This is a carryover from another thread, but I'd really like peoples thoughts on what needs changing most in Ames.
I'd vote for the new Mall first.
I'd vote for the new Mall first.
What needs changing in Ames first?
- Thread starter ketelmeister
- Start date
There are so many problems with Ames it is hard to know where to start...
Traffic is horrible for a small town
Housing prices are a joke
There are no good jobs in town
The only thing Ames has going for it other than ISU is there are some good restaraunts.
Traffic is horrible for a small town
Housing prices are a joke
There are no good jobs in town
The only thing Ames has going for it other than ISU is there are some good restaraunts.
I think with them building the mall out there that's inevitable. And then you will have one of the worst urban sprawls in America for a city the size of Ames... :yes:
EGADS! I love Ames and don't love Ottumwa. I can see the comparison, but Ames is much farther ahead in my mind
I think Ames needs a water park of some kind. And if they could build some kind of a resturant that has a Buffet style atmosphere that would also be good.
Really? So Ames is an old river town that was basically supported by packing houses and an old Manufacturing plant that makes tractors, that is full of meth labs and pot smokers. Yep I really see the comparison there. Almost identical
You know what would be the coolest thing for Iowa State...as you come down into the valley (when coming in from des moines) a bunch of billboards saying
WELCOME
TO
CYCLONE
COUNTRY!
I think right now there is only on sign on I-35 and it might be a trailer that says ISU. I know it would take farmers giving up their land but I always think as you come into the valley there should be something other than seeing the barilla plant.
WELCOME
TO
CYCLONE
COUNTRY!
I think right now there is only on sign on I-35 and it might be a trailer that says ISU. I know it would take farmers giving up their land but I always think as you come into the valley there should be something other than seeing the barilla plant.
Really? So Ames is an old river town that was basically supported by packing houses and an old Manufacturing plant that makes tractors, that is full of meth labs and pot smokers. Yep I really see the comparison there. Almost identical
Next time quote everything that was said...when it comes to RETAIL, and if you took away Iowa State University, Ames would be practically identical to Ottumwa. Ames does not utilize the university as much as it should and the town continually has denied and scared away possible retail development. Ames has what dying towns in America would love to have, a MAJOR university with two four-lane highways, one of which is considered a major thoroughfare for the American economy, and is just 25 miles north of the busiest interstate in America. Ames has continually underutilized its possibilities.
Most towns that colleges reside in (besides large metropolitan cities) are pretty much the same as Ames. You take out the university and you're left with not much. Take for example Manhattan, Stillwater, even Iowa City isn't anything great if you took away the university, plus they've got the advantage of being right on I-80.
DING-DING-DING! We have a WINNER!
But seriously- it's the same group of Ames residents that are responsible for SO many of the town's problems. Ames is quite literally the only place I have ever seen that is a mid-size city trying as hard as it can to pretend that it's a small town. These are also the same people that think the ISU students are the source of all the city's problems, and the same people who are fervent supporters of any legislation that restricts the students' rights in any way (and believe me, there's a LOT of that). There are plenty of good ones, but generally speaking, the Ames townies are idiots. The first change that needs to happen is that we get said fools off of the city council, where they make mountains out of molehills, slow everything down to a crawl, and just generally muck everything up. Ryan Doll is a great start; now we need more people capable of rational thought than just him.
As far as actual physical changes: Campustown needs a massive overhaul (which it isn't likely to get). The best thing they could ever do for it is to make the Welch Ave. hill a pedestrian mall. There are also a few storefronts that have been empty for a long time, and others that are in pretty poor shape. Force business owners to spend some money making the outside of their places look nicer.
I'm kinda undecided on the new mall, but it's going to happen anyway. I think in the long run, it will be a great move- all of the arguments against it were repeats of when they announced they were building Coral Ridge Mall way out in a cornfield outside the edge of Coralville. Folks thought it was a stupid location, too far away, would kill off existing shopping, etc. Well, now the location is an absurdly massive retail explosion with every kind of store you could imagine, and is attracting big national chains right and left, with no signs of slowing. Yes, the older malls and downtown suffered- for a while. Then they picked right back up and did better than ever.
The aquatic center they're building on 13th will be a big growth point for the city, too. It looks like it will be rather nice; let's hope the city manages it wisely and uses the profits wisely. (I still think ISU was foolish to give up that land, though.)
The roads are a big problem, but the city is aware of that and they're working on it. (Having the state DOT headquarters right in town is a huge help, too.) Pushing Grand all the way through to South 16th will hopefully alleviate a lot of traffic on east Lincoln and at the Lincoln/Duff chaos... er, intersection. Now if they could just time the damn stoplights across the city so that they make SOME kind of sense...
I'm sure there's more stuff to talk about; I just can't think of it.