2022 Best Places to Live in Iowa

West Des Moines

• Town in Iowa
• •
  Rating 4.25 out of 5  132 reviews

Current Resident: While being very close to the Jordan Creek Mall, lots of restaurants, fun activities, large retail stores, hotels and much more, West Des Moines is an amazing city. With short commute times and amazing people, West Des Moines is an excellent place to live or just to visit!...Read 132 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• 65,606 Population

University Heights

• Suburb of Cedar Rapids, IA

• grade A+

• grade A

• 1,159 Population

Clive

• Suburb of Des Moines, IA
• •
  Rating 3.9 out of 5  42 reviews

Current Resident: Clive is an excellent city to live in. Close to everything. The Waukee school district is amazing! Always growing and the teachers are great. Also, Mission Fitness is an excellent gym located minutes from Clive. Awesome classes for all ages and skill levels! The coaches are so motivating and push you to be your best self!...Read 42 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• 17,167 Population

Waukee

• Suburb of Des Moines, IA
• •
  Rating 4.39 out of 5  46 reviews

Current Resident: I have lived in Waukee, Iowa for four years now! It is truly one of the best neighborhoods in this world! Everyone around here are good friends no matter if you are poor, different race, go to a private school, are part of a different religion, and more! There is a reason why Waukee's growth rate has increased by 74% since 2010! People love it here and there are so many opportunities everywhere! Waukee is the fastest growing city in the entire state of Iowa! You feel safe and protected where ever you are. Whether that be at school, at the park, at home, or maybe just hanging out with some friends! Waukee is a suburb of Iowa's capital, Des Moines. It's about a 20 minute drive to Des Moines which makes the commute time pretty good! There are some many things you can do in Waukee! I love Waukee and will continue to for as long as I live here!...Read 46 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• 20,785 Population

Bettendorf

• Suburb of Davenport, IA
• •
  Rating 4.15 out of 5  73 reviews

Current Resident: I have lived in the city of Bettendorf for 13 years now, and I believe it's one of the safest cities in the area. Everyone in my neighborhood is very The city does a great job at quick renovations. New houses are being built all the time, forming a bigger, welcoming community. Luckily, the area of Bettendorf I live in is quite close to the Davenport district, giving me more access to schools around both Bettendorf and Davenport. One of my favorite parts about the the city is the amount of food options we have. If you want to grab a bite with friends or family, there are plenty of fast food options and restaurants to choose from, all with fairly fast service. With the amount of shops and stores around here, they're always looking for new hires, making it easy to find a job, especially for young students trying to get an early start on working experience! I highly recommend Bettendorf for families of all sizes and ages, and I'm sure you'll find a community that you feel belonged to...Read 73 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• 35,919 Population

Mount Vernon

• Town in Iowa
• •
  Rating 3.61 out of 5  18 reviews

Current Resident: My partners and I just moved to Mount Vernon a few months ago (as of my typing this), and it has turned out to be a real dream town! The combination of small town and college town vibes are perfectly balanced, creating an environment that is welcoming to newcomers, conducive to creators, and protective of its citizens. Having Cornell College just down the street is a never-ending source of inspiration and joy, bringing in new face and fresh ideas every year. The city takes great pride in its many landmarks, and its people strive to honor its roots. The stores and restaurants are all absolutely delightful to visit, and there are a plethora of events from farmer's markets to chalk festivals to bring people together any time of the year. The only place it falls short is in affordability, but even as costly as it is, Mount Vernon absolutely belongs at the top of the list of greatest places to live in Iowa...Read 18 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A minus

• 4,451 Population

Coralville

• Suburb of Cedar Rapids, IA
• •
  Rating 4.06 out of 5  48 reviews

Current Resident: It's a nice urban city. It's not too far from Iowa City, Iowa which is the home of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. There's great football games and parties downtown Iowa City. Coralville has a nice mall with an ice skating rink, lots of choices for dining and things to do. ...The people here are welcoming. There are all walks of life who live here. The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics brings lots of diversity to our area. It is a very safe place to live. The high schools are highly ranked in the state as well...Read 48 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• 21,103 Population

Johnston

• Suburb of Des Moines, IA
• •
  Rating 4.24 out of 5  33 reviews

Current Resident: It’s a very good community to be in. Everybody looks out for each other, and it’s a very safe environment. There’s a ton of opportunities regardless of the fact that we live in Iowa. It’s fairly affordable and a great place to grow up in...Read 33 Reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• 21,406 Population

Linden Heights

• Neighborhood in Des Moines, IA

• grade A+

• grade C+

• 1,885 Population

Ames

• Town in Iowa
• •
  Rating 3.94 out of 5  355 reviews

Current Resident: Ames at its heart is a college town, and as such everything that comes with that applies just as much to Ames. The night life is lively, and whenever the University is on break, the city becomes very quiet...I do feel the food you can find around town is quite varied, with many different excellent restaurants from small Chinese take out to Ames staples like Aunt Maude's.There are a number of schools in town, but I do wonder how raising a family in Ames would be like. Housing is fairly affordable, but given the college environment it may not be as friendly to children...One thing Ames excels at is public transportation. The busing system can get you anywhere, and it is active fairly early to fairly late at night.At the end of the day Ames is a college town, and as a college student that fits me perfectly, but I can understand if other have issues with that.Read 355 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• 66,023 Population

Orange City

• Town in Iowa
• •
  Rating 4.04 out of 5  24 reviews

Current Resident: Orange City is a small town of 6,000 in Northwest Iowa. Don't let that number fool you, though. Orange City has a public elementary and high school, a private elementary and high school, private college, hospital, two retirement homes, fifteen churches and many more. It is bustling with activity, and Dutch heritage. We have the Tulip Festival on the third weekend in May; which showcases Dutch costumes, floats, foods, and many more! The whole town gets involved with putting on the Tulip Festival, and thousands of people from all over the world come to watch our Dutch kids scrub streets, dance, and ride floats. Orange City has been my home all my life, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. The sense of community and love that emits from this town is unbelievable...Read 24 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A+

• 6,127 Population

North Liberty

• Suburb of Cedar Rapids, IA
• •
  Rating 4.15 out of 5  47 reviews

Current Resident: I love the small town vibe of North Liberty. There are also lots to things to do in town if you look in the right spots or can get out of town. Something to keep in mind is that this is a family town so the night scene is lacking. It is easy to get out of town if you have modes of transportation, but the bus to Coralville/Iowa City only goes through town once a day, and not on weekends . People here are very friendly, and there are also some excellent restaurants in the area if you're willing to look as well. Despite the town getting big (and fast), it still maintains its own little charm...Read 47 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• 18,829 Population

Urbandale

• Suburb of Des Moines, IA
• •
  Rating 4.22 out of 5  104 reviews

Current Resident: I enjoy living in Urbandale as it is included in the Des Moines Metro area while also having the rare ability of incorporating the country into it. Well connected to the rest of the city via I-35/235 mixmaster. Commute times are far better than any other major U.S city. Very safe suburb, grew up running around with friends without parental oversight. many natural areas to explore like walnut creek and all of its many parks that encompass the overall greenbelt. (network of trails following walnut creek) many fond memories of fishing and always being outside with school friends. Housing market is in a boom which is good for residents moving in as their homes will surely rise in value. Rapid expansion overall, new homes being built everyday with accompanying infrastructure. Cost of living is much lower than many other U.S cities, our tax rates are at a steady 6.3% and have no intentions of changing at all. Urbandale is just slightly below the national average in cost of living...Read 104 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• 43,441 Population

Le Claire

• Suburb of Davenport, IA
• •
  Rating 4.6 out of 5  5 reviews

Current Resident: I like living in a small cultured tourist town such as Le Claire. There are things to do and local shops to see. I live in an area that has MidAmerican Energy which I enjoy having. There is also a consumer choice in Internet services which is nice. The amount of local business diversity is amazing!...Read 5 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A+

• 3,971 Population

Ankeny

• Suburb of Des Moines, IA
• •
  Rating 4.15 out of 5  167 reviews

Current Resident: My family just moved here a couple of months ago from another state and so far we are very pleased with what we have experienced here. There are a lot of similarities between where we used to live and Ankeny and that has helped make the transition to living here so much easier. We love all the local restaurants and businesses, we've asked our neighbors and friends where they love to eat and shop and we've found some really cool spots! So far I have loved living here and am looking forward to what the future brings here in Ankeny...Read 167 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• 61,938 Population

Decorah

• Town in Iowa
• •
  Rating 4.07 out of 5  42 reviews

Current Resident: Decorah is such a vibrant little town! There's a lot to do no matter how old you are. The parks are well tended, and the entire town has so many beautifully kept historical buildings! Just walking down the street and seeing all of the beautiful old houses is so lovely. I also really like the farmer's market every Wednesday, where locals gather around to sell their lovingly crafted goods...Read 42 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• 7,701 Population

Huxley

• Town in Iowa
• •
  Rating 3.81 out of 5  16 reviews

Current Resident: Huxley is a small community but is very family friendly. It has 2 gas stations, a grocery store, several eating places and a few retail stores. The school system is amazing! The teachers genuinely care about their students and want to see them succeed. We have a bike trail that runs through town connecting us to other small towns nearby. There are 2 fitness centers with a variety of equipment to stay fit...Read 16 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A minus

• 3,769 Population

Iowa City

• Town in Iowa
• •
  Rating 4.06 out of 5  311 reviews

Current Resident: I love Iowa City! As a college student here, I find myself right in the heart of the city where there are amazing restaurants, Lyft, Uber, great night-life, and beautiful scenery. There are beautiful houses and the Coralville mall is just down the street! I would recommend this city to just about anyone...Read 311 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• 74,950 Population

Westwood

• Neighborhood in Des Moines, IA

• grade A

• grade C+

• 5,271 Population

Gilbert

Current Resident: I have only lived in Gilbert for about four months. It is a very safe area in my opinion and the people are very friendly. When we first moved here, our new neighbors brought us bread, plants, and chocolate. I really enjoy living here...Read 4 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A+

• 1,013 Population

Waveland Park

• Neighborhood in Des Moines, IA

• grade A

• grade C+

• 3,770 Population

Salisbury Oaks

• Neighborhood in Des Moines, IA

• grade A

• grade C+

• 3,905 Population

Waterbury

• Neighborhood in Des Moines, IA
• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  1 review

• grade A

• grade B minus

• 5,463 Population

Waverly

• Town in Iowa
• •
  Rating 4.05 out of 5  39 reviews

Current Resident: Waverly Iowa is a nice small town with multiple areas of interest. There are many small businesses and restaurants that I have been able to go to. One thing I would change about the town would be the amount of people here. I feel like I know a lot of people here, but in reality I do not. I come from a smaller town and know absolutely everyone, so it would be cool to know everyone here as well...Read 39 Reviews

• grade A

• grade A minus

• 10,094 Population

Robins

• Suburb of Cedar Rapids, IA
• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

Current Resident: I am a senior in high school that has lived in Robins most of their life. It is a quite town, right next to the larger cities of Cedar Rapids and Marion. It's a mostly residential town, with only a couple small businesses, such as a bank and a restaurant. Overall, it's a wonderful place to grow up, with access to both the Linn-Mar and Cedar Rapids school districts...Read 1 Review

• grade A

• grade A minus

• 3,457 Population