Have You Checked Out r/Dubuque on Reddit?

I've been meaning to share one of the area's most underrated communities (and life-hacks) for a while now. It helped me immensely when moving here just two months ago.

That is the Dubuque subreddit on the popular website Reddit. If you're not familiar, Reddit is an aggregation site for news and discussion. It's exploded in popularity over the last ten years becoming a simultaneously mainstream yet somewhat underground hub for online conversation and debate.

Reddit is comprised of "subreddits," or niche communities that focus on specific interests. Everything from TV shows to "shower thoughts" to jokes (both safe and not safe for work) have their own subreddits.

And Dubuque has its own subreddit! Shortly after I told my friends that I was relocating to the Tri-States area in February, one told me I should check out r/Dubuque.

I quickly found it was a hidden gem for information that would be extremely helpful for getting settled in a new city/state.

r/Dubuque is a very casual subreddit. The conversation cycles from people looking for business recommendations to others sharing little quirks and foibles about the area only tried and true residents would understand. The people behind the sub even have a sense of humor. On the right sidebar of the subreddit, instead of "'X' number of users online," the moderators have spun it as "7 stuck on Grandview," a reference to one of Dubuque's long, windy roads that's prone to congestion.

r/Dubuque helped me nail down a few bars and restaurants to explore during my first month here. However, if you're not looking to start a conversation, per se, go in with an open-mind and you'll find some quirky topics of interest.

For example, there's an ongoing discussion about the cost of users' energy bills. There's another about abandoned places. And if we're going deep, there's a gorgeous photo of the Julien Dubuque Monument at sunset.

Spend some time exploring what r/Dubuque has to offer. There's a good chance you know the area better than me at this point in time, but I still think you might be surprised by what you come across from a handful of active Dubuqians!