Reviews & Comments
Cedar Rapids, IA
Cedar Rapids is a diamond in the rough -
12/4/2006 After 23 years in CR, I thought it was the end of the road so I moved to Los Angeles. What a mistake. Where to begin? 4 years in L.A. and I'm legally insane. So big cities have entertainment, that's it. There are 500 headaches that come with that entertainment. Cedar Rapids has low cost of living, great schools, low unemployment, 'generally' nice people, and many big city amenities without the hassles. As others here have said, it is a small town trying to act big but on the retail end of the segment, between CR and IC, they have almost everything LA has. The food selection is good but not as good as a large city. I look at like this. It takes 2 hours to get anywhere in L.A., and Chicago and STL are a little over 3 hours from CR. Why not live in CR and scat off to the big cities every once in a while? The best of both worlds. You get a 2000 sq ft house in CR for $180k, vs. $600k in the suburbs of LA. Californian's like to say, "Why don't you try harder to make it in L.A.?" I say, "Because life is short. While you are spending 6 addl. yrs. in school, then buying a $500k "starter home" just too finally start something, I'm 10 years ahead of you".
Most of CR is manufacturing, with some IT, insurance and financial jobs. There are a few rich neighborhoods that are very nice. For me, I just want a house for my family, a couple cars and some good friends on the weekend. If you want middle class life, CR is for you. Drinking is definitely a sport there; bowling and golf are the main activities. School sports are big, especially college football and B-ball.
Yes, I had those nights in CR where boredom set in. I mean, if it's not bowling night and the bars are weak, and friends are busy that what is there to do? Good to have a hobby out in the garage to stay busy, or get involved in the community.
CR is great, no it doesn't have every single amenity but then again, if it did it would be more popular and more expensive. They don't want Californian's flocking there and ruining it, but they don't want to live there anyway from my experience. It's the kind of city that is just big enough to give a taste of the life, but not big enough to fulfill. Hence the kids moving away to bigger cities (temporarily), but they always come back. I can't wait to get back. Once you put up with the big city headaches, you appreciate CR.