Iowa: Not as bad as you picture it.
 

Not the best state in the country, but very far from the worst. Home to three million people, some really sweet cities, three great univerties, a whole bunch of stellar small private colleges and a ton of true natural beauty in its lush northeast bluff country and statewide river valleys, lakes, and yes, rolling fields. Iowa is a national leader in education (students in many other states including Texas take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, and everyone's heard of the ACT, based in Iowa City) and is leading the way in biofuels to reduce the nation's dependence on oil. To dispel the ignorance displayed elsewhere on this post, here's a state breakdown of cities and topography. If seventy synonyms for boobs is alright to post, so is this.

Central Iowa: Des Moines, located at the intersection of I-80 and I-35, is the largest city with a metro of a half million and is the state capital, second only to London for the title of insurance capital of the world. Ames (80,000 metro) is about a half hour north of Des Moines and is home to Iowa State University, a land grant school of 30,000 respected around the world for its engineering and agricultural programs. Central Iowa is, outside of river vallies, very flat, and outside of the Des Moines area and Ames is very sparsely populated.

Eastern Iowa: The most densely populated area of the state. Ethnically diverse Iowa City (115,000 metro) was Iowa's first state capital, was the first city in the world to elect a female mayor, has been named the most cultured city per capita in the nation, is always in the top five cities in the country for education, and is home to the University of Iowa, 30,000, nationally renowned for its Carver College of Medicine and Iowa Hawkeye athletics. The music departments of Iowa City's two large public high schools have won a total of five Grammy awards. Cedar Rapids, (200,000 metro) just twenty minutes north of Iowa City in the beautiful Cedar River valley, is the second largest single city, is the economic hub of eastern Iowa, has two private colleges, and is best known for being the place you get any of your Quaker Oats brand ceral from. Waterloo/Cedar Falls, two conjoined cities (130,000 metro) is where the Unviersity of Northern Iowa, 18,000, is located. The Quad Cities, (375,000 metro) two in Iowa and two in Illinois, straddle the Mississippi and form the largest metro between Des Moines and Chicago. The largest of the four cities is Davenport, IA, home to the Bix 7 foot race whose hilly course and large prize attract runners from every part of the globe. Dubuque, (90,000 metro) on the Mississippi where Iowa meets Illinois and Wisconsin, is Iowa's oldest city. It is home to a ton of beautiful architecture, four private colleges, a far-reaching ELCA Lutheran seminary, and the Smithsonion affiliated National Mississippi River Musem and Aquarium. Eastern Iowa's topography is for the most part very rolling farmland, with the exception of the hillier Iowa river valley, Cedar river valley, and the bluffs and hills skirting the whole eastern border along the Mississippi. The northeast corner of the state is all bluffland, home to small town Decorah and reputed Luther College.

Western Iowa: The vast majority of Iowa west of I-35 is flat farmland with the exception of the very westernmost strip. Sioux City on the Missouri river (the western border) is a good sized city with nice amenities and lots of historyt. Council Bluffs is the largest suburb of Omaha, just across the river in Nebraska. The Iowa Great Lakes region contains many large lakes, most notably lake Okoboji, one of only three blue water lakes in the world. The Loess Hills state park runs along the whole westernmost strip of the state, and offers lots of hilly hiking and some of the state's largest forests.

So to anyone on GFY who lives, or is from Iowa. Rock on.

My brother in law is moving there this year with his girlfriend.

Where at?

LOL.

Iowa is boring.

Visit Beautiful Iowa! Get caucused like a motherfucker up in this bitch!

http://malicious.biz/share/jaysin1.jpg

When I lived in the United States, Iowa, West Virginia and Colorado was my favorit states.

Colorado only for the females. They seemed hotter then average

Iowa City is nice. Went to a football game there once and saw the Hawkeyes beat Michigan.

Hawkeyes fucking rock, I was always a Hawkeyes fan, even before I moved to Iowa.

I would never live in Iowa but some of the nicest people I've met were there.

I was passing through on road trip and stopped at a pizza place called the Reagle Beagle (yes, same as Three's Company). They were closing but when they found out I was driving through town and it was late, they stayed open and made me a pizza. Not only that, it was family owned business and the husband and wife offered me a room at their house if I was too tired to keep driving. If they had some hot daughters I would have said yes :)

On the way back, a huge thunderstorm was moving in so I pulled over to take pictures of the black clouds but I had to get back in my car because so many people were pulling over to ask me if I needed help when they saw my car stopped.

People really are friendly in the midwest.

hmm ok then over and out

Where is this IOWA?

i don't think badly of the Midwest - unless you are hardcore into the cultural aspects and nightlife of a big cosmopolitan city it's a great place to live, low cost of living, low crime, 4 seasons, lots of open space and recreational areas. And still some small town values.

90% of people who say they need to live in a big city - it's all in their imaginations. How many people in LA or NY go to the hottest nite spots? Like 2%. How many people in NYC go to Broadway plays regularly? 2%. How many go to the museums? 2%. The majority go to some average neighborhood or suburban bar/club once or twice a week, they go to the movies, they shop - cities of 100,000 people have a mall and a shopping district, at least 10 fine dining restaurants, all the chains, movie theaters

That's because we're not stuck up and caught on ourselves.

Exactly, I've lived in big cities, I've been to big cities, there is NOTHING there, that I can't get here in bumfuck Iowa. Well except one thing, HIGH PRICES ON EVERYTHING.

How many stats can you pull out of your ass? 2%

Des Moines Crime Report
Forcible Rape: Is 1.28 times the National Average
Iowa City Crime Report
Forcible Rape: Is 1.20 times the National Average

Los Angeles Crime Report
Forcible Rape: Is 0.88 times the National Average
Compton Crime Report
Forcible Rape: Is 1.17 times the National Average

It's safer for a girl to live in COMPTON than Iowa?!?!?



State: California (CA)
BURBANK City Population: 103,993
Murder: 3
Forcible Rape: 15
Robbery: 69
Aggravated Assault: 196
Burglary: 500
Larceny or Theft: 1,728
Car Theft: 466
Arson: 19


State: Iowa (IA)
DES MOINES City Population: 198,568
Murder: 8
Forcible Rape: 92
Robbery: 284
Aggravated Assault: 315
Burglary: 1,527
Larceny or Theft: 9,692
Car Theft: 896
Arson: 78


Now then, here was some CRAZY shit I found on Compton:
State: California (CA)
COMPTON City Population: 96,562
Murder: 43
Forcible Rape: 41
Robbery: 444
Aggravated Assault: 1,021
Burglary: 548
Larceny or Theft: 991
Car Theft: 801
Arson: 136

COMPTON Stats:
Murder: Is 5.82 times the National Average
Forcible Rape: Is 1.17 times the National Average
Robbery: Is 2.10 times the National Average
Aggravated Assault: Is 2.92 times the National Average
All Violent Crime: Is 2.69 times the National Average
Arson: Is 4.75 times the National Average


All data was found at http://www.cityrating.com/
What are your city crime stats?
http://www.cityrating.com/crimestatistics.asp

According to that site... New York City, 8 million people, not one report of Arson.

Sioux City sucks. A lot of people actually think it is in South Dakota not Iowa. Cedar Rapids smells like Quaker Oats. Sure there are nice people in the mid-west but most of them agree the mid-west is a very boring place to live. Now the Twin Cities are a good place to visit.

LOL. You must be joking. Thanks for the laugh.

Iowa is not bad at all if you want the family life, if you are big into the outdoors... but to say that big cities have nothing that you can't get in Iowa is an absolute joke.

Two advantages of Iowa: Cheap fuel and you can watch your dog run away for 2-3 days.


Obviously never needed anything that wasn't served in an ice cream truck.

They don't rape the women. Have you seen their women? They use Astro Turf at the colleges to keep the cheerleaders from grazing during the game.

Never been there but sounds like fun

the whole state of iowa is fucking tame compared to many big cities.

Iowa
"The cultivation of corn in Iowa is at least 2,000 years old. Native Americans had developed many varieties of it before the white man came to the prairies...The introduction of soybeans from the Oriented added another important crop to Iowa's agriculture...At first soybeans were used largely as a forage crop, but during World War II they became a source of oil and a high-protein food...Iowa is a major hog producer...Hogs and corn go together since swine consume a great amount of corn...One of the nation's most famous apples, the Red Delicious, as first discovered in Iowa by Jesse Hiatt, a farmer in Madison County. In the late 1860s he found an unknown apple seedling in his orchard and cut it down. The next year it came up again stronger than before, and Hiatt decided that if the tree was so determined to live, he would nurture it. When the tree began to bear...the apples did not resemble any other variety...For years Hiatt took samples of his mysterious apples, which he called Hawkeyes, to various horticultural shows. In 1893 Hiatt entered four Hawkeyes in a competition...The apples won first prize, and Stark Nurseries negotiated for the propagating rights for the trees. They also renamed the apple Red Delicious...Due to the lack of ingredients, many of the first European immigrants to Iowa found it difficult to maintain their native food customs...In Iowa German descendants still make Westphalian hams...The city of Pella, Iowa, was foudned in 1847 by the Dutch."
---Taste of the States, Hilde Gabriel Lee [Howell Press:Charlottesville VA] 1992 (p. 173-7)
[NOTE: This book contains recipes for Streuselkuchen with Plums and Stuffed Iowa Pork Chops.]

State foods
Iowa does not have any edible state symbols or official state recipes. According to the Iowa state website, the state ranks: First in pork production, First in corn production, First in egg production, Second in soybean production, & Second in red meat production.

What to make for class?


Historic Dutch recipes, Pella IA
Recipes From the Tall Corn State, Iowa Catholic Daughters of America [1939]. While these recipes are not specifically traditional in Iowa, they were popular enough in the state during that time period to be included in this community cookbook. We have a copy of this book and can fax or scan recipes to you. What kind of food (bread? cookies?)would you like?
Anything with corn: corn bread, corn pudding, corn cakes!
http://www.foodtimeline.org/statefoods.html#iowa

Please tell me you are a bot.

Big shocker... Colorado girls are hotter than West Virginia girls and Iowa girls LOL DUHHH

My dog is hotter than them (on average).

The reason we have so much rape is because of dumb drunk hicks. Don't forget the HUGE population of wigger losers who live on farms and rob/rape people with their grampa's deer rifle because some rap song told them its "cool".

Iowa: A great place to stop and get raped at while you're on your way to some place better.

Iowa- All those cows and Retard Josh.

Wonder if he bores the cows too?

Shit - I got trolled :1orglaugh

cliff notes?

What the fuckever. Every state has a bit of beautiful in it.

Ever wonder why NJ is called the Garden State? You should see rural NJ. Where I grew up there was nothing but trees, hills, and farms. No fast food, no street lamps, no police after 9pm, no movie theatres, notta. Talk about beautiful.

You said "Three great universities". Iowa sucks. Iowa State is even worse. Northern Iowa is a glorified JC. So what 'three' universities are you alluding to?

(By the way, this post is meant to be sarcastic lol)

No cops after 9? You want people to believe that?


No movie theaters in NJ? How about none in the hick town you visited?


The Garden State: This nickname seems to have originated at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia on Jersey Day, August 24, 1876. Alfred M. Heston states in his 1926 work, Jersey Waggon Jaunts, that "The Garden State" was used by Abraham Browning, of Camden. "In his address Mr. Browning compared New Jersey to an immense barrel, filled with good things to eat and open at both ends, with Pennsylvanians grabbing from one end and the New Yorkers from the other. He called New Jersey the Garden State, and the name has clung to it ever since."

In later years, the explanation has evolved to reference New Jersey truck farms that provide floral and agricultural produce to cities in the area instead of an "immense barrel." These farms have catered, particularly, to the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. Some support the nickname with stories of the Revolutionary War and the food provided to soldiers by the small farms of New Jersey.

Probably the most intense promotion of this nickname for New Jersey began when the legislature voted to add the legend "Garden State" to New Jersey license plates in 1954, in spite of the Governor's refusal to sign the bill, in part because "New Jersey is noted for its great strides in manufacturing, mining, commerce, construction, power, transportation, shipping, merchandising, fishing and recreation, as well as in agriculture. I do not believe that the average citizen of New Jersey regards his state as more peculiarly identifiable with gardening for farming than any of its other industries or occupations."

My grandparents lived near The Great Lakes in Iowa. I have many fond memories of spending the 4th of July on my grandpa's Chris Craft cruising Lake Okoboji and going to Arnold's Park. Other relatives live in Spirit Lake. I never saw the place in winter - and don't want to.

I'm going to send my kids to the University of Okoboji.

All hicks. Nothing to do. Ill pass.

I went to Coe College in Cedar Rapids.. It was fun for 3 years, then I left out west.

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

Redshoe.. I noticed your stats on Burbank, The city of burbank has its own Police and Fire departments, we do not have to wait around for the LAPD, which is so wide spread and takes 45 minutes for them to show up.. here in burbank if you call the cops they are at your house before you hang up with the dispatcher.. From my experiences they are racist as fuck here and the cops like to rough up people who look like they are outsiders.. So that would explain the low stats in Burbank.. compared to other areas in LA county.. haha

I was thrown against my cars trunk and asked if I had guns or meth, because I have a shaved head and tattoos, after passing a bunch of checks and questions the cops got real cool with me (especially when they found out I work in adult) then they suggested what I should do to not get messed with by the cops any more.. have not been messed with since, knock on wood!!!

State: California (CA)
BURBANK City Population: 103,993
Murder: 3
Forcible Rape: 15
Robbery: 69
Aggravated Assault: 196
Burglary: 500
Larceny or Theft: 1,728
Car Theft: 466
Arson: 19

Oh.. PS.. I lived in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines when I was really young, I still have a good handful of family living in Iowa..

:1orglaugh

You can be such a retard sometimes.

In my hometown, growing up, we didn't really have a police force. We had a single police car, maybe two police officers; No police station. After hours our law enforcement was done by the next town over. After 9pm, everything shut down. We had two small stores that shut down at like 8pm, and a grocery store that shut down at 9pm. We had two restaurants - pizzerias really - and they both shut down at 9pm. If you wanted to buy a pack of cigarettes after 9pm, your shit out luck.

My hometown never had a movie theatre and still doesn't. The next nearest town still doesn't have one. If we wanted to see a movie we had to drive to Flemington.