Cool. My family is from the other side. Also, if you start thinking about things like retirement (access to healthcare, activities, etc.) and housing value, I think Ames starts looking better for that too.
Boone or Marshalltown?
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Cool. My family is from the other side. Also, if you start thinking about things like retirement (access to healthcare, activities, etc.) and housing value, I think Ames starts looking better for that too.
"The kids are out of the house". By saying this I assume you're over 40.
I guess there are a lot of questions that need to be asked.
How much money do you want to spend on a house?
How plan do you plan on living at this location?
Are you married? What is her opinion?
What do you do on the weekends?
What kind of hours are you going to have to put in at the job.
IMO moving to a place like Ames because of ISU sports is borderline nuts unless you plan on going to 70+ games a year. You still have to live in Ames the other 340+ days of the year and drive 250+ days a year to work in another town.
What I've found is that regardless of where I live, I normally do the same types of things. The difference of entertainment options in Boone and Marshalltown are very slim.
I guess there are a lot of questions that need to be asked.
How much money do you want to spend on a house?
How plan do you plan on living at this location?
Are you married? What is her opinion?
What do you do on the weekends?
What kind of hours are you going to have to put in at the job.
IMO moving to a place like Ames because of ISU sports is borderline nuts unless you plan on going to 70+ games a year. You still have to live in Ames the other 340+ days of the year and drive 250+ days a year to work in another town.
What I've found is that regardless of where I live, I normally do the same types of things. The difference of entertainment options in Boone and Marshalltown are very slim.
Lived in Boone for seven years. It is not that bad. Didn't really like the schools so we moved. Marshalltown is way more blue collar and further from Ames. Boone has a bad rep and not really sure why but it is better than Marshalltown.
I wouldn't be moving to Ames just because of ISU sports:
Good employment opportunity.
Wife and I like to go out to eat, hit the bars or go to concerts.
Since the Missus makes a damn good sandwich she can be unemployed for awhile, but she'll go nuts if she doesn't find something to do. She gets a job or she stays in the kitchen. (I'm an Internet tough guy).
My folks are getting older and moving to the Boone/Ames area cuts my drive home from 8 hours to 4.
AND I'm a die-hard alum and love to attend ISU games. So there is that...
Sounds like you want to be close to Ames and have a night life - you should really look at Luther.
I agree with the other posters, live in Ames and commute. I've taken a few classes at the DMACC campus in Boone, and the drive is very short and manageable. Especially if you can find a place in West Ames.
I know what you mean. A long time ago I spent two years living in Mississippi. That's two years I'll never get back.
If they end up in Boone, odds are his wife will have to find a job in Ames rather than Boone so one of them will have to commute anyway. Might as well live in the town they want to live in.
Both my wife and I would give up a lot to be able to move back to Ames; and my wife is originally from the Des Moines metro. It isn't perfect but it has a lot going for it and there has been progress the last few years. Having the small city feel with the constant influx of students to keep things alive and happening is a pretty rare combination. My favorite two times of the year in Ames are the fall because the students are coming back and the spring because the students are leaving. :smile:
Yea i guess I have lived om the north side of it longer... it will always be north Dakota to me. Although it's funny I lived near Ontario but always refer to it as 13th st.
I'm leaning towards Ames right now, but just for the sake of arguement (which I know Fanatics avoid), is there a "better" part of Boone to live in? Any area I should avoid. I guess this goes to all the "Boonies" out there.
The one thing Boone has on Ames is golf courses. Much better value at Cedar Pointe and Honey Creek than anything in Ames. Outside that, not a damn thing.
The south side of town is the nicest. The north side hasn't had much attention over the years except for a couple of smaller developments. There are lots of nice developments going up between Boone and the Ledges state park.
If you don't mind me asking..... where are you looking at working in Boone?
From the inside we always called ourselves boonites. I guess from the outside they like to call them boonies(kinda derogative)
I also saw "Boone Goon" earlier in the thread. The opportunity is on the south side, just north of 30. Looks like there has been some new development in that area.
I'd rather not say (yet). Right now there's a confidentiality agreement. You guys will be the first to know when I can.
Depends on what price range you are looking at, but there are quite a few areas in West Ames that are nice. We looked in the Hillside area (just west of South Dakota, south of Lincoln Way by the basketball facility) and the new development that is north off Lincoln Way way out west. With both of those you are close to Lincoln Way/Hwy 30. Because we have school age and younger kids, we chose NW Ames in the Gilbert School district. We are close to county line road which runs N-S between Boone and Story counties--you can take back roads to get to Boone.
As far as commutes go, we live in the absolute worst place for my husband to commute to his office by Valley West Mall. When we first moved to Ames his job was here in town, but unfortunately he was in an industry that hit a low point after we moved. The next job landed him in DSM. But we love our neighborhood and the schools here. We are closer to family here than if we moved to DSM and yes, we hit as many athletic events as we can. Right now my oldest is a ball girl for the volleyball team. We figure if Fred could start as a ball boy and work his way up, our daughter can do the same in volleyball.
it is fun for them to be able to interact closely with college atheltes. They would not have those same opportunities if we lived closer to hubby's job.
As far as commutes go, we live in the absolute worst place for my husband to commute to his office by Valley West Mall. When we first moved to Ames his job was here in town, but unfortunately he was in an industry that hit a low point after we moved. The next job landed him in DSM. But we love our neighborhood and the schools here. We are closer to family here than if we moved to DSM and yes, we hit as many athletic events as we can. Right now my oldest is a ball girl for the volleyball team. We figure if Fred could start as a ball boy and work his way up, our daughter can do the same in volleyball.
it is fun for them to be able to interact closely with college atheltes. They would not have those same opportunities if we lived closer to hubby's job.Don't get me started about Elwood.
Funny thing is, is that growing up in Boone and rarely using that exit, I could never remember the name of Elwood so I always referred to it as "the university exit" The name change was easy for me.