Posted on 09/08/2013 7:10:46 PM PDT by fwdude
I am asking not for myself, but for a good, long-time friend considering relocating to Iowa from Texas for a job. He's been unemployed for 6 months now, thanks to the wonderful Obanomy we've been enjoying for the last 4+ years. An interview last week seemed to go very well (he's a mechanical engineer.)
It is in the Des Moines area, which I hear is a liberal cockroach nest politically. The town is about 38 miles SE of Des Moines in Pella. I've looked up stats on the area on city-data.com, but stats can only tell so much, so I was hoping some local FReepers could fill me in on the pros and cons of the area, where to look for housing, areas to avoid, local politics/culture to expect, etc.
About friend's family: they are in their early 50's, in relatively good health, one daughter who just started college here in D/FW, financially stable with no debt, own their home outright. They are committed, devout Christians, and by that I mean they live it out in their lives and aren't quiet about it. Friend is not completely sheltered or naive about Leftist climes, having grown up in Madistan, WI.
Any into I could pass on would be greatly appreciated.
I live in the Des Moines area (not Des Moines but a western burb). Des Moines proper is liberal; but so are many places. The suburbs are not.
Pella of course is very Dutch; and with that more conservative.
Iowa a great place to live and to have a family; in spite of how liberal or conservative each suburb is. Economy is good here.
Many people commute down to Pella from a burb closer to the Des Moines area; such as in the South East Polk school district. Just depends on the situation.
You don't know Tim.:)
Google Sarah Palin + Pella
If he takes the job, tell him to rent a house or condo for a year before he sells his place in Texas. He will be wanting to return to Texas when he has the opportunity. Maybe he can have his daughter live in their house with a couple of other dependable roommates to cover the expenses of the house.
But, all the jobs are in Texas..
Personally, I could never live in a state which redefines marriage to 'whatever.'
Iowa State University is a well-known engineering school; they graduate hundreds of engineering students each year. I cannot conceive of any reason that you would be having a problem finding employees....unless you require some type of engineering degree that they do not offer.
As a former Iowan, bred and born, and schooled I have opinions about Iowa in general, and about it’s political persuasions. Most large cities are liberal in nature. So Des Moines. But the leftist cesspool in Iowa is Iowa City. Pella is a great part of the state, and your friend would find it to be a great place to call home.
Some have said that they can’t find engineers in Iowa. Maybe that is because so many of us left years ago.
I was in Des Moines a week ago for my 60th high school reunion. What an experience...so many of us still walking this earth! And some of the ladies in the class...still knock outs! One told me she was wearing 3 inch heals to our special Saturday evening event...’cause she could! She still trains cabin crews, and flies for free.
I graduated from Iowa State with a degree in Chemical Engineering. It has served me well, and I have served my employers well...around the world.
Go for it...Iowa is still a great place!
Just west of Iowa City ( home of the Hawkeyes), are the Amana Colonies. They are small villages of fundamental Christians who live in self-sustain communities. They are not Amish, but not much different.
About 20 miles SW of Iowa City is the small town of Kalona. This is a large Amish community and is very interesting to visit.
Des Moines is liberal and to a lesser extent, Iowa City is too. Just west of Iowa City is the town of Coralville. Basically of suburb of Iowa City and it has the largest shopping Mall in Iowa.
People are very polite and down to earth.
I contacted them for interns and recent graduates.
Nobody wanted an Engineering job in rural Iowa.
The three interviews I did get all wanted to interview for a job in Texas since we are Fort Worth based.
To be honest, the house and property has become a handful and he was probably planning to sell it anyway to downsize (it’s on 5 acres, with a water well that’s been running dry with our horrible drought years.). Even if he found another job locally, he’s had it in mind to sell.
Oh, NOW it makes sense....LOL! The “Rural” part makes a huge difference...and you are right...even the kids who grew up there have little interest in going back. It is worse in some areas of the State than others, too.
Pella is a Dutch town located in the uber-conservative Marion county, one of the Republican gold standards in Iowa. They generally outvote Dems by a 2-to-1 or more margin. It’s congressman now is Dave Loebsack due to redistricting but they were I believe in the old 3rd. At any rate they are still very conservative.
Pella is a very nice, very clean, very aggressive entreprenuer type of town with a very active downtown and chamber. They take huge pride in their town and work to keep the riff-raff out. Big tourist down but alot of manufacturing too.
It’s also right next to Lake Red Rock, the largest in Iowa. Think it’s about 10K acres. South of there is some great hunting and great rural landscape where you could buy some property and just go and hide. Lake Rathbun, the second largest lake, is near Centerville to the south. Knoxville to the south and Newton to the north have big competition car races. And of course you are close to Des Moines, which isn’t a liberal sewer totally, just parts. The north and west sides are pretty conservative.
It’s really hard to go wrong picking Pella. Here’s a link to their chamber of commerce:
Free Vulcan hit it spot on. Pella is a nice, clean Conservative community. There are excellent schools and churches,, and friendly people.
Lincoln, Nebraska. Have them commute.
The Des Moines area is not hard Left, but is fairly mixed politically. (Western Iowa is Republican, eastern is more industrial and Democrat.)
Pella is a beautiful town with a picturesque town square in the center, a short freeway drive from Des Moines. Tulip Time is the annual festival. If I worked in Pella, I would certainly live there rather than Des Moines.
http://www.pellatuliptime.com/
Three things you want to check out ahead of moving someplace:
the crime stats
the property taxes
the gun laws (state and local)
Coral Ridge Mall is the 2nd largest mall in Iowa; Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines is almost twice as big; one of the largest in the country (owned by the same company).
It’s basef on the fact that it isn’t Texas.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.