Who Wants to Live in Iowa?
Most current UI history grad students hail from elsewhere, from San Francisco to Manhattan and lots of places in-between, and many of us asked ourselves the same question! The answer: Iowa City is a good place to live and to study. Iowa City and its neighbor, Coralville, are affordable places to live with excellent bus transportation. Iowa City maintains (for Iowa) a diverse population and a good-sized number of students from other countries, and both the history department and the university are committed to increasing diversity.
Known in some circles as “The Athens of the Midwest,” Iowa City, including the University’s academic units, professional schools, highly rated teaching hospital, and vigorous arts scene, attract lectures, authors’ readings, workshops, music, dance, and theater of a quality you would expect in a larger city. Plus, cheap student tickets are available to most events. The city is also a haven for independent booksellers of new and used books. The Main Library has good research resources and special collections, as well as fast and efficient Interlibrary Loan service.
And Iowa’s not even flat! Iowa City is nestled among rolling green hills, its streets lined with mature maples, ginkos, and other trees. The city and the university campus are bisected by the scenic Iowa River, while the many spacious city parks with extensive trail systems and nearby Coralville Lake and Macbride State Park provide venues for outdoor fun. Cedar Rapids, about twenty miles north, offers minor-league baseball and hockey teams. And if you’re really desperate for some big-city living, Chicago and St. Louis are about three-and-a-half hours away and Minnesota/St. Paul about four-and-a-half.
While we do have “real” winters here, they are milder than those farther to the north, such as in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and the coldest weeks are usually during early January when many students are gone. We average 55 days of snow cover during the winter season. Summer temperatures in the 80s and 90s, with relatively high humidity, are common. July is usually the hottest and most humid month.
All-in-all, living in Iowa City is an enjoyable experience.
Links of Interest
Hancher Auditorium
Riverside Theatre
On-Campus museums and research collections
Local community links