Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I moved to Iowa from Texas, a military brat so lived in many cities, states and countries and living in Iowa is definitely one of the worst states I have ever lived in. I plan to move back to Texas this summer. Income tax is high in Iowa, the state nickels and dimes you to death, people totally lack social graces and I agree with "Tritan"...very rude, judgmental and totally lacks culture. Those born and bred here love it and can understand as most were born on a farm and then moved to the big city of Des Moines....just can't take the rural out of them though and a tuxedo and dungerees just don't go to the same event. If I see one more quilt hanging on a wall I think I will scream.
I totally agree with you as well. After living in Chicago for awhile, before that, I lived in Miami, then came back here, I just felt like I couldn't be outgoing anymore or something with people I met, it took some getting used to again. It's just something you don't find often, the only outgoing people in Iowa are overzealous sales people either at the mall or a car dealership. Of course this isn't true for everyone as I've made some good friends here, but it's really not the easiest thing to do if you didn't grow up with them. I think the pressure for young people to be involved in some civic action group is also ridiculous, some of these major employers push that excessively on their employees.
The taxes don't make sense either, even the cigarette tax has gotten outrageous and I rarely smoke, yet when they're at over $7 a pack, similar prices to New York, that's just outrageous and unjustifiable for what is still a very rural state. I think it's nothing but an attempt for the state to appear more liberal and "green" than it really is. That gets annoying too.
Half these people from miniature towns land in Des Moines, and think they're automatically better than everyone else. Also, the whole provincial "you don't like it, you better leave" only adds to the tribal mentality.
Sometimes the whole Des Moines attitude is another thing that pushes people away, you can see it on these forums, someone mentions wanting to move to Davenport or Cedar Rapids, then 3 or 4 people start telling them they must move to Des Moines.
I was so surprised when we were transferred here from Texas and found that the so-called "midwest hospitality" was nothing more than a wave, and that was only if the neighbor knew your name. I can adjust living anywhere and always tried to "do in Rome like the Romans do", but just never understood why it never developed more than the wave. The most difficult part was continuing/reinforcing the social graces with my children so they wouldn't forget their Texas manners, as my husband would put it. I could go on and on with the differences and my sons would ask why they opened my car door or why they let their Mother walk in the door first or why the male walks on the outside of the sidewalk when walking with a female or why they should call their friend's parents by their last name when none of their friends do.....but they are learning that good manners will take them further in life. Giving credit to Iowa though....I do like having a basement and I do like the 4 seasons. But this isn't keeping people in Iowa....state continues to decrease in population. I think Des Moines will continue to be just fine....fine only for those that want to go to the big city from the rural town they were born in....and maybe that is what the natives want.
But this isn't keeping people in Iowa....state continues to decrease in population.
Iowa is increasing in population...we just passed the 3 million mark for the first time in this state's history.
Also, you may not realize it, but there are quite a few college grads that are deciding to stay in Iowa. One of my friends who grew up in California and another who grew up in Chicago both now live in Des Moines and enjoy it there. I have quite a few friends who decided to get out of the Midwest and head for "greener pastures" in California, the Sunbelt, and the Northeast and are finding that the jobs are evaporating. Des Moines may not be LA or Phoenix, but it is stable and growing.
Being second in the nation for wind power, Vision Iowa funding for communities, incoming tech jobs, and the new high-speed rail system are positive things that are happening here. Combine that with great schools, low crime, easy commutes, and an inexpensive cost-of-living...there are plenty of positives. We aren't facing water and energy shortages that the Southwest and Southeast US are experiencing; we don't have congestion and smog choking us like the LA basin, Denver, and Houston; we didn't overbuild nearly as much as other areas of the country, meaning our real estate values remained largely intact. Des Moines continues to gain recognition on a national level for quality of life and is bringing in new investment from other areas of the country; same with the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro area (Google, Gallup, Yahoo, etc.). I live in Cedar Rapids and we are on the cusp of some pretty big things over the next few years.
I've done my share of traveling within the US and abroad and have lived overseas for a period of time...but ultimately am happy to call myself a resident of Iowa. It may not be as exciting or have as nice of weather, but it is growing and we have leadership working to bring more amenities and jobs to this state.
I grew up in DSM, its a horrible city. The six years I spent in Iowa City were great.
But... the winters are awful, and no amount of money they'd pay me to work in Iowa City alone would bring me back.
Curious on your thoughts as to why Des Moines is a horrible city. The 10,000+ people moving to the metro every year and all the quality of life and business ranking indicies published by many magazines (for what they're worth) would indicate differently.
I was so surprised when we were transferred here from Texas and found that the so-called "midwest hospitality" was nothing more than a wave, and that was only if the neighbor knew your name. I can adjust living anywhere and always tried to "do in Rome like the Romans do", but just never understood why it never developed more than the wave. The most difficult part was continuing/reinforcing the social graces with my children so they wouldn't forget their Texas manners, as my husband would put it. I could go on and on with the differences and my sons would ask why they opened my car door or why they let their Mother walk in the door first or why the male walks on the outside of the sidewalk when walking with a female or why they should call their friend's parents by their last name when none of their friends do.....but they are learning that good manners will take them further in life. Giving credit to Iowa though....I do like having a basement and I do like the 4 seasons. But this isn't keeping people in Iowa....state continues to decrease in population. I think Des Moines will continue to be just fine....fine only for those that want to go to the big city from the rural town they were born in....and maybe that is what the natives want.
So because people in the Upper Midwest (not just an Iowa thing) are a little more reclusive than elsewhere around the country, but still friendly when you do interact with them, there's no hospitality here? The rest of your opinion above pretty much seems to focus on traditional manners, which have always been way more prevalent in the south. I have family in Texas, and they were raised to say sir and mam or face getting their teeth knocked in by their rather strict parents. You just don't see these types of manners forced on children in most of the rest of the country.
Traditional manners more prevalent in the south? Traditional meaning basic? I am not referring to "M'am or Sir", just the friendly wave when eyes meet, the general courtesy's, you know, the day to day - will let you out onto the road from the parking lot, the "Hello" even when we don't know each other's names, letting someone else go first when it is right, stopping and talking for at least 30 seconds when walking the dog, and the list continues. A neighbor filled me in one day when we were talking (after a day out of the house and just came home so frustrated with what I saw, or didn't see) and she said, "as a rule people in the midwest are conservative, comes with growing up on a farm and it is not that they are rude, or did IT on purpose, it is just they don't know any other way, really don't know any better". So fine, we accepted it, BUT, we continued to stress the importance of good basic social graces, ie., plain ole good manners! When my oldest son graduated from College here and was applying for a job, along with a half dozen others, he was told he got the job "because his employer was impressed when they shook hands as he gave him repectful eye contact, let him walk through the door first, and had just "politiness that he hadn't seen for awhile". He told him it was refreshing....as he felt that would help him with clients!!! Hoorah!!! All that preaching and discussion finally paid off...that is all I am saying!! My hubby and I are from Texas and his job transferred us here and all of our yrs added up, I never saw a toothless kid due to forgeting to say M'am or Sir! We lived in Kansas City, Nebraska, other Midwest towns, and DM Iowa is the only city that I have experienced this. At any rate, to each their own, I am just answering the question..."what do you love and hate about living in Iowa"??? I love basements and love the 4 Seasons!!! I don't hate anything, just wish people here could be friendlier and develop better manners.
Hello all,
I've lived in Iowa (QCA) for 4 years, (I am originally from chi-town). I have had some negative racial experiences here, but the positive experiences far out weigh the bad. I really like my community, the school district, and my church. I love experiencing all four seasons here, esp. spring and fall. I think the traffic jams here are a joke (compared to the ones in chicago via the dan ryan). Personally I feel everyone that I've encountered (for the most part) are cordial and respectable. I know when I speak to people, I say sir and ma'am, but I get funny looks behind it. {From what I gather, due to my being an adult african-american female, it is speculated that I am from the south and that is part of my up-brangin'!} Those folks are so "way off base!" I did not hail from the south at all! I make eye contact with caucasions just as well as any one else I speak to, it shows attentiveness to conversation and personal interest. Now is there a difference from "southern hospitality and midwestern hospitality?" Of course there is. Is one better or worse than the other, well...that is subjective and highly debatable. What do I "hate" about Iowa? Nothing that bothers me enough to protest about or move outta the state at the moment.
Good luck and peace to you all.
Hello all,
I've lived in Iowa (QCA) for 4 years, (I am originally from chi-town). I have had some negative racial experiences here, but the positive experiences far out weigh the bad. I really like my community, the school district, and my church. I love experiencing all four seasons here, esp. spring and fall. I think the traffic jams here are a joke (compared to the ones in chicago via the dan ryan). Personally I feel everyone that I've encountered (for the most part) are cordial and respectable. I know when I speak to people, I say sir and ma'am, but I get funny looks behind it. {From what I gather, due to my being an adult african-american female, it is speculated that I am from the south and that is part of my up-brangin'!} Those folks are so "way off base!" I did not hail from the south at all! I make eye contact with caucasions just as well as any one else I speak to, it shows attentiveness to conversation and personal interest. Now is there a difference from "southern hospitality and midwestern hospitality?" Of course there is. Is one better or worse than the other, well...that is subjective and highly debatable. What do I "hate" about Iowa? Nothing that bothers me enough to protest about or move outta the state at the moment.
Good luck and peace to you all.
Iowa is part of the Upper Midwest and is also influenced by "MN Nice" IMO. That basically means that many people are going to be very reserved, standoffish, direct, and conservative. The conflict avoidance and passive-agressive tendencies can be somewhat traced to northern Europeans as well.
Traditional manners more prevalent in the south? Traditional meaning basic? I am not referring to "M'am or Sir", just the friendly wave when eyes meet, the general courtesy's, you know, the day to day - will let you out onto the road from the parking lot, the "Hello" even when we don't know each other's names, letting someone else go first when it is right, stopping and talking for at least 30 seconds when walking the dog, and the list continues. A neighbor filled me in one day when we were talking (after a day out of the house and just came home so frustrated with what I saw, or didn't see) and she said, "as a rule people in the midwest are conservative, comes with growing up on a farm and it is not that they are rude, or did IT on purpose, it is just they don't know any other way, really don't know any better". So fine, we accepted it, BUT, we continued to stress the importance of good basic social graces, ie., plain ole good manners! When my oldest son graduated from College here and was applying for a job, along with a half dozen others, he was told he got the job "because his employer was impressed when they shook hands as he gave him repectful eye contact, let him walk through the door first, and had just "politiness that he hadn't seen for awhile". He told him it was refreshing....as he felt that would help him with clients!!! Hoorah!!! All that preaching and discussion finally paid off...that is all I am saying!! My hubby and I are from Texas and his job transferred us here and all of our yrs added up, I never saw a toothless kid due to forgeting to say M'am or Sir! We lived in Kansas City, Nebraska, other Midwest towns, and DM Iowa is the only city that I have experienced this. At any rate, to each their own, I am just answering the question..."what do you love and hate about living in Iowa"??? I love basements and love the 4 Seasons!!! I don't hate anything, just wish people here could be friendlier and develop better manners.
DM is becoming a different breed of town; I lived there for a couple years and there is some rudeness (which I'm used to because I've spent a lot of time in the Chicago area). It's a fast-growing area and there are a lot of transplants from out of state coming in, plus the traffic is steadily getting heavier. But not everyone is like that, especially if you travel around the rest of the state. You can easily find basic manners and politeness, people holding doors for elderly, people letting cars out from parking lots...I even get the "farmer wave" almost every time I drive back to my hometown through rural areas.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
