An Olive and An Arrow: Iowa?
Weather - I know it snows. And I know it has/had tornados. But how often? What are the spring and summer like? How often does it rain?
Tornadoes can be a big deal; but in the two decades I’ve lived in Iowa City, we’ve only had two really bad storms and while they affected a lot of people, I’ve never had significant property damage
We get what feels like weeks of constant rain and thunder in the spring and the summers are generally hot and muggy.
Land - Is there a mountain anywhere around? Or is it mainly just corn fields, flat ground and hills?
No mountains as such (though there are a few places where you can going downhill skiing), but we are in the Mississippi valley and have topography from the last ice age’s glaciers scrapping up ground. And, yes, lots of corn and soy bean fields.
Entertainment - What is there to do aside from cow tipping and running around in corn fields? (Yes, that was phrased jokingly, but seriously, what is there to do?)
Des Moines is a pretty hip, urban town, really. An impressive food and arts scene, especially in the neighborhood near Drake University and the Capitol Building. It has a zoo, science museum and other attractions.
We get lots of good acts through Iowa City (The Decemberists and The Roots are both in town in the next few weeks, for example) and we have a lot of writers because of the famous Writers’ Workshop (and Prairie Lights, which is a very well regarded independent bookstore).
Source: anoliveandanarrow-