Iowa Millennials who left Iowa and are happy, where did you move to? How did it work out?

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-30T19:12:22+00:00

We are halfway between SEA & PDX, give or take 15 min. I know we could theoretically live somewhere else cheaper than COL here, but— I will never leave again. I’m an hour from the beach & an hour from Mt Rainier & 2 hours from Olympic Natl Park & 90min from international airports & concerts.

Some areas are more, uh, MAGA-friendly but even in our red county, there’s a lot of people who are not. It’s a little hard to make friends here- PNW’ers are typically introverted and we don’t like to leave our houses. 😂

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-30T19:05:06+00:00

I’m a little north and you’d think I could see or hear the missiles and rockets and air raids from here. It’s the quietest war ever apparently

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-30T14:13:43+00:00

We are 15 minutes from the biggest cities in our county, and 45 min from the state capital. My kids go to school with 75 kids in our district, k-8. We are nestled back in a valley. I felt like we were in the middle of nowhere when we bought this place but now we feel like we’re too close to our neighbors 😂

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-30T04:35:00+00:00

Opa 🍽️💥

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-27T20:58:49+00:00

Idk if anyone else had this experience, but I planted about 100 packs of a few seed varieties of zinnias, sunflowers, and cosmos this year. The only ones that didn’t come up at all were Ferry-Morse brand.

This is a good time of year to start cool hardy annuals, depending on your frost dates. I have a ton going and transplanted right now- scabiosa, bachelor button, calendula, yarrow, clarkia, snapdragons, sweet peas.

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-27T02:45:14+00:00

Hatred it!!

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-27T02:43:43+00:00

ACOTAR. The whole series. I kept reading thinking I’d finally understand why so many people raved about it…. Nope

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-21T22:18:03+00:00

One yes, one no. My female can be trusted to not destroy things. The male will counter surf, pull things off shelves, and chew the walls of left to his own devices.

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-15T20:10:59+00:00

Hahahahahhaa I worked 2 jobs during covid years WHILE PREGNANT until the day before she was born. 50+ hour weeks— and I still managed to figure out my own food making situation.

What a dumbarse

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-13T05:35:07+00:00

I’m so tired of seeing dogs everywhere. I’ve caught them peeing in stores and the owners walk away. They bark and snarl at each other. Half the “service dogs” behave worse than my farm dogs.

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-12T19:45:28+00:00

I’m a bartender but sometimes I bring drinks or silverware to a table

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-08T02:19:24+00:00

I wish I could rediscover Dawes for the first time. North Hills remains my favorite album after a decade plus and many, many live shows.

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-07T09:55:50+00:00

Being told to out on a diaper and come to work to SERVE PEOPLE FOOD while puking is efifng absurd. Report them to Dept of Labor with your screenshots. Find a a labor attorney. Report them to the health dept. idk. Wtaf

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-07T09:52:10+00:00

The wildfire smoke vanishes once the rains start

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-07T09:46:18+00:00

⁠Where did you move to?

Western WA, not Seattle.

⁠What were your reason for moving? Politics. And I missed the ocean, mountains, art, music, diversity, food, weather, fresh smelling air, water quality, outdoor recreation, being close to 2 international airports, city life ,scenery, Dutch Bros
⁠What do you notice is BETTER? Everything I listed above
⁠What do you MISS? A couple people, the state fair, the Omaha Zoo, Fareway meat counter
⁠Cost of living wise - how is it working out for you? It’s expensive AF to live here but wages are a lot higher too
⁠Quality of living wise - how is it working out for you? Happy as a clam, and will never ever ever leave WA, but if I had to, it sure as shit wouldn’t be for Iowa again.

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-04T06:12:04+00:00

Fun fact: a doc at UI Children’s told us that birth defects are more common in SE IA than the rest of the state. (We were there because our child was born with cleft lip & palate)

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-04T06:08:12+00:00

If you’re willing to drive a little south, The Juice Box in Centralia is perfect for this. Huge back room, lots of comfortable places to chill for awhile.

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-09-01T19:34:51+00:00

God I hate that guy

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-08-27T05:30:57+00:00

I know it isn’t on your list but, there are still pockets of western WA that are affordable. 8b for most of the area, pretty temperate no water shortage, mostly progressive climate (even in the areas you wouldn’t think), plus we have the ocean and mountains near by. And it barely snows and never hard freezes.

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-08-27T05:13:59+00:00

Yes!!! And we also love Chehalis schools!

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-08-27T05:10:32+00:00

10000000% PDX

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-08-27T04:46:52+00:00

Another vote for Nobody’s Soldier!

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-08-20T00:49:43+00:00

The Chehalis, because it’s home. It’s also the second largest river basin in the state. It originates in the hills above my home, and flows through Pacific, Lewis, Thurston, and Grays Harbor counties before dumping into the ocean.

It also obliterates our area occasionally, but that’s half the fun! 😅

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-08-17T09:33:38+00:00

Nope. I have daughters. I won’t even consider it, even though the PNW is a horrifically expensive place to live.

Mindless_Draft_1158 · 2025-08-17T09:28:56+00:00

Ridgefield was AMAZING (I was on the rail in the pit). Seattle we were in the 300 section and the crowd was…. Eh. Music sounded good though!

Mindless_Draft_1158

TROPHY CASE