Why is everybody moving to Iowa City? Let's take a look!
Hi there. My name is Emily Farber and I'm a Realtor® with Lepic-Kroeger, Realtors®. I help
people, just like you, make smart moves when it comes to buying, selling, and relocating in the
greater Iowa City area. Check out the description box of this video for some free downloadable
guides to help you get it done. So why is everybody moving to the Iowa City area? A couple
of key components that I'll be going over in this video are: community statistics, housing costs,
commute times, schools, neighborhoods, and amenities. I frequently work with people who
are relocating to the greater Iowa City area and the main reasons I hear from my clients as to why
they are making the move are: excellent job opportunities, highly regarded public education
for their children, and escape from the big metropolitan areas but keeping the arts and
culture scene that they crave, a generally safe place to live, a good place to raise a family,
and the desire for a dynamic growing midwestern city. The Iowa City area has no shortage of
accolades if you want to see how it stacks up to other comparable communities. Iowa City was
named number four of Livability's 2019 "top 100 places to live", number three of the "top
20 best u.s cities for college grads" and number 19 of Money Magazine's "100 best places to live."
The Iowa City metro area, which is anchored by Iowa City and includes communities in both
Johnson and Washington counties, is estimated to have about 177,000 people. The Iowa City and
Des Moines area metros have the fastest growing populations in the state. Thanks to the influence
of the University of Iowa it is a fairly youthful community here with an average age of 26.1.
According to Statista, as of 2019, the Iowa City metro was the 12th most educated metropolitan area
in the u.s with 48.8 percent of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher.
The 2020 median sales price for a 3 bedroom 2 bath single family home in the Iowa City area
was $242,000. That same sales price for a two bedroom one-to-two bath condo or townhome in the
Iowa City area was $150,000 according to Iowa City area MLS data. if you're looking for new
construction single-family home prices generally begin around $375,000 and go up from there.
Does Iowa City even really have a commute? I suppose it depends on your perspective and where
you're moving from. Most places in Iowa City, Coraville, and North Liberty can get you where
you need to be in about 20 minutes or less with normal traffic. Take a look at this map here to
get a feel for where Iowa City, Coraville, North Liberty, and Tiffin are in relation to each other.
The Iowa City area is known for its schools. Aside from being the home of the University of Iowa
you'll find two school districts in the greater Iowa City area-- the Iowa City Community School
District and the Clear Creek Amana School District. Niche.com gave the Iowa City community
school district an A grade, and Clear Creek Amana a B grade. The Iowa City Community School District
is the fifth largest in our state and serves over 14,000 students. The average elementary
school class size is 20 to 1, and the average junior high and high school class size is
29 to 1. Our average graduation rate here in the Iowa City Community School District is about
95.3 percent. The Clear Creek Amana School District serves about 2,830 students,
and their average elementary school class size is about 20 to 1. Side note here from one parent
to another. It is very hard to get a complete and comprehensive view of what a school is like from
online reviews. In fact, I'll go so far as to tell you that you won't. If you ask
a Realtor® what the good schools are in their community they are not going to be able to help
legally or ethically answer that question without stepping into the middle of a federal fair housing
mess. My best advice to you is to research it by actually talking to people in the know,
go and visit the schools in the neighborhoods that you're considering,
talk to the principal and some of the teachers, use social media for your benefit. For instance,
join a local parents group on Facebook and ask other parents their opinions about schools.
You'll get a lot of responses. But please, read those with the lens of knowledge that the criteria
of what makes a good school is going to be different for everyone. Some people are solely
focused on test scores, some people want new facilities, others are looking for great diversity
in the student population, and others place more value on the strength of extracurriculars,
so you will have to figure out what your most important criteria is. In terms of neighborhoods
in the greater Iowa City area pretty much we have something for everyone... unless you're looking
for an ocean view. I've done a lot of neighborhood tours and I frequently add to that playlist
so if you'd like to explore more neighborhoods in detail definitely check out this playlist.
In general Iowa City and Coralville tend to have the best mix of both
older and newer neighborhoods. North Liberty and Tiffin will fall heavily on newer construction.
You'll be able to find small condos to large upper end homes in all of the communities.
Some neighborhoods benefit from specific amenities such as the Peninsula Neighborhood,
which is located right next to Iowa City's Thornberry Dog Park. The Northend neighborhood,
which is walking distance to downtown Iowa City. Country Club Estates, which is the only Iowa City
neighborhood with a private neighborhood pool. Harvest Estates in North Liberty
is great for people who like newer construction and they need easy access to interstate 380.
University Heights in Iowa City is perfect for folks who want walkability to the west side
campus and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. If you crave unique, classic,
grand homes and a highly desirable neighborhood, perhaps you should consider Manville Heights.
Some of my favorite things that you should check out if you are coming for a visit
are: number one, Downtown Iowa City. It's a dynamic pedestrian-friendly downtown area
full of fun shops, restaurants, bars. There's live music in the summer and it's just overall a great
location for people watching and enjoying the energy of the community in general. I made a video
all about downtown Iowa City and you can catch it up here. Number two, I absolutely love the Iowa
City farmers market. It takes place on Saturday mornings in the Chauncey Swan parking ramp. During
the 2020 pandemic season it was switched over to a drive-thru thing, but I really hope it will
be back to normal by the summer of 2021. Not only is there lots of delicious and fresh food to buy,
but there are also lots of food trucks and food stands to grab breakfast or brunch at
and there's usually live music, too. Take a peek at this video all about the farmer's market.
Number three, I think Hancher Auditorium is an amazing performance venue for a community of our
size. It always feels so exciting and special to dress up a little and attend a performance.
I'll leave a link in the description box so you can take a peek at all the upcoming performances
at Hancher. Four, another favorite of mine when I need some outdoor time to decompress
is Hickory Hill Park. It's a gem. Hickory Hill is a 185 acre park
located in the heart of the east side of Iowa City that includes prairie,
open space, and woodlands. There's trails galore that are perfect for hiking walking your dog,
cross country skiing, even sledding. Take a peek at the summer version of Hickory Hill park.
If you're planning a visit to the Iowa City area just to check us out and see
if we're the right place for you iIve got just the video for you. I'll catch you over
on the next one. Hey, it's been fun, and I'll catch you later!
What's wrong with my voice today? I sound like a frog.