When I tell people that I moved to Iowa from Colorado they give me a look and say, “Why would you move to Iowa?” My answer is always the same: Family.
A look of understanding makes its way across their faces and they move on, satisfied with my reply.
I moved to West Des Moines in 7th grade and I hated it. I wanted to move back to Colorado. Maybe it was just because I was in middle school and that part in anyone’s life sucked, who knows, I don’t. It was my freshman year of high school when I realized Iowa is so much better.
The thing I compared the most was the quality of Colorado and Iowa schools. My Colorado friends would have five random days off in a row and they didn’t know why.
The winter breaks in the county I lived in were two and a half weeks long. That sounds wonderful, right? Think about how long school would last into the summer for Iowans.
The only thing I envied them for were the two built-in snow days for each school year. Colorado barely has any snow days because the snow melts five minutes after it falls, unlike Iowa. Contrary to popular belief, Colorado is not that cold, well, the Denver area isn’t. Living through an Iowa winter is worse, trust me.
Standardized testing in Colorado took the first two weeks of March, while in Iowa, it took four days in October. The results for ITBS came the same school year, not the following year like Colorado.
Schools aren’t the only thing I love about Iowa. I love how long it takes to get from place to place. In Colorado, it could take 30-45 minutes just to get across town, and that’s not if it’s rush hour on the highway.
In Iowa, it takes 15-20 minutes maximum to drive in town. I visited Denver for the first time since I left, and streets were too crowded and busy.
People who say rush hour in downtown Des Moines is horrible haven’t even experienced horrible rush hour.
Des Moines is nothing compared to Denver rush hour because it’s pretty much stop and go the whole way.
Sure Iowa doesn’t have mountains, but Iowa has sweet corn and breathable air, which is why I choose to live in Iowa.
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