We Live In A Great City... Cedar Rapids

So tonight I went to the Cedar Rapids Citizen Feedback meeting sponsored by the City of Cedar Rapids. I have to tell you, I left feeling pretty damn great about being a citizen of Cedar Rapids. When you consider what this community has been through in the past several months, with the flood and all the devastation that has taken place. To have a city manager, staff and city council that has persevered through this and is still willing to take personal time to sit down with citizens and listen to feedback should make every citizen stand up and consider what a great community we live in.

I can't help but reflect on how strong a community we live in. For anyone doing random searches about Cedar Rapids, or considering moving to this great community there are definitely things you should consider before moving here. You may be doing your "Pros" and "Con's" SWAT list of qualities to determine if Cedar Rapids is a community you would want to move your family to. You will be considering things like schools, entertainment, and local attractions. One thing you simply cannot demonstrate to those who have never lived here is how genuinely good the people are in this city. No, not every person and no, not every day. But when the chips are down and times get rough, this community will be there to care for those in need. Businesses will rally around those in need and decisions will get made in an effort to manufacture results, make mistakes, move things forward and make more decisions. As much as this community will accept help from organizations like the state and federal government, you can rest assured it will not wait for handouts or complain that what they do receive isn't enough. I sincerely believe that if there had been zero dollars given to Cedar Rapids, this community would have recovered from this disaster within five years to a point where evidence of the flood would be difficult to find.

I wish there was a way to demonstrate to those unfamiliar with Cedar Rapids what a great place this can be to call home. It's true, different strokes for different folks, and if skiing, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, or mountain climbing happen to be your hobbies of choice, you may be setting yourself up for a dose of culture shock. However, if wholesome living amongst generally honest, hardworking decent people where the accidental leaving of ones laptop computer on the passenger seat of an unlocked car won't lead to a police report in the morning is what you're after, I recommend you come visit our fair city and meet some of the people here. You won't be disappointed. If you'd like a personal guided tour, give me a call or drop me some feedback here and I'd be happy to help in any way I can. You should also take time to check out these sites: The Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce or The City of Cedar Rapids Website.