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My husband has been offered a job transfer. We currently live in Tucson, AZ and we were originally supposed to go to Minneapolis, so the offer of DM came out of the blue. We know nothing about the city and I have just started researching.
We don't have kids, we are 40 and 42 YO. I see many messages about DM being a great place to raise a family, but what about those who do not have kids and never will?
We enjoy trying new and different restaurants. We like to travel. My husband is an outdoorsman who enjoys hunting, fishing, riding horses, etc. We are outgoing and like to socialize. I'm adaptable to new places (I moved from Canada to Korea on my own 8 years ago not knowing a soul), but I'm getting mixed feelings about DM from the messages here.
Can people please provide the pros and cons for a couple with our demographics - aka early middle age, no kids? The ability to make friends is very important.
It looks like we can get far more house for less money by selling our home in Tucson and we could be close to mortgage free by moving to DM.
I really don't mean to sound negative, but we only have until Monday to make a decision. This really has thrown us for a loop and come from left field after thinking all this time we were going to the TC's. I researched the area, found desirable areas to look for a house and now we only have three days to decide about a place completely different.
So, I want brutal honesty in terms of the pros and the cons.
Just to add my 2 cents worth, I honestly cannot see any major cons about DSM. It's a clean, safe, educated, liberal city with plenty to do. Of course it's not NYC or Miami, but it has a ton of options for a city its size. It is a great place for families, big or small, kids or not. I have always said it would be a great place to grow old in. I myself grew up there, so for me it's a bit of a "been there, done that" issue, but I have nothing against the city. It's horribly cold and snowy, but given you lived in Canada, you are already aware. I'm sure it's worse in Canada anyway.
There is plenty of hunting and fishing in Iowa (not necessarily IN dsm of course) but around. I have a couple friends up there who still have horses, so obviously there are stables around the city.
I don't know what concerns you have from reading posts on DSM on this site. ??? Anything in particular?
Another pro, is that you are relatively close to multiple major cities, Minneapolis, KC, StL, Chicago, and smaller cities like Omaha, Iowa City, Madison, Green Bay, etc etc. DSM is a fairly good central location.
DM is a great family city with many things to do (there are several posts about this). It is not what you would call a major league city with top level sports, etc. It is one level below the majors for sports like baseball, hockey, arena football.
It is moving up quickly for couples. Downtown has many buildings being renovated for lofts and the nightlife scene has come a long way. Major concerts are fairly regular at Wells Fargo Arena and the Civic Center is a regular stop for Broadway plays that usually play much larger cities.
DM also has a symphony, opera, and other cultural things to do. So I think you'll like it here!
Location: in the general vicinity of Cedar Rapids, Iowa
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Des Moines is going to seem SMALL
I love Des Moines. The red flag I am seeing in your post, though, is that you are coming from Tucson and were considering the Twin Cities. Compared to either of those, Des Moines is very small. As a result, there are a lot less options when it comes to restaurants, night spots, shopping and recreation.
Iowa is a great state for hunting -- Minnesota is too. Minnesota is far better for fishing (it's the whole 1000 lakes thing <grin>). Both areas have lots of equestrian properties and it is pretty common these days for rural homeowners to have their own pole barn arenas for making out-of-season riding more pleasant. I know that not everywhere in Canada has worse weather than the midwest! Minneapolis weather is generally worse than Des Moines, but it still gets cold here in the winter and very humid in the summer. And there are loads of friendly people in Des Moines -- socializing wouldn't be a problem.
Travel is a concern. While all the Iowa airports are gaining flights, none are hubs and so you can't get anywhere without going through somewhere else, first. And because of that, air travel costs more and there are seldom any real deals.
But I think your biggest consideration needs to be how much you rely on living in a big population center. If you've never lived in a smaller city like Des Moines, you really need to visit before making a commitment, I think.
Only three days to make a decision, now that is some pressure . I grew up in Des Moines and currently live in the Twin Cities and I can say that there is generally more to do up here, but that has to do with the size and not so much the quality of the city. I wouldn't necessary call Des Moines a small city as the Metro area now has close to 500k people.
Personally, not having kids wouldn't be a problem in my eyes, but if you were single I would say that there are better choices out there. The amount of outdoor activities aren't as prevalent as Minnesota, but the hunting (I am not a hunter, but my friends are) in Iowa is just as good as Minnesota. In fact, pheasant hunting is much better in Iowa, and I can say this because that was the only hunting where I actually heard Minnesotans say they wish they could go to Iowa. In terms of fishing, there are two large reservoirs just north of Des Moines and from what I have heard there is some good fishing on lakes between 30-60 minutes south of the city.
The commute in Des Moines isn't a problem, so you, or your husband, shouldn't limit a housing search to a particular side of town. Since he is an outdoorsman, if he could stand a longer commute, my guess is you could get an acreage south of town. On the other hand, if you guys enjoy a more urban living experience I would recommend the Beaverdale neighborhood.
In conclusion, I am not going to lie and say that Des Moines is a Chicago or New York, but it has a lot more to do now than 20 years ago when I was a small child. And as was mentioned earlier, Des Moines is perfectly located for long weekends to Chicago, the Twin Cities, and Kansas City. I would recommend my hometown, but if you are looking for a city that has a festival or large activity every single weekend, then it might not be the best place out there. I hope the folks in here can help with such a large decision.
Just to add my 2 cents worth, I honestly cannot see any major cons about DSM. It's a clean, safe, educated, liberal city with plenty to do. Of course it's not NYC or Miami, but it has a ton of options for a city its size. It is a great place for families, big or small, kids or not. I have always said it would be a great place to grow old in. I myself grew up there, so for me it's a bit of a "been there, done that" issue, but I have nothing against the city. It's horribly cold and snowy, but given you lived in Canada, you are already aware. I'm sure it's worse in Canada anyway.
There is plenty of hunting and fishing in Iowa (not necessarily IN dsm of course) but around. I have a couple friends up there who still have horses, so obviously there are stables around the city.
I don't know what concerns you have from reading posts on DSM on this site. ??? Anything in particular?
Another pro, is that you are relatively close to multiple major cities, Minneapolis, KC, StL, Chicago, and smaller cities like Omaha, Iowa City, Madison, Green Bay, etc etc. DSM is a fairly good central location.
Thanks for your response. The concerns that I gathered from reading the posts here is that sometimes it's difficult to meet people and make friends. I've never had trouble making friends, but moving to a new place always puts that bit of fear in the head.
DH will be happy about the horses and stables. He was a rancher at one time.
Where I come from in Canada (Calgary), believe it or not, it can be summerlike in the winter. LOL We get Chinooks which are warm air masses from the mountains and it can be -30 at noon and +20 at 4 PM! We always joke that Calgary's weather changes more often than we can change our underwear.
I found it really funny that DM's skywalk system is 2nd to Calgary's +15 skywalks. They are called +15 because of how high they are off the ground - 15 feet.
Thanks for your post. I feel a bit better and not so nervous.
DM is a great family city with many things to do (there are several posts about this). It is not what you would call a major league city with top level sports, etc. It is one level below the majors for sports like baseball, hockey, arena football.
It is moving up quickly for couples. Downtown has many buildings being renovated for lofts and the nightlife scene has come a long way. Major concerts are fairly regular at Wells Fargo Arena and the Civic Center is a regular stop for Broadway plays that usually play much larger cities.
DM also has a symphony, opera, and other cultural things to do. So I think you'll like it here!
Thanks DSMGuy - all those things sound very positive. I have to admit, the research I've done today has put my mind at ease. The biggest problem has been the shock of all this and having to make such a quick decision on something so life-altering.
I love Des Moines. The red flag I am seeing in your post, though, is that you are coming from Tucson and were considering the Twin Cities. Compared to either of those, Des Moines is very small. As a result, there are a lot less options when it comes to restaurants, night spots, shopping and recreation.
Iowa is a great state for hunting -- Minnesota is too. Minnesota is far better for fishing (it's the whole 1000 lakes thing <grin>). Both areas have lots of equestrian properties and it is pretty common these days for rural homeowners to have their own pole barn arenas for making out-of-season riding more pleasant. I know that not everywhere in Canada has worse weather than the midwest! Minneapolis weather is generally worse than Des Moines, but it still gets cold here in the winter and very humid in the summer. And there are loads of friendly people in Des Moines -- socializing wouldn't be a problem.
Travel is a concern. While all the Iowa airports are gaining flights, none are hubs and so you can't get anywhere without going through somewhere else, first. And because of that, air travel costs more and there are seldom any real deals.
But I think your biggest consideration needs to be how much you rely on living in a big population center. If you've never lived in a smaller city like Des Moines, you really need to visit before making a commitment, I think.
I wish I could say we were considering the TC's. We were going to be sent there for his job. No choice in the matter. He's a federal law enforcement agent and transfers are very similar to military orders - no getting around them. They can change at any time, we didn't think it would happen to us, but alas, it did.
Actually, Tucson is about 500K with another 150K in surrounding areas. It's a spread out city, but from what I've researched about DM, it sounds like they are similar in size.
Tucson is a great place, but gosh, is it hot this time of year! Please tell me there's no tarantulas, black widows and wolf spiders up there or rattlers squirming around???
Tucson also doesn't have a major arena and rarely gets major concert events. Those all go to Phoenix.
Compared to the TC's in terms of size, population etc., Tucson doesn't even remotely compare.
I am a city girl, always have been, but it does sound like DM is quite livable. Honestly, I was picturing something a bit more rural, small town.
Unfortunately, we can't visit before making the commitment. Decision must be made by Monday. He will then have to report in early August and I will stay here to sell the house. This is a once in a lifetime chance for him to get into another federal agency. He's currently border patrol and moving to ICE - Immigration Custom's Enforcement. You know all the feds who busted the Swift Plants? That was ICE.
Thank you so much for your post. I really do appreciate it!
Only three days to make a decision, now that is some pressure . I grew up in Des Moines and currently live in the Twin Cities and I can say that there is generally more to do up here, but that has to do with the size and not so much the quality of the city. I wouldn't necessary call Des Moines a small city as the Metro area now has close to 500k people.
Personally, not having kids wouldn't be a problem in my eyes, but if you were single I would say that there are better choices out there. The amount of outdoor activities aren't as prevalent as Minnesota, but the hunting (I am not a hunter, but my friends are) in Iowa is just as good as Minnesota. In fact, pheasant hunting is much better in Iowa, and I can say this because that was the only hunting where I actually heard Minnesotans say they wish they could go to Iowa. In terms of fishing, there are two large reservoirs just north of Des Moines and from what I have heard there is some good fishing on lakes between 30-60 minutes south of the city.
The commute in Des Moines isn't a problem, so you, or your husband, shouldn't limit a housing search to a particular side of town. Since he is an outdoorsman, if he could stand a longer commute, my guess is you could get an acreage south of town. On the other hand, if you guys enjoy a more urban living experience I would recommend the Beaverdale neighborhood.
In conclusion, I am not going to lie and say that Des Moines is a Chicago or New York, but it has a lot more to do now than 20 years ago when I was a small child. And as was mentioned earlier, Des Moines is perfectly located for long weekends to Chicago, the Twin Cities, and Kansas City. I would recommend my hometown, but if you are looking for a city that has a festival or large activity every single weekend, then it might not be the best place out there. I hope the folks in here can help with such a large decision.
Talk about pressure, eh? LOL Just a tad! It has been a very stressful weekend so far. I've had my own WineFest today trying to calm myself down from all this stress!
Dh will be pleased about the fishing and pheasant hunting. He really does like the outdoors and feels very liberated getting in his truck on those long rural roads to go hunting or fishing.
We're not looking for a city the size of Chicago or NY - would be nice, but not absolutely necessary. My concern was that DM was REALLY small, which it appears it isn't. It really does look like it will be ok for us.
Thank you so much for your post and to everyone else too. I do feel alot better.
Moved from Tucson ten years ago so am now an Iowan! One habit I cannot break is shaking the morning newspaper to sure no scorpions, etc have crawled in! While Tucson was constantly warm to hot-hot, Iowa changes daily. That means a chance to wear those wonderful sweaters you packed when leaving Canada! People are more friendly here; probably because many grew up in the Midwest compared to Tucson where everyone seems to be from somewhere else! While it's necessary to pack a water bottle, maybe a lunch (kidding) to travel from Oracle Road to downtown Tucson, you will find you arrive ten-twenty minutes early for appointments in IA. Medical care is better here because people care!
This is definitely tongue-in-cheek advice and the reality is that home is where you make it.
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Des Moines is going to seem SMALL
. I grew up in Des Moines and currently live in the Twin Cities and I can say that there is generally more to do up here, but that has to do with the size and not so much the quality of the city. I wouldn't necessary call Des Moines a small city as the Metro area now has close to 500k people. 
