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Well Des Moines is in my humble opinion indeed lacking in many things that other similar sized cities offer. There are no major college sports, or any major universities for that matter. The zoo is small, and honestly not very exciting. Only very recently did Des Moines get a decent venue for concerts, events and similar functions. Des Moines is lacking in the public transportation department also. One thing Des Moines does have is lots of shopping and restaurants. So I guess if you consider malls and restaurants a lot to offer, then sure I guess Des Moines is decent. Only recently did Des Moines actually get a mall that is comparable to the mall in Coralville, and hoestly Jordan Creek isn't even that much better then the Coral Ridge Mall, only bigger. The airport in Des Moines isn't that great, and flights aren't that affordable. Des Moines is about 3 times the size of Iowa City, and yet it barely has more to offer except for more malls, restaurants, and crime. Yes Des Moines is safe on a national scale, however, I certainly wouldn't walk around most places at night, nor would I feel safe leaving my car or apartment/house unlocked there. I do all the time in Coralville and Iowa City. And I'm not just talking about the bad parts of town in Des Moines either...I've known several people who have lived in some of the nicer areas of Des Moines and have had their cars vandalized and their houses broken into. The only area of Des Moines that I would consider living would be West Des Moines, and unfortunately it is over-priced as hell last I knew.
Also I should note that when comparing Des Moines to other places, it can be a lot like comparing apples to oranges. Because there are no other cities in Iowa the same size as Des Moines, you end up having to compare it to cities in other nearby states, such as Omaha or Madison. And while those cities are somewhat larger, they offer way more than Des Moines does and probably ever will. If you want to compare Des Moines to another city in Iowa that has about the same amount of amenities and cultural offerings, you would most likely end up comparing it to Iowa City, which again is about 3 times smaller. And even though this is true, Iowa City probably has Des Moines beat for the most part in cultural offerings, and isn't that far behind in city amenities either. So if you take into account the size, Iowa City had Des Moines smoked. So that is why I say that Des Moines is lacking where other cities aren't.
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