Iowa has a few good qualities, but overall I'm not a big fan of the state. Being a 19 year resident myself, I speak from experience. Iowa has a good educational system, low crime rates, good drivers (ranked as one of the top 3 states), relatively nice people, and a strong focus on family life. Unfortunatly, living in Iowa is quite boring. The state is full of small towns with nothing to offer but a convenience store and a few boarded-up buildings (and crystal meth dealers, of course). If you took a trip through Iowa blindfolded, you wouldn't miss out on much, except miles and miles of endless cornfields. The state also lacks decent job opportunities, with a good share of the jobs being blue-collar and paying below-average wages (nursing wages rank 50th in the nation). This is one of the reasons why Iowa is having such a big problem keeping young people in the state after they graduate from high school or college. Iowa also experiences a harsh climate, with very hot summer days and bone-chilling winter weather. No wonder Iowa's population growth has been stagnating for so many years.
