Many Iowa students are from non-urban settings and are comfortable in a small to medium city environment. However, most quality graduate programs are in larger settings, either a larger city, a larger university or both. Jumping to a large university can be a shock and living in a large city can be moreso. However, if you are ready for it, you will find both very exciting. As with other aspects of life, competition can be fierce at some of the larger, big reputation, programs.
Most graduate programs demand some degree of specialization.
You probably already have an idea of what subfield interests you. Most programs will have several faculty members in each subfield, and as you work with them, you will specialize. However, many community colleges, research facilities, or non- academic jobs will accept a Master's degree as the highest degree. In fact, for Cultural Resources Management work, under federal regulation an MA qualifies you to be in charge of field projects. Think carefully about this.