Reviews & Comments
Cedar Falls, IA
A Great College Town -
7/30/2017I lived in Cedar Falls while attending the University of Northern Iowa. It's a great college town. Main street is nice and there are plenty of restaurants to choose from. I enjoyed my time in Cedar Falls.
The water is heavily chlorinated so I recommend a water filter. Housing prices are higher here because of the University, but it's possible to find an affordable place without a lot of trouble.
There are a lot of outdoor places to explore, and the Gallagher Bluedorn brings in some great performers. There are always games, events, plays and shows on campus.
Neighboring Waterloo is one of the most dangerous cities in the state, but Cedar Falls is nicer with less crime.
Winters are harsh in Iowa. Cedar Falls is extremely windy, especially on campus. The wind and bitter cold can make winter's downright miserable.
Urbana, IA
Nice Place, Very Small -
7/30/2017Urbana is very small. There's nothing to do in town. There's a bar, a couple of churches, the Cedar Valley Nature Trail, and now a Dollar General. You have to drive to Cedar Rapids or Waterloo to shop or do anything. We call it a bedroom town. Most people have to commute at least 30 minutes to work each day.
The schools are great and regularly out score other schools in the area. Families often try to open enroll their students in the Center Point Urbana school system, which led to the need to expand a few years ago. They have small class sizes and high graduation rates.
The tap water is very good. It's not overly chlorinated like some Iowa towns I've lived in.
Urbana is a safe and quiet place to live, but be prepared to drive whenever you need something or want to do something.
Midland, TX
Not a Good Place to Live -
7/30/2017I lived in Midland for a short time and the kindest thing I can say is that it's not for everyone.
I met many lifelong friends in my short time in Midland, but I was also openly mocked because I couldn't afford a plane ticket. In a city where it's not uncommon for high schoolers to drive mustangs to high school, I guess it's uncommon to meet someone who has to live on a budget.
There is a strong sense of entitlement in people here, especially from people whose daddies have given them their careers. I have never been to another place where people were so gung ho about "keeping up with the Jones'." It's ridiculous.
The water is disgusting. It is so polluted that you can't drink or cook with it. I drank only bottled or filtered water, but I was accidently exposed to the tap water in resturaunts and by friends, which gave me diarrhea. It happened numerous times no matter how careful I was. It almost became chronic and didn't stop until I moved. The water also made my hair thin.
Midland drivers are some of the worst I have ever seen. I can't tell you how many times I have almost been side swiped or rear ended. I even saw a child of about ten driving a pickup truck on the loop! Many people drive huge pickup trucks and fancy sports cars in Midland, then they double park. Most parking lots were designed for standard sized vehicles and it is difficult pulling in or out in parking lots
My old car was totoled by a driver who was under the influence and uninsured while it was parked on the street. This person continued to drive despite losing their license. Shows you how safe the streets are!
Oh the streets. Midland has terrible roads. They're broken and full of pot holes. When it rains, Garfield and Wadley flood over completely. There are so many dips in the roads that you need to watch your speed or it's going to hurt driving over it.
I actually heard a preacher say that rain didn't exist in the time of Noah. I don't care if people are religious, that's just crazy!
Gas prices are purposely inflated in Midland to boost the local economy. That's great if you work in the oil industry, but if you don't and live on a budget, that's just another expense on top of the high cost of living.
I've never had more consistently worse service at resturaunts in any other city. I've been to some great resturaunts in Midland, but there were so many others where that they forgot my food, didn't get the order right, took an incredibly long time to serve my food (over an hour for a cold turkey sandwich, for example) It was just not worth eating out anymore. Resturaunts are always so busy in Midland. You could wait a half hour in the drive thru on any given day.
Overall for me, I could not continue to live in a place where the water was making me sick. That, the aggravation of losing my car like I did, terrible roads, and overall dislike of the city convinced me to move. It was the best decision for me.
If you work in oil, are religious and conservative, like a hot dry climate and love Texas, it may be for you. I on the other hand, hated living there.