IOWA CITY, Iowa - Dozens of same-sex couples in neighboring states have sought marriage licenses in Iowa, but they acknowledge the move is purely symbolic unless they follow their vows with a move to the one Midwest state that recognizes such unions.

Some are making just that step.

"It's a whole different world when you cross the river," said Troy Fienhold-Haasis, who with his partner Jason plans to move in the fall from Omaha, Neb., to Council Bluffs, Iowa, across the Missouri River.

Fienhold-Haasis said the decision to move is about more than just tax and cost-of-living issues -- though those factored heavily into the couple's decision. When he had emergency gall bladder surgery last year, Fienhold-Haasis said he worried his partner wouldn't be able to see him in the hospital.

"In Iowa, with a marriage, those questions are taken care of," he said.

Since Iowa county recorders began processing gay marriage applications Monday, many of the requests came from couples outside the state.

Five Wisconsin couples were among the 14 to apply to be married in Dubuque County on April 27-28. In Scott County, 12 of the 38 same-sex marriage applications came from across the Mississippi River in Illinois and one from Tennessee during the same two days.

Pottawattamie County in western Iowa had 42 same-sex marriage applications from April 27-29. Twenty-three of those came from bordering Nebraska and one was mailed in from Oklahoma.

In largely rural Worth County in far northern Iowa, both same sex marriage applications filed Monday came from residents of neighboring Minnesota. And in Decatur County, four couples have applied, all from bordering Missouri.

Out-of-staters made up a far smaller percentage of applicants in Polk County, Iowa's largest-population county. In Polk, located in central Iowa, five of 95 couples seeking licenses from April 27-29 were from out of state.

One Republican legislator from the Mississippi River community of Bettendorf said the influx from other states wasn't something to celebrate.

"I feel sorry for those states where they will be going to," said state Sen. David Hartsuch, of Bettendorf in Scott County. "In those states, many of them have made their will known and ... protect traditional marriage."

Indeed, Iowa's neighbors have been far more conservative. Four border states -- Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin -- have approved constitutional amendments banning gay marriage.

"At this point, the Supreme Court of Iowa is imposing its will on other states," Hartsuch said, adding that the issue will be a galvanizing point for Republicans in the elections next fall.

But Fienhold-Haasis said Nebraska and other border states are losing out.

"One state is going to get tax dollars and one state is losing them," he said.

The Iowa Supreme Court on April 3 upheld a lower court ruling that rejected a state law restricting marriage to a union between a man and woman. The decision took effect Monday, prompting a flood of applications from same-sex couples across the state. Some couples got judges to waive the state's three-day waiting period and were married in front of government offices.

"You can't undervalue the spiritual value of it," said Jim Kieffer, who moved to Council Bluffs with his partner in March, in part due to a belief that Iowa would legalize gay marriage.

Kieffer, formerly of Omaha, said concerns about inheritance taxes and health care decisions for his partner helped him make up his mind.

"Hetero couple don't have to worry about that," Kieffer said. "All that legal documentation costs money" and even with the steps he took in Nebraska, his attorney said there was no guarantee that a court would uphold his rights as a partner.

They filed their marriage license Monday and plan to get married next week.

Gay and lesbian couples in other Midwestern states are encouraged by Iowa's decision, even if they don't plan to move there, said Katie Belanger, legislative director for the gay-rights advocacy group FAIR Wisconsin.

"Iowa, being our neighboring state, being in the Midwest, means a whole lot more to people in Wisconsin," Belanger said. "It's not just a state on the coast with a reputation for being extremely liberal and progressive. They're just like the people in Wisconsin."

But even same-sex marriage advocates acknowledge that the decision to wed in Iowa, but not stay there, is at best a show of commitment.

"It's not an act of defiance. It's an act of affirmation and commitment to one another," said Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Family Equality Council, which advocates for gay rights. "Its symbolism is about the worth and value of families."

Chrisler said Iowa has shown leadership in allowing same-sex marriage, but acknowledges that other states may not move as quickly.

Melanie Rexroad is willing to wait.

Rexroad, 36, and her partner Samantha Gillen had twins two years ago in Kentucky, but had decided before the boys were born to move to Minneapolis. Kentucky doesn't allow same-sex parental adoption, and Rexroad wanted to find a more "diverse" community.

When the Supreme Court decision was handed down, Rexroad didn't flinch.

"When the Iowa thing came up, it was kind of like out of the blue," Rexroad said. But Rexroad said she would rather wait for Minnesota to allow same-sex marriage then pick up her life once more.

"We shouldn't have to keep moving to obtain equal rights," Rexroad said. "I believe it can happen here."