Have questions about moving from Iowa City to Des Moines... (West Des Moines: real estate market, low crime)

[Heartburn]

Hello all,

I have been interviewing for jobs in Des Moines and have found something much faster than I expected. It looks like I may have to make a decision in the next few days and then get started on relocation plans. I wonder if you all might help me identify some neighborhoods that might be good for us. This is such a wonderful resource, and I thank you in advance.

I will be working in West Des Moines, and have close family friends living there, so we would like to live somewhere that is not too far from there - 15-20 minutes' drive at most.

I am married and have a small child, so obviously I am interested in the usual things like good schools, low crime, etc., but I suppose that is a given for most areas near West Des Moines.

We are flexible about the house itself. We would like to buy something in the 180-210 range, although we don't know much about the Des Moines market. Our ideal house would be a typical three-bedroom, two-car garage home, nothing extravagant. I would prefer a full, unfinished basement so that we can maximize storage and have room to add finished rooms later.

Our perfect scenario would be a house within biking distance of the University Ave / I-80 intersection (several of the jobs are in that area). Not sure if that's possible.

We're interested in some of the surrounding communities/suburbs like Adel, Waukee, etc. but don't know much about them. One positive (we think) is that we might be able to get a little larger lot for the same price as in West Des Moines, but we're not sure if that's true. We like to have a vegetable garden and room for the kid(s) to run.

Are the schools in the West Des Moines area pretty comparable? What about the surrounding communities like Adel?

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

[capitalcityguy]

Schools in W DM are really good. Also, western part of the city is actually in the Waukee school district (also excellent).

IMO, no need to move to a town outside the metro (e.g....Adel) unless you're looking to create time on the road away from the family. Plenty of houses that meet your requirements in W DM and Waukee which would be near your job. If you play your cards right, you might be able to put it within biking distance from your office.

[financebirder]

My mother lives in Ankeny and I think it's a fantastic town. Pop of 40,000+ and growing, but it has that small town feel that you don't find in West Des Moines (at least in my humble opinion). Driving to West Des Moines can get a bit tedious at times, but I can make it from northern Ankeny to the Jordan Creek area in about 25 mins.

Schools are excellent around the metro, particuarly in Ankeny and West Des Moines. I don't know much about Waukee or Johnston, but I've heard good things about them as well.

I'm not all that familiar with crime in WDM, Clive, etc., but I assume it's similar to Ankeny's; very low.

The 180-210K range for a home with your desires is about right and you should have plenty to choose from in the Des Moines area. Last time we looked at the real estate market in Ankeny, there were numerous homes in the 130-160K range with your preferences. West Des Moines, Clive and Waukee tend to be a bit higher overall, but not all that much. Property taxes are high in Ankeny, particularly from the school taxes.

There are a ton of biking trails to choose from in the area, particularly around Saylorville Reservoir. There is a massive development in the works in Ankeny that will serve as a hub connecting numerous trails in the near future.

Back to the schools, I find that there are more opportunities in the larger schools like West Des Moines and Ankeny, than there would be in the smaller area schools like Dallas Center-Grimes. I graduated from a small high school where getting opportunities were like pulling teeth. I see what my sister has at Ankeny High School and I wish we would have moved here sooner so I could have partaken as well.

[schneid75]

I lived in West Des Moines and graduated from Waukee. We were still playing Adel in athletics when I graduated in 2005. So I know Adel very well as well. I would tell you that you would without a doubt get the most property in either the older areas of WDM or anywhere around Adel.

Waukee has become a cookie cutter town. Waukee is one of the fasted growing school districts in the country, but they have adjusted EXTREAMLY well to all of the growth. WDM population has leveled out, so eventually the schools will become stagnate like Urbandale. (No offense to the U, I actually live there now)

Adel has a surprisingly challenging school district with a tough grading scale. Adel is what Waukee was ten years ago, manageable class sizes where you know everyone's name but not everyone's business. They have outstanding humanities and quality extracurriculars. Depending on where in Des Moines your job is located, it would be between a 12-20 minute commute. There is a bike path that connects Adel to the metro bike path system. And the housing is by far the most affordable of the three above choices.

So clearly, I have a preference for Adel for young parents employed in West Des Moines. Regardless, best of luck and I hope you find a good fit.

[Rico Portugal]

Originally Posted by financebirder

My mother lives in Ankeny and I think it's a fantastic town. Pop of 40,000+ and growing, but it has that small town feel that you don't find in West Des Moines (at least in my humble opinion). Driving to West Des Moines can get a bit tedious at times, but I can make it from northern Ankeny to the Jordan Creek area in about 25 mins.

Schools are excellent around the metro, particuarly in Ankeny and West Des Moines. I don't know much about Waukee or Johnston, but I've heard good things about them as well.

I'm not all that familiar with crime in WDM, Clive, etc., but I assume it's similar to Ankeny's; very low.

The 180-210K range for a home with your desires is about right and you should have plenty to choose from in the Des Moines area. Last time we looked at the real estate market in Ankeny, there were numerous homes in the 130-160K range with your preferences. West Des Moines, Clive and Waukee tend to be a bit higher overall, but not all that much. Property taxes are high in Ankeny, particularly from the school taxes.

There are a ton of biking trails to choose from in the area, particularly around Saylorville Reservoir. There is a massive development in the works in Ankeny that will serve as a hub connecting numerous trails in the near future.

Back to the schools, I find that there are more opportunities in the larger schools like West Des Moines and Ankeny, than there would be in the smaller area schools like Dallas Center-Grimes. I graduated from a small high school where getting opportunities were like pulling teeth. I see what my sister has at Ankeny High School and I wish we would have moved here sooner so I could have partaken as well.

Umm... she said she wanted to be within biking distance of the intersection of University & I-80. It's like a 20 mile drive to Ankeny from there. Do you work for the Ankeny Chamber of Commerce or something?

[financebirder]

Originally Posted by Rico Portugal

Umm... she said she wanted to be within biking distance of the intersection of University & I-80. It's like a 20 mile drive to Ankeny from there. Do you work for the Ankeny Chamber of Commerce or something?

Interest in surrounding communities was also mentioned, so would you like to comment on the above user's opinions on Adel as well?

[Rico Portugal]

Originally Posted by financebirder

Interest in surrounding communities was also mentioned, so would you like to comment on the above user's opinions on Adel as well?

Adel is a hell of a lot closer to West Des Moines than Ankeny. I don't think Ankeny could even be considered a "surrounding community" of WDM.