In Defense of Iowa

I used to think of Iowa as the armpit of the US, one of the most "un-cool" states in the Union. After all, it doesn't have mountains, a Great Lake, or an adjacent ocean, and it produced Chuck Grassley. Now one of my kids is going to Grinnell College in central Iowa. I've visited the state twice in the past year, and was pleasantly surprised by how pretty and pleasant it is. It reminds me of the English countryside.

Iowa is bounded to the west by the Missouri River and to the east by the Mississippi. It is criss-crossed by several other rivers and streams and has a number of lakes and ponds. The presence of all this water means the state is wonderfully green and lush, at least in the summer. Although usually considered to be a prairie state, Iowa has about three million acres of trees and forest, which adds up to about one acre per resident.

US News ranks Iowa as the best state in the nation, based mostly on its ratings for infrastructure, health care, education, and opportunity. I'm not sure most people would agree. The weather is usually either hot and humid or freezing cold. While the population of the state is growing faster than the US average, many young people leave Iowa for better opportunities elsewhere. According to a 2015 report by United Van Lines, the top ten states people are moving to don't include Iowa. Instead they are (in order of rank) Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, Idaho, North Carolina, Florida, Nevada, D.C., Texas, and Washington, while the top ten states people are leaving are New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Connecticut, Ohio, Kansas, Massachusetts, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Maryland.

However, as someone once said to me rather defensively about Birmingham, UK, "It's no' as bad as it's painted." Iowa is surprisingly beautiful. I feel a subjective sense of permanence to the place. I love the ubiquitous rain and the charming old Victorian homes on shaded tree-lined streets. Des Moines, which straddles the Des Moines River, is an attractive modern city. Iowa City, on the banks of the Iowa River, is a vibrant university town, home to the University of Iowa, which has, according to the Princeton Review, some of the happiest students in the nation. Iowa City is also a UNESCO City of Literature and is home to the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a pretty Riverwalk. I haven't yet been up to Cedar Rapids, but I'm looking forward to doing so. It is a center of Czech and Slovak (a significant part of my husband's heritage) culture and is home to the National Czech and Slovak Museum & Library and several Bohemian restaurants and bakeries.

I guess I'll be seeing more of Iowa and other Midwestern states over the next few years. My daughter will be traveling to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and around Iowa to play tennis, and I hope to get out to see some of her matches.