Falling in Love with Cedar Rapids all over again!

I am writing to share my experience as a Make My Move grant recipient and, more broadly, to express my genuine appreciation for the Cedar Rapids Area Economic Alliance. After 27 years in Phoenix, Arizona, I relocated back to Cedar Rapids in November 2025 to be closer to my elderly parents. It was the right decision — and this program played a meaningful role in making it possible.

The Move

I came to Cedar Rapids as a remote professional in the financial industry and as an entrepreneur running my own digital business — a focus I have since committed to entirely. Relocating after nearly three decades in one city is no small thing, and I won’t pretend the transition was seamless. I had committed to an apartment sight unseen before the move, and it simply didn’t work out once I arrived. I ended up spending several weeks in a hotel while searching for a permanent home.

Working from a hotel was not an option for me. My role requires a high level of digital security and reliable, controlled wi-fi access that a hotel environment simply cannot provide. I was in a real bind — newly arrived, without a permanent address, and unable to do my job.

A Community That Shows Up

To make matters more complicated, we arrived the weekend of the University of Iowa Homecoming football game. Every hotel in the area was booked. After calling what felt like every option available, we finally found a single room with availability — in Marion — for that first week. In a gesture of genuine community kindness, the Marion Economic Alliance opened their office and offered me workspace while I was nearby. It was exactly the kind of neighborly warmth I didn’t know to expect but will never forget.

Once I was able to get temporary accommodations in Cedar Rapids, the Cedar Rapids Area Economic Alliance’s network truly came into its own. Local business partners of the Alliance extended shared workspace to me as a welcome gift associated with the grant — a deliberate, thoughtful benefit designed to help incoming recipients hit the ground running. I had a secure, professional environment where I could do my job, and I was surrounded by other professionals who were building something in this community.

Those connections changed everything. I went from feeling unmoored in a new city to feeling like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

Falling in Love with the Community

Since settling in, I’ve genuinely enjoyed exploring Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, and Marion. The off-leash dog parks with walking paths and trails have become a regular part of my routine. The variety of eateries and coffee shops across the three communities has been a pleasant surprise, and I’m very much looking forward to Spring and Summer — and all the community events that come with them.

The people I’ve worked with through the Cedar Rapids Area Economic Alliance have been exceptional — responsive, warm, and genuinely invested in helping newcomers feel at home. That kind of care is not something you can manufacture. It’s a reflection of this community’s character.

I received the first 50% of my grant upon arrival in November 2025, with the remaining 50% due at one year of residency. I’ll be here. I’m proud to be building my next chapter in Cedar Rapids, and I’m grateful to the Cedar Rapids Area Economic Alliance for helping make that possible.

Amy Aossey