ChiefsPlanet - Life Tell me about Iowa

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Tell me about Iowa (https://chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=342677)

Dont forget HyVee. So glad we have one here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoover (Post 16155341)

In no particular order

Scornovacca's - East Side
Taste of New York - West Des Moines
Fong's - Crab Rangoon Pizza is the bomb
Gusto Pizza
Trumans - Chiefs Joint, I think Ed Podolak has a piece of this.
The Other Place - Another Chiefs bar chain with decent Pizza.
Rosatti's - Chicago chain, but their thin crust is the bomb
7 Stone Pizzeria
Noah's Arch - Old time Des Moines Italian restaurant.
Franka Pizzaria - East Village

Nope
Nope
Eh
Nope
Ok
Nope
Hell no
Ok
Nope

So I used to work in Pella about 20 years ago and I can offer a couple of words of advice.

1. Like someone said before, it's a Dutch Reformed community. Be prepared for it, because as they say "if you ain't Dutch, you ain't much". They pray for people who work on Sundays and still have ordinances on the books that don't allow for things like yard work on the Sabbath.

2. I said I worked in Pella but notice I didn't say I lived there. This may not be an issue for you since it seems you're looking at a D level job but average people that work in Pella can't afford to actually live there. I was a senior engineer and couldn't buy a house there, you had to be at least director level to make enough to buy a house there.

3. There's no direct route from most of Des Moines to Pella. If you're planning to do that commute, you want to live on the east side like Altoona or Pleasant Hill and hit 163 to get down there. Depending on where you live in either of those communities, it might be white trash or it might be suburban sprawl. They're not really like the suburbs on the west side.

4. About that commute, it's excruciatingly boring. I did it for about 6 years and at the end of the day, I just couldn't do it anymore.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoneWolf (Post 16154607)

This would be my last job before retirement, but we wouldn’t stay in Iowa for retirement. Plans are to live 6 months in Hawaii and six months in Kansas during retirement.

The wife is a little hesitant about moving. We went and looked around Pella and Des Moines. My wife is Hispanic and Iowa is pretty white and conservative. That isn’t normally something we worry about, but she does worry a little about being accepted.

There's TONS of Hispanics here. :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bowser (Post 16155065)

Go ahead and put htismaqe on ignore if you haven't already. He'll talk you into moving even FURTHER south than Wichita by the time he's done. :D

ROFL

Quote:

Originally Posted by IowaHawkeyeChief (Post 16155296)

Great little authentic mexican restaurant in downtown Decorah now.

Every little town has at least one family Mexican restaurant now. Up here, we're only 30 minutes from JBS. We have as many Mexican restaurants now as there is fast food.

We like it here, but we don't live in Pella.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoneWolf (Post 16154521)

We would probably live in Des Moines.

Des Moines is very cool if you ignore the weather during half the year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by htismaqe (Post 16155470)

Every little town has at least one family Mexican restaurant now. Up here, we're only 30 minutes from JBS. We have as many Mexican restaurants now as there is fast food.

You'd have to go to Okoboji or Sioux City to find anything remotely Mexican.

Both of which are hour long drives from our small towns.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katipan (Post 16155593)

You'd have to go to Okoboji or Sioux City to find anything remotely Mexican.

Both of which are hour long drives from our small towns.

Northwest Iowa is Dutch country (like Pella) and all the packing plants are centered in SXC. It really comes down to the local economy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by IowaHawkeyeChief (Post 16155296)

Great little authentic mexican restaurant in downtown Decorah now.

Don Jose is the shit!

I can't give you any advice about Iowa having only driven through it to get to River Falls or Minneapolis. But I can give you some advice about your job offer, I would take it back to your current employer to see if they could match it since the job market is hot right now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by htismaqe (Post 16155455)

So I used to work in Pella about 20 years ago and I can offer a couple of words of advice.

1. Like someone said before, it's a Dutch Reformed community. Be prepared for it, because as they say "if you ain't Dutch, you ain't much". They pray for people who work on Sundays and still have ordinances on the books that don't allow for things like yard work on the Sabbath.

2. I said I worked in Pella but notice I didn't say I lived there. This may not be an issue for you since it seems you're looking at a D level job but average people that work in Pella can't afford to actually live there. I was a senior engineer and couldn't buy a house there, you had to be at least director level to make enough to buy a house there.

3. There's no direct route from most of Des Moines to Pella. If you're planning to do that commute, you want to live on the east side like Altoona or Pleasant Hill and hit 163 to get down there. Depending on where you live in either of those communities, it might be white trash or it might be suburban sprawl. They're not really like the suburbs on the west side.

4. About that commute, it's excruciatingly boring. I did it for about 6 years and at the end of the day, I just couldn't do it anymore.

When I lived in Story City, I drove to Union every day. 28 miles, and passed the same 6 cars every day. I was at the doctor in Ames talking to the nurse. We passed each other every day.

Being from Iowa, I was used to that. I could not live on the farm any more. I need to be in a city. Altoona to Pella would be ok every day. Especially if remote work is possible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by displacedinMN (Post 16155635)

That's the problem. Living on the "farm" is the only reason to actually live here. There are no "cities" in Iowa.

I'd live on an Iowa farm right now if Nebraska didn't exist.