Council Bluffs, Iowa

Life in Council Bluffs, Iowa, explained by people who’ve lived in Council Bluffs:

*Response format = Answer (Your name, How long you’ve lived in Council Bluffs)

Council Bluffs Favorites

What’s your favorite thing about living in Council Bluffs?

Convenient access to fast food and Wal-Mart. (Jason, 1 year)
Relatives and friends. (Sue, 12 years)
The schools. (Cassidy, 8 years)
Low traffic and crowds. (Sarah, 15 years)
That it’s gradually gaining more stores throughout the years. (Craig, my whole life, 45 years)
Good people. (Anonymous, 57 years)
My friends. (Gerald, My life, 62 years)

What’s your least favorite thing about living in Council Bluffs?

All the meth. (Jason, 1 year)
The roads. (Cassidy, 8 years)
The stores and places that closed Ranks ,Benoit, Playland Park And malls. (Sue, 12 years)
The meth zombies. (Sarah, 15 years)
There’s no entertainment for the family, they even went as far as taking picnic tables and garbage cans out of parks, pathetic. (Craig, 45 years)
Negativity about Council Bluffs from people across the river. (Anonymous, 57 years)
The streets. (Gerald, 62 years)

What are fun things to do in Council Bluffs?

Joe’s Karting, The Horseshoe, Harrahs, and Ameristar. (Jason, 1 year)
The y. (Cassidy, 8 years)
I road my bike all around. (Sue, 12 years)
Walking the dogs up to the Fairmount look out and looking for mushrooms. (Sarah, 15 years)
There is nothing but casinos and bars. Sometimes events at the mid America center or Westfair. (Craig, 45 years)
UP Museum, Dodge House, to name a few. (Anonymous, 57 years)
Go to the parks. (Gerald, 62 years)

What’s Council Bluffs known for?

Black squirrels. (Jason, 1 year)
Black squirrels. (Cassidy, 8 years)
Hills and black Squirrels. (Sue, 12 years)
Unfortunately council tuckey. (Sarah, 15 years)
Meth problems, cops not solving real crimes but pulling people over for petty things instead, potholes and expensive artwork next to the potholes, casinos, bars. (Craig, 45 years)
Railroad history and Lewis and Clark history. (Anonymous, 57 years)
The start of Union Pacific. (Gerald, 62 years)

What’s the crime like in Council Bluffs? (hot spot areas, etc.)

Pretty bad. (Jason, 1 year)
Medium. (Cassidy, 8 years)
Not much crime when I lived there. (Sue, 12 years)
Nothing like Omaha. Just the drug zombies and copper stealing. (Sarah, 15 years)
Very bad, and the police department only focuses on pulling people over for petty crimes, yet there’s meth everywhere, molesters everywhere, thieves everywhere. The hot spot is 8th at 2nd Ave, and Minster St. (Craig, 45 years)
Not too bad, which is another good thing. (Anonymous, 57 years)
Don’t know. (Gerald, 62 years)

Any advice for people moving to Council Bluffs?

Reconsider. (Jason, 1 year)
Be ready. (Cassidy, 8 years)
Friendly city. (Sue, 12 years)
It is nice, just explore all areas of C.B. (Sarah, 15 years)
Lock up everything in your yard and prepare to go to Omaha a lot if you want things to do. (Craig, 45 years)
Take advantage of what the town has to offer, ask people what there is to do, enjoy it all. (Anonymous, 57 years)

Share an experience you’ve had in Council Bluffs (fun, crazy, dangerous, etc.).

My son was born there. (Jason, 1 year)
My friend and I used to get on the bus and then changed buses a few times, end up at Westroads in Omaha. (Sue, 12 years)
Fun to drive around and see the awesome historic houses. (Sarah, 15 years)
Only when I was young, this town use to have teen dances, cruising was legal, they had places to sit at the park, the police never harassed everyone. (Craig, 45 years)
After 57 years, too many to mention. (Anonymous, 57 years)

How do you think Council Bluffs will change over the next 10 years?

Probably grow. (Sue, 12 years)
Hopefully better every day. Growing larger. More big events. (Sarah, 15 years)
It will turn into north Omaha as far as crime. (Craig, 45 years)
The development of the riverfront is a waste, what happens when the Missouri comes out of its banks again? (Anonymous, 57 years)

Any other interesting facts about Council Bluffs?

There are towns only half this size with as much to do than C.B does. (Craig, 45 years)
The city’s leaders need to think of the citizens first before thinking of tourism, etc. the Westend still is a good place to live, but leadership doesn’t want to make the residents feel it. (Anonymous, 57 years)