This Is What Life Is Like In Small Town Iowa 

I have lived in IOWA since 1952 GO HAWKS

Hey Nick I drove all over that area. super nice people Had to work there. Nobody could do my job up there. Everyone was nice, very little crime. Even in Sioux city where I stayed at the comfort inn. The people even in the big city were nice...But there was crime and homeless, and gangs in Sioux City. Some areas were pretty rough and others were Super super nice and super super safe.

Wishing peace all over USA 🇺🇸

@My Cancer Journey well lets hope your prognosis is good. Or at least your spirits are high.

How many 🐓s do you suck to be that insulting ?.........😊

Just don't bring Seattle's liberal politics with you.

This is code for "I love not living by minorities"

@@stegura83 Wouldn't have moved across the country to get away from that liberal hell hole if I were planning on bringing it with me. 🙂

@@shrim1481 Minorities is a outdated and obsolete term.

@@shrim1481 Really? Because I am married to one.

They must be preserved

They will if people choose to do the same where they're coming from.

They won't, because they seem to be white safe havens.

They wont, only mining and industrial towns tend to fade away after the industry is shut down

People are beginning to flee cities, small towns and rural life is the future cities are going to be a shadow of what they are, if they even are around.

It's fake. I've been in Iowa my whole life and live in small town Illinois now. They're fake and all of em talk behind everyone's backs. As long as you are exactly like them they'll be your best friend, otherwise they're only being polite to your face.

People from the west coast are mostly drama, fake, and inconsiderate. Ask me how I know. Lol

Like which states do you mean middle america. I'm not American but it just got my curiosity :D

@@cfd9724 From my understanding of middle America, I am guessing anywhere that are in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Wyoming, Colorado... etc.

@@votummstellarumm1581 Ill keep them as a reminder. Thank you kindly.

where are the ppl tho? All empty streets

Yeah and I hate that

I bet there’s lots of racists there too. I’m sure I wouldn’t fit in and there are lots of right wing racists with Confederate flags on their balcony.

Boring and dull

They are very scummy and have a lot of drama nothint but it

It looks a lot better than Red Oak, Texas, which is a drug addicted, riddled dump.

For how long?

My idea of hell.

What about middle of nowhere potato state Idaho?

Free Market kill small towns

It be nice if Disneyland opened a theme park here.

😂😂😂😂😂 yeah!! For white people!!

​@@chocolateamethyst☻💨

the British are theives

Iowans are good people. Common sense people.

It's never too early Randall!

It's an idealized fantasy.

I’m from da O to but I don’t like the idea of people all of a sudden moving in lmao dis last 3 years to much goin on thanks to those comin in from da outside but still relaxed good opportunities and Iowa, over here in Omaha is known for the home of da crackheads but pretty chill lots of trailer homes but yea Omaha is good compare to any place I been honestly lol

Look at what a shitshow portland has become and it will be "right now" lol

Omaha Eppley Field was the easiest and friendliest airport that I've ever been to.

bullshit😂

My AT&T cell phone doesn’t work in Red Oak, LOL. Dealbreaker!

@@nathanbush6781 Verizon is mostly used there no?

​@@nathanbush6781Sounds like a personal problem/off-topic/a feeble attempt at humor.

Yes there is ITS TO COLD!!!

Didn't they just recently had that mass killing of the 4 college students?

You are too soft for cities. EVERYTHING is so convenient in a city. I cannot stand living somewhere you need to drive to get anything done Culture? Forget it out in the sticks.

Amen

you should return to Tennessee. i left Oceanside ca. i was far from anything worth calling home. Too sunny and deserty there it felt like except they planted a lot but still not home there.

You sat on the sidewalk crying? Have you no dignity?!?

Lol TN is not a fun place! I love SD! People wise dating is horrible!

37 years ago Mesa/Gilbert was small compared to today. Mesa 150k population 1980's. It was nice to be able to go dove hunting pretty much everywhere. I was raised there. It had a small town feeling to it back then. Like Gilbert did. As soon as the orange groves and corn fields got demolished it was a free for all with the building. I can see why you chose Mesa back then. We lived down the street from the Iowa Cafe and went all the time.

Becky you can most certainly move back now since Iowa eliminated taxes on retirement income. While they won’t touch your pension, 401k or SSI, Iowa will still want a piece of the interest on your savings and or brokerage accounts and other stuff too.

Interesting. I had a college professor once who said in American we throw everything away, even our cities.

Snow keeps out the riff-raff maybe?

I remember Mesa back in the mid eighties. It was the go-to place and rapidly growing. But almost rural. Gilbert too. Now the whole place is exactly as you said. A hot mess!!!

Southern border wide open,if your willing to support yourself you would be welcome

I'm from North Iowa and we often have White South African Farm Labourers come over and work for the summer and harvest. They make pretty good money. Look into a program like that and you can come and visit for yourself and make good money while doing it. People will enjoy having you around greatly! Yahn and Gert (two south Africans who work here) are local legends!

If you wanted to see the real America, this is it. It's lovely. Good people.

@@annmariemarin5513 This isn't real America. This is just a bunch of old, fat white people who are all retired and have no reason to leave now that they no longer need a job. There are no jobs in places like this, which is why anyone under the age of 65 doesn't live there. This is why all you see are old retired folks, and none of them have darker skin color than bright pink.

@@annmariemarin5513 Good people?! I didn’t see people!

​@@annmariemarin5513 not the "real America" the "old America." This America used to be the norm and its dying. It's very sad but these small independent towns and the people who live in them are the bane of Washington's existence and purpose. They want these towns and the people who live in them to all die, that is not an exaggeration.

Watching out of pure curiosity and this does have its charme, doesn't it? Reminds me of movies like the Goonies and ET. Its a shame most of threse places are so backwards politically.

Where are these blue collar workers going to work? Most of these folks sold out for equity and paid cash to retire. It would be a 1950s dream come true to move into small town USA but there isn't opportunity to get a head. And young people don't want to live in a washed community.

Red Bluff, California? That's not what I have seen or heard.

red bluff is awful

10 years ago, people would have been saying no way!

Please don’t, I am sure you do not have anything to offer a “small town” community…

@@andrewcasson4035 what a person should offer to live there ? Can u specify

That’s a town is supposed to be this is why people don’t want minorities and illegals moving here they would ruin within a year

What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Yay Erica!

You could also thank them for feeding your face.

Exactly.

Keep them poorly educated, closed minded, and hateful.

@@loosilu Look who's being prejudiced.

Let's be honest, it's the demographics that make the difference. Think of how Ireland was before the migrants.

@@SashaBurgess1933 The entire west has been destroyed by the Kalergi plan. Supported by WEF and UN.

I really like what I see here and other places of similarity. I am looking at moving out of Illinois.

Looks well kept.

i.e. dead

​@Champwsox05 lot of small towns in Illinois too. Illinois is more than just chicago and the burbs

@@person-ce8cr Exactly... Illinois has a ton of small towns with great prices on homes.

Values like not liking black people?

@@movieswithmatticus5469 I live in Marshalltown IA and we have a very ethnically diverse community including "black people". There is a deep rooted community feeling to this place. Your comment is ill-spoken and uninformed. Personally, I find your comment very offensive. You should not make sweeping statements about things you know nothing about.

@@richardjohnson1261 Why did you put black people in quotation marks?

@@movieswithmatticus5469 gtfo

@@movieswithmatticus5469 I am also from a small town in NE Iowa. We don't have black, brown, white, green, purple or whatever other color neighbors, we have a COMMUNITY where everyone are neighbors and are always willing to help out each other. Skin color doesn't mean a thing around these neck of the woods, its all about being a good person. We all work side by side and wave hi to each other when passing by, we have gatherings where we invite all of our neighbors. You will find us Iowan's in every position of society from the nice cleaning person to the mayor to the local doctor/dentist/nurse, regardless of race, color, creed or gender, we are all inclusive. “Iowa is God's country”

I know eric

This was important video. Made me want to find the balance of a small town with close by job markets. I'm tried of living in Boston with the hellscape of big cities. Been feeling this way for years. Get away from the cities and live in a small town. But my income stays the same.

@@NickJohnson Hi Nick, you had me in your "Unboxing Iowa" video for quite a while. My grocery store in Malvern, IA burned down 16 months ago,but the rebuild will be coming soon. Search RU-vid for "They Came From All Over", a documentary coming out soon about my efforts! I would love to hear from you!

Email me Tom! NickJohnsonNC18@gmail

You have described my grand parents farm outside of Union, IA, At night, the moonlit view from the front porch across the corn fields was like looking out across water. The gently rolling landscape mimicked the rising and falling swells of a calm sea. In the distance, atop the next rise of the land, the lights from the neighboring farm appear to be a ship at sea. This impression is reinforced by the sound the wind makes rustling the corn fields. During the day the 100 year old elm trees (how they survived I'll never know) kept the house shaded. The sound of wind rustled corn fields was replaced by the squeaky metal propeller of the water pump atop it's tower. But it was the cloud of dust in the distance that herald the arrival of a visitor. The dust cloud gets larger as the stil unseen auto approaches. The house was Gothic Revival in style with pointed arched windows! Unbelievably it was painted a dark shade of eggplant with trim painted a pale yellow. My grandparents did not farm, my great grand parents did and this was their farm. Somewhere in the 1950's, since no family was interested in actually farming my grand father sold the whole thing - house, outbuildings, the land, the whole works to a commercial agricultural company with the agreement that the farmhouse would be leased back to them until they both were dead. In 1996 my grandmother died 4 months after my grandfather did. And when that happened, the house reverted back to the commercial agricultural company. They proceeded to burn the house and all the out buildings to the ground and plowed the ashes into the soil. The only thing left to indicate there was a farm is the windrow. Yes, the elms were felled, too. I have vivid memories and PHOTOS of the farm house; I last visited it in 1990, in my early thirties, when I brought my Swiss boyfriend to show him a different America.

@@ericscott5224 Perfectly said. Although we're getting hammered by a thunderstorm right now.

​@@johngalt2506 As a child, living in Mason City I remember the thunder would shake the house. And how, in mere moments, a clear sky could darken as the storm front moved through. At times the clouds turning an ominous dark, olive green color. We'd pray it ws not a harbinger of something worse.

@@ericscott5224 I grew up in earthquake country so I'm definitely nervous about tornadoes

I'm in Mason City often, I live outside Bristow.

Many small towns in Iowa are stilled rooted back to the European settlers, IE pella- Dutch, story city- Norwegians, emmetsburg- Irish catholic.

if you wete rational you wouldnt live there

Many Irish and German Catholic families as well

Hello, From South East Asia perception I Do Not see Diversity. I also live in a small town East of San Francico Bay and 18% of populations are Bilingual. I like it here. It's a peaceful town.🤫

@@tidathery9787 Dublin?

I have the same,, with a girlfriend from USA,,,,,visa problems for both of us,,, I live in Europe where nobody locks their doors when we go out,,,, we can only be together three months in each others countries in any one year,,,,, but we walk the towns and mingle,,,, was a shock for me when I realized nobody walks in America

People usually drive their automobiles if going more than 1 city block. 🙂

​@@tommysheehan8707 Crime is very high here and people have more than one lock on their doors

It seems to be the wave of the future.

It’s definitely nice but prolly an acquired taste for many if they like more or different activities.

@@yaiburanakul8505 Not really, It's been happening for quite a while for me personally.

I grew up in one. Its boring as hell after you move on from the "riding bicycles with your friends" phase. If you are over 20 and single it would really suck, since everyone gets married at 18.

Oh we’re way past the socialite phase, we’ve done more than 25+ years in Miami, NYC, Seattle, and other major cities. We’re in our 40s now, looking to extend our money for an early retirement, more quiet, more peace, slower paced, cheaper cost of living, safe, friendly faces open spaces. We need very little in our lives to be content and happy, that’s why we’ve been thinking of small towns.

Visited both, driving from NYC, nice quite towns and lots of cornfields.

I also think she had a very balanced insightful comments

yeah she so pretty

The men get drunk outside the house and the women inside it.

Exactly

❤️🇩🇪

Bad Windsheim

white people. non-whites don't have towns like this

Obey our traffic laws as you pass through

If you own a home, cash it in and make it happen. Life is too short. Be happy

We welcome you as long as you DONT come here and vote DEMOCRAT!

​@@jeffb321 Real open minded folks

Open minded 😂

@okbutwhy3803 Why would you want to live around people who aren't in the same mindset that you yourself are? Difference in opinions are some of the biggest socialite obstacles.

Nice man . I am from a 3rd world country too . I came to USA in early 2000s . Love it here . Which country u r from BTW ?

Now many of us from USA are retiring in Philippines and Thailand

@@jamesrecknor6752 dumb idea to retire in a country where default way of life is corruption

@@jasonmiller3011 Mexico

@@jasonmiller3011 And you think it isn't here? The former president just got indicted. and much more to come. The NRA pays off the republicans thats why we lose children daily in mass shootings.

I will say, we have a joke around here that Iowa City is one of the least Iowa parts of Iowa. 😂 over half of the people there are even from the Chicago suburbs. But it is a lovely place.

Joes place, deadwood and johns grocery still there.

​@@vgshwk yes Joe's place is still there my uncle manages it.. I was born and raised in iowa city but live in Houston now

What Iowa City did you live in?! I lived there through the 90s as a kid and it was awful. It was expensive, people were assholes, police were assholes (I even knew this as a kid) and it was too busy even then because of the University.

@@MekareP Iowa City

agreed!!

Me too

i left Torrance ca in 05. Moved to Fl and now going to move to TN for retirement. get out of CA. it is being run by unelected politicians who are making war against the people there.

Terri, you wouldn’t enjoy the nasty winter and you would be bored. Perhaps move to the Mojave Desert somewhere.

@@apocyldoomer not even if she wants the comfortability of LA. Plus it’s hot as heck

What’s the cost of living like there? Average monthly spend?

​@@SpicyKimchi- it's really hard to answer that. $1500? That would depend on so many factors.

@@meganh1834 yeah probably too open ended. It’s funny people who grew up in small towns tend to wanna move to big cities while some city folks just want something small & quaint for the simple life.

@@SpicyKimchi- I actually tried the big city life. I moved to southern California for 5 1/2 years. Moved back to Iowa in 2015. I don't regret moving back. I live in the "city" now but it's way different than Cali.

Remote work is pretty stagnant right now. Written by a remote worker in small town Iowa. Well FORMER remote worker. Former worker for that matter. Ugghhh. I am about an hour from Red Oak.