Iowa City, IA

[LiviaAurelia]

For anyone coming to Iowa City: you've made a great choice!

No, this is not the biggest place in the world, but in this case, size does not = everything, lol! This place has a lot to offer, especially for a town its size in the Midwest. While downtown caters mostly to the younger crowd, there are some really cool places that are more laid back--more "grad student." If you live close to downtown/campus, all the necessities are a few blocks walk away. The university busing system is free, and the city busing system also offers a free shuttle with a limited route near the downtown/campus area.

Cedar Rapids is the closet airport, but Chicago is only about a 3 hr. drive from here, and St. Louis is about 3.5.

I've really enjoyed my time here, and while I'm thrilled to be leaving, I will miss this place a lot!

P.S. Football Saturdays here are the shit!

[tweed]

Those who applied to Iowa's MA program have you heard anything yet?

[byronlover]

Hey all! I, too, will be moving to Iowa City at the end of the summer. Anyone know of a nicer apartment complex that allows medium-sized dogs in the below-$800/mo range? By "nicer," I'm implying newer fixtures, washer and dryer included, a large bedroom, and hardwood floors (maybe). Maybe it's too much to ask? Any advice on housing would be appreciated, though.

[LiviaAurelia]

Hey all! I, too, will be moving to Iowa City at the end of the summer. Anyone know of a nicer apartment complex that allows medium-sized dogs in the below-$800/mo range? By "nicer," I'm implying newer fixtures, washer and dryer included, a large bedroom, and hardwood floors (maybe). Maybe it's too much to ask? Any advice on housing would be appreciated, though.

Hi, there.

I'd check out Craigslist to see what's going on first. I currently rent from Hodge Construction, which is, in my opinion, the best leasing company in Iowa City. I am not sure if they allow dogs in any of their properties, but you should check them out regardless. STAY AWAY FROM APARTMENTS DOWNTOWN!!!!!! They are the WORST, and anyone living here who has rented from them will agree.

[eeo1]

So I accepted the offer from Iowa! I am plannign on going to Iowa City in the next month or so to check ou tthe housing situation. What exactly comprises downtown? I want to live close, but not in the craziness. I've heard it has calmed down since a law passed not allowing anyone under 21 in any of the bars past 11 or 12 (not sure on the timing).

[siue16171617]

So I accepted the offer from Iowa! I am plannign on going to Iowa City in the next month or so to check ou tthe housing situation. What exactly comprises downtown? I want to live close, but not in the craziness. I've heard it has calmed down since a law passed not allowing anyone under 21 in any of the bars past 11 or 12 (not sure on the timing).

Do not rent from either Apartments Downtown or Kacena Real Estate Management. Both of these companies have bad reputations on campus. The former has a class-action lawsuit filed against them (yeah, I know, right?), and the latter is sleazy. I would stay away from the "downtown-side" of Dodge and Benton streets. This is where undergraduates drink and party. University Heights, on the other side of the river, is nice, but you will need someone to split the rent. Personally, I would not live near Willow Creek Park--if murders happen in IC, they happen around that area. I know a lot of people who live on the far east side of IC in newer condo units, which are nice. They just take the bus to campus--semester passes are $40.

I'm just finishing my first year at Iowa in a dumpy apartment in Coralville. I know that I am generalizing, but Coralville (south of the interstate) is full of large apartment complexes. It is not the best situation, especially because you just don't know who your neighbors will be (impoverished grad students who read all the time, or Goodyear mechanics who party all the time, you really take a chance). But I am about to move to a house in the Longfellow neighborhood-- south and east of Governor and Burlington.

[siue16171617]

Hi, there.

I'd check out Craigslist to see what's going on first. I currently rent from Hodge Construction, which is, in my opinion, the best leasing company in Iowa City. I am not sure if they allow dogs in any of their properties, but you should check them out regardless. STAY AWAY FROM APARTMENTS DOWNTOWN!!!!!! They are the WORST, and anyone living here who has rented from them will agree.

I seriously want to second the "Avoid Apartments Downtown" warning, and also add Kacena Real Estate Management to the list. Both are pretty bad companies. You can probably split a two-bedroom condo on IC's far east side. North Liberty is also a good option if you don't care about being close to campus.

[eeo1]

Thanks for the advice! I am sure I will have more questions as I progress!

Do not rent from either Apartments Downtown or Kacena Real Estate Management. Both of these companies have bad reputations on campus. The former has a class-action lawsuit filed against them (yeah, I know, right?), and the latter is sleazy. I would stay away from the "downtown-side" of Dodge and Benton streets. This is where undergraduates drink and party. University Heights, on the other side of the river, is nice, but you will need someone to split the rent. Personally, I would not live near Willow Creek Park--if murders happen in IC, they happen around that area. I know a lot of people who live on the far east side of IC in newer condo units, which are nice. They just take the bus to campus--semester passes are $40.

I'm just finishing my first year at Iowa in a dumpy apartment in Coralville. I know that I am generalizing, but Coralville (south of the interstate) is full of large apartment complexes. It is not the best situation, especially because you just don't know who your neighbors will be (impoverished grad students who read all the time, or Goodyear mechanics who party all the time, you really take a chance). But I am about to move to a house in the Longfellow neighborhood-- south and east of Governor and Burlington.

[optman]

Personally, I would not live near Willow Creek Park--if murders happen in IC, they happen around that area.

Hey, I live on Aber and I haven't killed someone so far.

check this rental, http://www.jimmillerrentals.com/

I am living at Aber Avenue Apartments. although it is away from campus, shuttle and bus are enough.

[revivalarch]

Thanks for info all! I was just going to start looking for apartments and this definitely helps me out.

[Awin]

Hmm, I'm not sure you'll find something that includes appliances, allows medium-sized dogs, and is nice (as you've described nice) for under $800. I see a few nicer 1br apartments with appliances/decent square footage for $1000, but they don't allow dogs.

[quote name='byronlover'

timestamp='1300672531' post='227772']

Hey all! I, too, will be moving to Iowa City at the end of the summer. Anyone know of a nicer apartment complex that allows medium-sized dogs in the below-$800/mo range? By "nicer," I'm implying newer fixtures, washer and dryer included, a large bedroom, and hardwood floors (maybe). Maybe it's too much to ask? Any advice on housing would be appreciated, though.

[Torment]

Hi, there.

I'd check out Craigslist to see what's going on first. I currently rent from Hodge Construction, which is, in my opinion, the best leasing company in Iowa City. I am not sure if they allow dogs in any of their properties, but you should check them out regardless. STAY AWAY FROM APARTMENTS DOWNTOWN!!!!!! They are the WORST, and anyone living here who has rented from them will agree.

Thanks, very good advice.

[Mr_Sippycup]

It's looking more and more like I'll be coming to Iowa City for grad work. I see there's already some useful information here about rental companies, but I'm wondering what one should expect to pay for a one bedroom in this city.

What's a good price, a bad price?

I'd like to live as close as possible to the school while still being in a quiet area; however, I'm not entirely above looking at places farther away if there're good deals.

[myownsavior]

Anyone looking for a room-mate? Looking to live with one or two others, willing to pay up to $600 a month. Entering PhD in applied math at U iowa.

Edited April 16, 2011 by myownsavior

[George_mag]

Anyone looking for a room-mate? Looking to live with one or two others, willing to pay up to $600 a month. Entering PhD in applied math at U iowa.

Hi, I am also a first year graduate student, in Elect and Comp Eng. I am an international student tho, from Europe and I'm going to be in Iowa City at the beginning of August. Please let me know if you are interested.

George

[nodrama]

Hello! I'm an older, night owl, grad student new to the area, and am wondering if there are any late nite coffee shops w/ wifi in iowa city, good places to hang out/read/sip a cup of tea, etc.? Not interested in the "we ain't leavin' til we heavin'!" spots, lol!!! Where do the old grad students hang out in this town? Any good restaurant recommendations for IC? Love ethnic food , Thai, Greek, Vietnamese, Lebanese - any good spots?

Any winter survival tips/tricks?

Thanks for any info!

[justanotherperson]

How are the university apartments? I know they are like 40 years old, but is it that bad to live there?

[fouler657]

So, people haven't really been posting on here lately, so I hope somebody will respond. I'm moving to Iowa City in August to start my PhD program. I've lived in Texas my whole life, so I'm pretty nervous about surviving an Iowa City winter. I'm going up there in a couple of weeks to try to find an apartment. If anyone can give me some advice on which areas or real estate companies to avoid? Or which ones are the best? Also, any advice on how a native Texan can prepare for an Iowa winter? Thanks!

[postapocalypso]

Hah, I just happened by this post; I live in IC for the moment and went to undergrad here!

Do your best to avoid the rental company Apartments Downtown, aka Apartments Near Campus. They are, sadly, ubiquitous and notorious for shamelessly gouging their tenants' security deposits (it took a threat of involvement with one of my roommates' lawyers to get them to return most of ours) and were recently involved in a lawsuit for mistreating their tenants.

It'll be tempting to get an apartment downtown, as it is more interesting and pretty much on top of campus, but just remember that the rent will be higher, the nights will be noisier, and you may have to pick your way through pools of vomit and broken glass in the morning.

As for the winters, just know that you will suffer. Your snot will freeze, your eyeballs will threaten to, and you'll lose feeling in your extremities. As the season wears on, you'll notice more people hobbling about on crutches after slipping on the ice, sometimes because they were in a rush after failing to factor in how much longer it takes to trudge through snow, sometimes because they inexplicably insist on wearing high heels on the weekends, but mostly because ice hates you and yearns for your pain (and because most people use sand instead of salt in an effort to melt it).

We have thundersnow. We have deathcold. It will be bad, and you will cry, and then native Iowans will scoff about how this is nothing compared to the Winter of Year X and laugh at your tears (which will of course be frozen to your cheeks). I recommend a heavy coat, snow boots, thermal underwear, gloves, an extra warm muffler, hat, the whole caboodle. You'll be able to find these things here in abundance at Goodwill. Keep a safety kit in your car in case it stalls on some godforsaken stretch of road.

HAPPY THINGS ABOUT IOWA CITY = great restaurants, a fantastic library, a fair amount of diversity, a kick-ass used bookstore (The Haunted Bookshop has kitties!), excellent walkability, live theatre, friendly folks, and the New Pioneer Co-op. It's also America's only UNESCO-designated City of Literature -- woohoo!

[Ampere]

I'll be moving to Iowa City in August, but I've lived in Des Moines the past six years and I assume the weather is about the same. Here's my advice: Cold is cold; how heavily you dress will depend on how tolerant you are to it. The real problem is the wind. There are winter days when the temperature alone would be quite comfortable without a coat, but the wind will numb ever sliver of flesh you leave exposed. Definitely consider how well your winter gear will block that wind before purchasing.

Also, I'm hoping that Iowa City cleans up the snow a little better than Des Moines does. I walk pretty much everywhere I go, and in Des Moines it hasn't been unusual to be treading on several inches of ice for 3-4 months straight--one year it was from November to April. If you aren't used to it, you should be very careful when walking (or driving!) in the winter.

[RiffRam]

Anything new to add to this city guide?

[Lulubelle]

So, I am likely moving to Iowa City in August. (I just got an assistantship offer and will probably accept.) I live in New York, so I suppose I have to haul myself over there to look at apartments soon. Does anyone have any recommendations? Or at the very least, companies or complexes to avoid? I'm hoping to make the most of a couple days there, so I'm trying to get a good list of places to contact. 

[RiffRam]

So, I am likely moving to Iowa City in August. (I just got an assistantship offer and will probably accept.) I live in New York, so I suppose I have to haul myself over there to look at apartments soon. Does anyone have any recommendations? Or at the very least, companies or complexes to avoid? I'm hoping to make the most of a couple days there, so I'm trying to get a good list of places to contact. 

When I took my visit last month, the only thing I kept hearing was to avoid living downtown. Most students also said they lived west or east of campus, and a couple lived in Coralville.

[shockwave]

Is Iowa City safe to walk around in at night?

[Madgab14]

I live in Iowa City now.  It's a pretty safe town, as it's not too big.  I would say, as always, just use caution, as there are the occasional assaults on campus, like any other college.  Just last week we had an aggravated robbery in the middle of the day in a neighborhood near campus, but before that, we hadn't had any Hawk Alerts in a pretty long time.  I've never had any problems in IC at night, but I wouldn't be walking around at 3 or 4 at night alone; it can be a little eery.  Cabs are ridiculous here, but sometimes it just makes sense.  I'm not a big fan of the area past Gilbert St towards S. Johnson, but that's just me.  I've always lived before Gilbert St.  Living downtown is convenient, but it can be a little rowdy.  The area over on the West side (where a lot of grad students live), is pretty nice.  During football season though, it can get pretty crowded, as there's people all over the place (naturally).  Generally though, it's much quieter over there.  Overall though, IC is really safe.  There's not a lot of crime in general.