Quality of life
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8/9/2007
Cedar Rapids is a fairly large city (135K)in America's heartland. This is a good place to raise a family, as is Iowa in general. People are fairly friendly and it's pretty easy to get to know your neighbors if you want.
In this area, we have great (though flat) biking trails, but little in the way of what most people would call "hiking trails." The scenery is pretty monotonous except in a few areas (e.g. Grant Wood country) that are blessed with some hills. The Mississippi Valley is also quite beautiful. Most of the good fishing spots in the state are outside of our Southeast quadrant, unfortunately.
The climate if fairly extreme. Winter is colder and windier than upstate NY, but we are spared the snow. (Although there are places where the wind simply moves the same snow back and forth across the road several times a day!) The air in Cedar Rapids (the "City of Five Smells") can drive you indoors at times. Yeast, starch and food manufacture has some unpleasant side effects. And then there's the City of Cedar Rapids' Sewer (mis)Treatment plant......!
The biggest drawback of living here is that Iowa is a "fly-over" state. While the U of I (in Iowa City, about 30 miles south) manages to atract some national acts, we are for the most part out of the mainstream.
The food is surprising bad here! This is meat and potatoes county, and restaurants have a very hard time making it in Cedar Rapids. In a recent newspaper survey, chain outlets won in the categories of submarine sandwiches, Italian and Mexican food, and breakfasts. That shouldn't happen in an area as big as this (i.e. including the "Corridor" down to Iowa City, there are at least 250K people here.) Produce in supermarkets is also substandard, but there is a thriving farmers market circuit during the growing season.
I like Iowa, but I am planning to move away. Not having a family, it lacks in too many areas to develop and sustain my enthusiasm. Condition your reaction to my comments by understanding my situation. Don't dismiss Iowa lightly--it has many qualities of life that "sexier" places are lacking.
John | Cedar Rapids, IA