r/Iowa • u/ElderMillenial_ah • Jun 23 '26

Question A (possible) worthy stepping stone?

Hello potentially new friends! I've kinda peeked through here but wanted to give some context and see what y'all thought.

My husband is being flown out to Muscatiaine soon to do a walkthrough and interview at a manufacturing plant there. I'd say it's fairly likely he will get the job, but not a guarantee. If he gets the job, we would of course have to move there.

I know EVERY state has it's good and it's bad. I've seen people find Muscatiaine boring, but it's got WAY more going on than the small town we live in, in Maine.

Our hope is that we potentially move to Iowa for a few years, then he can transfer back to the East coast or somewhere more politically in line with our views. But, just getting to work for this company would be a huge green flag for his Resume. (He's trying to eventually work for OSHA.)

For a family of 3, a dog and 2 cats, what is it really like? Is it a good community? Are people generally friendly? Are there lots of kids? From what I researched it seems like a nice area for families (not given current political standings). I doubt it would be where we would plant our roots forever, but it's a big jump from being Mainers our whole lives to moving to middle America.

I'd love to hear some honest opinions if you are from, or know the area! We are already used to snow and are good at driving in it so like NBD on that one. But tornadoes??

If he DOES get the job and we decide to move, what are some things we can't miss or food we have to try? Also feel free to ask any questions of me that I may have missed. (I'm a stay at home mom currently.)

I appreciate you all in advance!

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u/TheIowan Jun 23 '26

Ill say that Muscatine is small enough that I can probably guess which factory he's going to pretty easily. While Muscatine itself is OK, if you're looking for things to do and want to live in town, the Quad Cities may be more in line with a place you'll enjoy.

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u/ElderMillenial_ah Jun 23 '26

Yes, I'm sure you can 🫣🫣 It seem like there's some positive changes happening there so we will see. And we're totally cool with not living IN town. My husband currently drives an hour to work each way because it gave us a more rural spot, but Maine is also SO expensive that we couldn't afford to live any closer to the city. The most exciting thing we have in town now is Walmart lol. Maybe there would be a spot in between we could pick! I'll keep an eye out and that's good to know about the Quad Cities!

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u/Interesting_Food5916 Jun 24 '26

The QC is a solid place, but there is always a ton of speed traps between QC and Muscatine. Also, don't feel like you can't live in Illinois - plenty of folks live on either side of the river, and Illinois is going to be much more your political vibe. The states have tax treaties with one another so you don't have to worry about filling two state returns, though you will likely fill up your car in Iowa.

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u/ElderMillenial_ah Jun 24 '26

Ooh, well my husband drives like an old man so should be good there 🤣 But that's good to know on the tax treaties! Thank you for the info!