Dorman doesn’t understand Iowa

I'm a young college educated professional 'brain” that recently chose to buy a house in Cedar Rapids and make it my home. According to Todd Dorman's postelection column, that shouldn't happen.

Dorman is wrong. Ironically, the education I received in college helped me pinpoint where he went wrong: failing to identify the competitive advantage in a niche market.

Iowa is not New York or LA. If you want to take the subway to an NBA game or enjoy perfect weather year-round, Iowa can't offer that for you. But if you would like to work in a downtown office while owning a house and yard big enough for large breed dogs, Iowa is the perfect place. If you travel for work and need a local airport you can get through in 30 minutes, Iowa is the perfect place. If you want to live in a town small enough to know all your neighbors, Iowa is the perfect place. And as of late, if you want to operate a small business without fear of a governor shutting it down, Iowa is the perfect place.

Young professionals aren't a homogenous group. Even though they tend to be more left leaning, it's naive to assume the niche of young professionals considering Iowa would also lean left or lean far enough left to be dissuaded from moving to a right leaning state. If anything, becoming a more solid red state may bolster the competitive advantages that Iowa already has to attract more young professionals.

Rob Cole

Cedar Rapids