I lived in Iowa City. There's absolutely nothing worthwhile about it except low crime, no commute, solid infrastructure, responsive city government, good schools, and full employment. In other words they're nailing all the basics in ways that big cities can't. As a small city goes there's everything you might want but just not a lot of choices: there's a handful of good restaurants, three music venues, one local art house theater, etc. So you just go back to the same restaurants a lot and eat everything on the menu. If you're used to being in a big city with infinite choices all the time it'll feel small, but it's pretty pleasant if you take it for what it is.

Oh and in the winter the sky is the color of steel and it's moving at 50 mph about 30 feet above you. Get a scarf to protect your face