Reviews & Comments
Cedar City, UT
Snowfall total for Cedar City not accurate -
3/6/2017Hi -- Just FYI, the annual snowfall amount indicated by Sperling's Best Places for Cedar City is not accurate. Sperling states that this location receives 110" of snow per year, but according to NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) it receives only 49" per year on average.
North Manchester, IN
Small town - midwest experience -
2/16/2017We lived in North Manchester, Indiana for 10 years. In many ways this town seems like the midwest that time forgot. It has a small but vibrant main street lined by businesses and you can get pretty much anything you really need without leaving town. There is a grocery store, hardware store, a few fast food places, etc. If you want to see a movie or shop at a WalMart or other big box store however you will need to drive at least half an hour to find these.
North Manchester is also home to Manchester Univeristy, a small liberal arts college of just over 1000 students. The campus fits nicely into this community and the school and community benefit from each other. The campus is well kept and the students are largely quiet and good community neighbors. The school does not allow frats or sororities so there is no tradition of Greek culture among the students. That's really nice. Town folks regularly take advantage of cultural and sporting events at the college.
Politically N Manchester is an interesting place. I consider myself to be a true middle of the road conservative. The college is an extremely liberal and progressive institution and the town has the small town midwestern conservativism. So on campus I felt conservative and in town, liberal. It was really interesting!
There are a variety of religious denominations you can choose from in this town, though cultural diversity is extremely limited.
The climate includes muggy summers with temps seldom passing the 90s, but the humidity can be high and mosquitos and yellow jackets can be persistent pests while picnicking. Winters are not too extreme and the town is far enough south to avoid most of the lake effect snow seen in northern Indiana.
Town is one hour west of Ft Wayne, the nearest shopping hub and 100 miles north of Indianapolis, should you want to take in professional sporting events. Ft. Wayne has a fantastic zoo and other destinations. There is a very nice golf course east of town, and a season membership is reasonably priced.
North Manchester is located at the cross-roads of two state highways, but since major highways and interstates do not pass through or nearby, there is not too much traffic in the area.
This is a low crime town, and a great place to rear children. All in all a great place.
Rexburg, ID
Get ready to lean right -
2/16/2017I have lived in Rexburg for 15 years. I consider myself a political independent - true middle of the road moderate. I lean left on some things and right on others. In Rexburg however this makes me a flaming liberal. The town is >95% GOP and most are far-right GOP. The entire state of Idaho is largely the same.
Politics aside, Rexburg is a very nice place to live - well, if you don't mind a good dose of winter (and I don't mind). There are nice parks and the town is a safe, enjoyable place to call home. Crime rates are very low and in our experience the schools are quite good (even with the state's gross underfunding of public education).
Brigham Young University-Idaho is the largest employer in the county, and it's large (20K+) and growing student body make Rexburg a town of young people. There are many apartments, but the students are well behaved and are enjoyable to have around.
When it comes to diversity, Rexburg is extremely white bread and butter. 90+% of the population is white, though luckily the university attracts some people of color to the community.
Religious diversity is similarly not diverse. Since this small farming town is home to BYU-Idaho, most people in the county are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons - which I am also). Mormons tend to be good neighbors, but sadly there are few people of other religions in the area.
There are abundant nearby natural attractions. Both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks are an easy day trip from here. There are also world class downhill skiing resorts in the area - Grand Targhee Resort and resorts near Jackson Hole, WY. If you are into hiking, mountain biking, fishing or camping there are also MANY nearby destinations you can reach within an hour or two at the longest.
Humidity here is low; there are few bugs and mosquitos. Summer temperatures seldom reach 90oF, 80s are more common. Winter temps can dip into the negative range, some years frequently. Snowfall can be heavy some years, and when this happens the roads in town get sloppy and icy. The city sadly does a poor job especially in the neighborhoods of keeping the roads cleared.
All in all a nice place to live, but it's a good idea to know what you are getting into before you take the plunge.
This has been an extremely good place to rear children, as long as you take them on trips from time to time so they realize that the world is a more diverse and broader place than just Madison Co, Idaho.