I lived in or near Iowa for about ten years and really like the state. Iowa City is an okay college town, but you also have Ames, Des Moines, and Cedar Rapids.
Compared to the east coast, and even some other areas of the midwest, it is very easy to get off the beaten path. I would think that access to private land by landowner permission, purchase, or lease would be much easier in Iowa, at least compared to Maryland. If I was in your shoes, I would take Iowa in a hearbeat.