Cedar Rapids is the Best City On Earth (Waterloo, Iowa City: insurance, how much)

[ProudOfCR]

Ok... so Cedar Rapids is in the midwest. Furthermore, it's in Iowa. It's already in the running for best place on earth ;-). I guess, given the claim that Cedar Rapids is the best city on earth, I shouldn't be posting this in the Iowa Forum... more like "the whole galaxy" forum, but I digress...

Otherwise... I love Cedar Rapids!

Cedar Rapids is arguably a city yet retains a very laid back vibe compared to cities of its size. You get city benefits but things move slowly. Motorists rarely use their horns and the police don't hassle you unless you draw attention. A four way stop can find itself at a standstill because everyone is letting everyone else go first. Clerks and patrons chat.

Cedar Rapids is ridiculously safe compared to cities of its size. Small cities across the nation struggle with crime. Cedar Rapids sort of struggles with crime, although arguably less than many cities half its size.

Cedar Rapids is fiscally reasonable. It doesn't boom or bust. It just grows. It slowly churns out more and more jobs.

Cedar Rapids doesn't care to tell you that what you do is wrong. Even though it is quite fiscally conservative, it does not maintain social stigmas related to today's definition of the word conservative. In a way, Cedar Rapids can be more socially open than Iowa City to the south. In Iowa City it seems to be a bit of a "hip" thing be open minded... not as real as CR.

Cedar Rapids is gorgeous! The roads sway through forests, up and down hills, and through some of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Iowa. You would be hard pressed to find too many more interesting, gorgeous, old (even lavish) houses than you can find in the southeast quadrant of CR. A motorcycle ride through Cedar Rapids is a wonderful experience. Veins of long winding avenues without stop signs or lights curve through the city. This same characteristic makes it a pleasure to take the "long way" to work instead of driving the sterile highway.

Cedar Rapids is not impressed by trends or fads. *I tip my hat to you, CR* We can monitor and even indulge in the trends 30 miles to the south... if we are curious or whatnot...

I hear little praise of Cedar Rapids on this site (Cedar Rapids doesn't necessarily need or want it), but I want to let her know how much she is appreciated.

[Dport7674]

Cedar Rapids ain't bad.

[mrkool]

You said: "Cedar Rapids is not impressed by trends or fads."

I'm just wondering if it was impressed by the disastrous floods a couple of years ago???
I remember the scenes from there. Reason enough to avoid C.R., at least as a place to live.

[paulap70]

Cedar Rapids is far from the Best City on Earth! Shopping is, well, awful. Restaurants are generally national chains. We have a nice airport and lots of direct flights, but ticket prices are a lot more than instead driving the 80 miles to Moline. The city council is made up of people who can't make a decision and are more concerned with hearing themselves speak. The city had a manager (Prosser) that probably did a great job in leading the city during and after the flood, but instead of having a council that sets policy and directs the manager to carry out the wishes of the council, they spent months airing "dirty laundry" in public - openly discussing their displeasure with the manager. Who would ever want to work for this group of self-loving do nothings?

[ProudOfCR]

I'm just wondering if it was impressed by the disastrous floods a couple of years ago???
I remember the scenes from there. Reason enough to avoid C.R., at least as a place to live.

Ahh yes... the flood and the way we handled (and continue to handle) it... the emotion and loss... and the possibilities...

Being here during the flood and seeing all related to it contributed to my love for this slow drug which is Cedar Rapids.

[Oldrustycars]

I just took a job in Cedar Rapids. Don't know a soul there. But it sounds like I made the right choice? I did notice when I went for a pre-employment drug test, everyone at the clinic spoke English. Thats a good sign.

[johnny2times]

Way way overpriced and not enough jobs. Most CR peeps I know work in Dubuque. Get a clue magoo.
A 3 bdr home in CR should not cost more than 100k, not over 200k. The jobs pay crap there.

[paulap70]

Originally Posted by johnny2times

Way way overpriced and not enough jobs. Most CR peeps I know work in Dubuque. Get a clue magoo.
A 3 bdr home in CR should not cost more than 100k, not over 200k. The jobs pay crap there.

I have no idea what you are talking about! You must know only a few people who choose to commute do DBQ. I do not know anyone who commutes there. Most of the commuting is done between CR and IC. Jobs pay reasonably - Rockwell has lots of engineers, there are insurance companies, financial service firms, and industry.

If you think housing is overprices, you must not get out much, if ever at all. CR housing is very reasonably priced.

I don't think CR is the greatest city on earth, but I disagree with everything in your post!

[capitalcityguy]

Good to see someone proud of their city and not afraid to tell people about it!

[sequoias]

I visited CR for a few hours few days ago and the city sorts of reminds me of Spokane, Washington. It's nice town in my opinion. Probably better than Waterloo where I live now.