world. I know of one that is in Malaysia right at this very moment.

]]> By: Accroyer http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-374556 Accroyer Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:26:55 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-374556 I have read all of these comments and there are lots of valid points. I grew up in Los Angeles but have lived everywhere (Cleveland,D.C., Baltimore, Las Vegas, Dallas, Portland(OR), Seattle,Montreal,Biloxi,Vancouver (B.C.). Each place had certain qualities (except for Cleveland) that made them unique.I think a major factor people are missing is the current economic situation we are in. this will dictate where we will migrate too. I believe that many people will move to more rural areas in the future as major cities cut back on employment opportunities and crime escalates. Food, energy, cost of living will play into this also, people will move where they can survive.

]]> By: Richard http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-361082 Richard Sun, 24 Aug 2008 03:50:38 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-361082 Must be real exciting watching that corn grow!

]]> By: Sarah http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-360506 Sarah Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:04:06 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-360506 I have a love-hate relationship with the state. I attend school in Chicago, my bf in Des Moines. I’ll probably end up in Iowa after graduation. Partially because of him, partially because I’m scared to death to try to get a PR job in Chicago and really don’t want to become a corporate slave. If things work out, we’re thinking of Northwest IN – lower taxes, but still close to Chicago.

My only qualm with Des Moines is actually West Des Moines. I’ve only spent a little time in Des Moines (he tends to come back to Chicago), but W. Des Moines seems to be nothing but a consumer orgy, with not much in downtown Des Moines.

]]> By: John http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-353726 John Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:36:37 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-353726 Iowa does suck, but it grows on you. Been in Iowa City for 4 years, for school of course, then I’m out of here. Could be worse I guess, we could be in the south dakota.

]]> By: SBT http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-342336 SBT Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:20:20 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-342336 I love Iowa City. It’s a terrific cultural center, more racially diverse than most of Iowa, and has the best schools in the universe.

BUT TRENT, YOU WERE’NT SUPPOSED TO TELL!!!

]]> By: Raphael http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-337517 Raphael Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:06:15 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-337517 You should check out Fairfield Iowa down in the southeast sometime.
Inexpensive iowa lifestyle, big culture. Over 50 restaurants in a city of approx. 10,000. Monthly “first friday’s art walk” http://www.fairfieldartwalk.com/

Don’t know where in iowa you are, but if you get a chance stop on by.

]]> By: K http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-328767 K Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:31:46 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-328767 I have lived in Iowa my entire life and have never suffered from lack of transportation…I have never suffered from lack of coffee shops, restaurants, music venues, opera, ballet, you name it. We do have people from all over the world where I come from in Iowa. Yes, living here is much cheaper than a lot of places and I am thankful for that. When you piss and moan about how boring the state is and how we have “nothing to do or see”, please do the collective population of this state a giant favor and go somewhere else. We don’t need you. As for comments from the peanut gallery about Iowa sucking and being full of drunken college students in the university towns, take a good hard look at your own school. And hey Minnesota, we couldn’t care less about this contest you guys seem to “try” to have with us. Do you think if we don’t acknowledge they exist, they’ll go away? Iowa schools are some of the best in the nation, so please, don’t go by what they say online or what’s in the newspaper as far as ratings. Do your own search, find your own truth. Even if the kids don’t want to stay here, it’s their loss. My state is wonderful, be it rural or city life…you really have to make your own fun and not worry about what other big places do. Who cares? If you really wanted to be there, you would.

]]> By: Someone http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-306725 Someone Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:51:28 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-306725 Everything in the midwest (or most rural or suburban areas) seems to be so automobile-centric: like your life has to revolve entirely around your car. I like not having to own a car, and factoring in having to buy a car, I don’t see how my total cost of living would be any better in the midwest.

I refuse to move to an area that’s so automobile centric that I’d have a difficult time getting by without one– it would be too big a decrease in quality of life from being able to walk places, like I do now.

]]> By: wendy http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-206375 wendy Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:37:20 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-206375 I took my last vacation to Iowa. Everybody I knew looked at me like I was nuts when I said I was going to IOWA for my vacation. I came into the state by the quad cities, went up to Dubuque, diagonaled to Des Moines and had a grand time.

My only regret was I didn’t have more time to keep going kinda in a number 8 loop and hit the SW and NW areas also.

I just rambled around from one town to the next hitting big ones and small ones and I LOVED IOWA.
wendy

]]> By: boardmadd http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-193254 boardmadd Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:07:21 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/21/you-dont-need-six-figures-the-financial-realities-of-living-in-iowa/#comment-193254 I’ve had the opportunity to watch the “small” town I grew up in become a fairly big town (Danville, CA), I lived in San Francisco for many years, and I now live in a suburb of San Francisco. One thing that has proven to be very interesting is that, while it’s a challenge, I am able to make a life here in the Bay Area for myself and my family for about $60K per year. It’s not a flush life, and we have to make sacrifices and live frugally, but overall we do pretty good. One of the reasons we live where we do is the fact that my wife wants to stay close to her family (only child of only family in the area, thus staying here is *really* important to her). However, I’m not married to this location, and would be willing to relocate if the circumstances were favorable and made sense (we may well follow our kids when they grow up and decide to abandon the Bay Area, which I think is a pretty good bet at the rate that prices are today and likely may be in the future).

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