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Cedar Rapids, IA is a vibrant city with a wide array of attractions and activities that make it an ideal destination for travelers and locals alike. The city is home to many cultural attractions, including the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, and the Paramount Theatre. There are plenty of family-friendly activities such as walking or biking along the Cedar River Trail, visiting the Brucemore mansion, or exploring the nearby Indian Creek Nature Center. The downtown area has numerous restaurants to choose from as well as shopping venues and entertainment.
The reviews of Cedar Rapids, IA tend to be positive overall. People cite its great attractions such as the museums, theaters, and parks as well its wide variety of dining options as reasons to visit the city. Many people also praise Cedar Rapids' relatively low cost of living compared to other cities in Iowa. Additionally, Cedar Rapids has strong community spirit and camaraderie among residents which makes it an inviting place to live and visit.
based on 39 ReviewsGet to know Cedar Rapids with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Cedar Rapids
Unless you own a farm..... - 6/8/2009
The Midwest in general and specifically Cedar Rapids is not a place to live, unless you own a farm. Unless you own a farm, one city is a good as the next and due to the horrible weather here, this is no place to live. The winters are very similar to weather you would find in Russia with severe cold and lots of snow. We had -29F this past January for a couple of nights. The summers are very humid and you sweat just standing outside doing nothing. I can see if you own a farm and you HAVE to be here to make your living running it, but if you don't own a farm, you have no business living here. We are also now paying higher taxes for a major flood that destroyed the downtown area. The electric company Alliant Energy decided to jack up their rates another 18% just for good measure even though our rates were already 45% higher than the average city in the US. Oh, and they own a nuclear power plant about 8 miles away from CR in which they ship off all the energy to other states (at our
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re: - 5/19/2009
Thanks for you great comments. They are very
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Iowa -- it's exactly as others say - 5/10/2009
I read all the reviews and what others say about Cedar Rapids is accurate (the good and the bad). Although I'm originally from the mid-west, before moving to Iowa four years ago, I lived on the West coast in Seattle and California for a total of 15 years, so I think I have a sophisticated view on quality of life measures.
I moved to Iowa City originally for graduate school and only moved to Cedar Rapids recently as a less expensive place to live until I complete my independent research as I am done with coursework and do not need to be in Iowa City. I didn't plan to be here as long as I have but I have to say that I've clarified what is and what isn't important to me about where I live and work. From the perspective of a single, 30-year old and having no kids, I have to say that I find the area really lacking. And I'm not even much of a going-out type of person anymore. I'm getting my degree from the University of Iowa and would certainly recommend that university
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Not so great - 4/20/2009
Cedar Rapids, as the rest of the Midwest, has some of the worst weather in the entire US. Summers are very humid just like living in the south and winters are extremely cold just like living in Canada. It's the worst of both worlds! We get tons of snow and the Spring season takes forever to arrive. Really, our window of nice weather goes from late May until early October, so that's 4-5 months. The rest of the time you are either wearing a parka or some type of jacket. The people here are rude too. Somehow CR won some award from some Allstate insurance company for having the nation's best drivers. If what we have are the best, I'd sure to see the worst! People here have never heard of turn signals and don't use them. If you let someone into traffic as a favor, they will just look at you and not thank you in any form. It's almost like you owe it to them. People are unfriendly for the most part. If you go just 10 miles outside of the city, you can be in small towns where
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Very few nice days - 2/27/2008
Although Cedar Rapids is a great city with low crime, great people, and lots of opportunity, the weather is terrible. We have had so much snow and ice this winter, then we get to look forward to tornadoes, rain, then hot humid summer. There's not very many comfortable days
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Cedar Rapids - Pros/Cons - 2/16/2008
Pros:
1. Very low crime rate
2. Good school system
3. Low cost of living and housing
4. Affordable place to live
5. Diverse, stable economy
6. Home to Quaker Oats and several other industrial producers
7. An overall good place to live and raise a family
Cons:
1. The city smells from the Quaker Oats factories
2. Not very much to
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Absence makes the heart grow fonder??? - 1/6/2008
I was born and raised in NW Cedar Rapids. I moved to Alaska at age 28,living there for 14 yrs and now reside Seattle. I always thought that Iowa was a"nice place to be from, but not a place to stay" well I have missed CR very often over the years. CR is MUCH friendlier than Seattle(very unfriendly people). I miss the beautiful change in the seasons and definetly have missed the outstanding education that my children did not recieve in either AK or Wa state. The cost of living does look attractive in CR, but I am a nurse, and the wages are very low in all of Iowa. I would consider moving back if I could make even half the wage I make here...I guess I'll need to wait for
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Quality of life - 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
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Cedar Rapids is all about the hawkeyes - 6/12/2007
Well, I played field hockey at IU and its a pretty awesome school. I drank a lot and don't remember much about class, grades, or any of the professors but when I was awake I loved it there. I ate lots of fast food also. Its a great town with a big city feel in a small town village environment. I made out behind the football bleachers with all the baseball team. Go
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Born and raised in Cedar Rapids - 5/30/2007
Cedar Rapids is my hometown. I haven't lived in Cedar Rapids since 1990. I left for a new job and hopefully a better life. I moved to eastern Wisconsin to a smaller city. There are many things I miss about Cedar Rapids. Some I do not. The city of five smells is what I called it at times. With Quaker Oats downtown, Cargill, Penford Products, and a few other businesses, the city stunk at times and may still. Cedar Rapids has some very nice things about it. The Cedar River running through the city, affordable housing and some nice state parks within a 30 minute drive. Boating on Coralville Reservoir and fishing is also good. The airport is close to the city and connects to major hubs. The city had some inexpensive public golf coarses that I played many times. It now has a great 4th of July celebration. The city and state also has a commitment to good education as I'm a product of a private school and graduated from it. Interstate access is good and its proximity to the
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