Living in Des Moines, IA (Ames, West Des Moines: insurance, condo, crime rate)

[conductorguy22]

I may be moving to Des Moines from Akron Ohio. I have done some research about living there, but I could use the opinions of those here.
1. Tell me about the weather - Winter cold vs. Summer Heat
2. Tornados
3. Employment
4. Crime
5. Traffic
6. Arts and Music (especially choral music)
7. Topography - is it all flat?
8. People (conservative vs. liberal)
9. People (Nice vs. Mean)

I can't think of anything else but welcome any other thoughts.
Peace

[Tek_Freek]

If you spend some time going through older posts here you will find a dearth of information regarding your questions.

[Ohiowa]

... you'll actually find alot of information if you go through past threads.

[steel03]

I'll go ahead and try to give you some quick info here.
1. The climate is pretty much the same as Akron. It gets pretty cold in the winter, but it's no North Dakota, and it get's pretty hot in the summer, but it's no Arizona.
2. We have tornado warnings from time to time. There's always the risk, but honestly, it would be a huge news story if it were ever a problem. Flooding is may be a little more serious, but that really only affects a few places in the city.
3. Employment is not bad here. It's one of the faster-growing cities in the country and we haven't been hit nearly as hard by the recession as most large cities.
4. Some crime, like in any city this size. There are some tougher neighborhoods, especially in east and northeast Des Moines, but again, mostly not a huge problem.
5. Traffic can be heavy sometimes, but it's not usually a big issue. And there are all kinds of back ways you can take to avoid the freeway.
6. Des Moines actually has a surprising amount of arts and music. Our Civic Center gets a bunch of Broadway shows every year (we had Next to Normal in March and we're getting Wicked for a second time this fall), and there are a ton of great theatre companies around the city (Locust/Social Club, StageWest, DSM Playhouse, just to name a few). There are several galleries in the East Village area of downtown. We have a fantastic new sculpture garden that opened a couple years ago right downtown. It's really a neat place. As far as music... well that's kind of my specialty. The DSM Symphony is great and Des Moines Metro Opera is absolutely fantastic (like featured in the NYT fantastic). For choral music, there are a couple pretty good community choirs. Drake University has one, but the more skilled is the DSM Choral Society. Most of the area high schools have pretty good choral programs, especially Lincoln and Roosevelt (in the DSM district) and WDM Valley, Johnston, Urbandale, and Waukee (in the suburbs). Additionally, the Iowa All-State Festival is held in Ames, about a half hour north of Des Moines, and it's honestly one of the best All-State choirs in the country. It's 600 voices from around the state and it's definitely worth the trip up. Drake University has a pretty high quality music program, and I think their choir reflects that, as does Simpson College. We also get a lot of touring choirs from places like St. Olaf College and Luther College, which of course are internationally known for their choral music. It's a good place to be.
7. It's not, in fact. Iowa is actually a pretty hilly state, compared to some others. Des Moines isn't mountainous by any means, but there are certainly hills.
8. DSM proper is very liberal. Some of the suburbs (West Des Moines) lean right, but the metro area overall is pretty blue. You'll get a lot of chances to be involved with politics, since we have our caucuses so early. I saw Obama twice in 2008, once at my high school and once four days before the election.
9. I like to think we're mostly nice people. I mean, you probably won't be close friends with many strangers downtown, but you can expect a friendly hello in a lot of places.

[C515]

1. Tell me about the weather - Winter cold vs. Summer Heat: The winters can be brutal, with a lot of snow that seems that it may never end. The 2009 through 2010 winter was one of the worst in Iowa history.
2. Tornados: I really do not think it is a problem in Des Moines. We have about 5 or less severe storms every month in the summer, but rarely, in the DSM area, it is a problem.
3. Employment: Des Moines was rated the number one spot in America for businesses and careers, but I really cannot see why. I don't see an overabundance of job availability and so on, so I don't know.
4. Crime: Our crime rate is generally low, but there has been a few more murders this year than the average, I believe. I do have to admit, there are some spots in Des Moines where I down right simply do not feel comfortable. I don't have it out for Des Moines or anything, but I am just being honest. You'll find those areas in south Des Moines.
5. Traffic: Not bad at all. This sounds unrealistic, but I have always experienced worse traffic in Ames, Iowa, (ISU town), than Des Moines. I really do not think traffic is a problem in Des Moines.
6. Arts and Music (especially choral music): Good! The Des Moines Civic Center has a lot of great performances as well as the Greater Des Moines Opera, and so on.
7. Topography - No. There are rolling hills, rivers (DSM river is nice and it flows via Downtown), lakes, and so on.
8. People - Liberal. Very liberal. Des Moines I think will always be.
9. People - This is where I think Des Moines has its downfall. The people are just not nice. Des Moines has rude drivers, rude people, and so on. I really have never had good service at a restaurant, the people here do not strike up conversation, and so on. I am sorry to say that, but I just think it is what it is.

Des Moines is a great place to raise a family, it has good public schools. If you were to move here, I recommend West Des Moines, Waukee, Johnston, or Ankeny. Good luck, but visit Des Moines if you want to see how it is living here really is. I wish you the best!

[sturgeom]

1. Weather: one of the downsides of living the Des Moines. Lately, weather extremes seem to occur more often, with extreme cold during the winter. During the summer, some days can be unbearable, but overall endurable. It rains fairly often during the Spring, but stays relatively dry during the Fall. Fall is definitely the best season for Des Moines.

2. Luckily, we haven't had any major tornadoes in Des Moines in the last few years, but it could happen. We do receive our fair share of severe weather though.

3. Employment is fairly good. Obviously, I wouldn't label anywhere in the US as excellent in terms of employment, but there are jobs out there in Des Moines. You will definitely need to work hard to find decent jobs, but eventually it will happen.

4. Most parts of Des Moines, I would describe as mostly free from violent crime. Theft seems to be more of an issue, but still negligible compared to many cities. The Western areas of Des Moines tend to be safer.

5. Absolutely no worries.

6. Des Moines attracts a larger share of big artists than many artists its size. You will find at least one well known artist playing a show here every weekend, but it definitely isn't Chicago or Minneapolis. There are several smaller venues serving the indie community. I find the Des Moines Social Club to be one of our more unique venues. It's an interesting concept--google it to find out more. The Des Moines Symphony is also very good!

7. Near the Des Moines river, the land can get quite hilly. As you reach further outside the downtown core, the city tends to get flatter. If you want a comparison to say, Chicago, I would say Des Moines is much more hilly. Most areas of Chicagoland seem extremely flat to me.

8. Repeating what others have said, Des Moines is relatively liberal. Some suburbs lean more conservative, but there is a general openness to new ideas and people of all backgrounds. Des Moines isn't extreme on either end of the spectrum, but it does tend to lean left.

9. People definitely aren't outgoing here, but they are friendly once you establish relationships. People tend to stay to themselves, but once you find friends, they tend to be long lasting, loyal ones. Sometimes, I feel there is a "cliquish" feel, but it's not overwhelming.

[elderstatesman]

OK I took out the REALTOR website so I could post. Here is my take on DSM...

I moved to Des Moines in 1991 from Flint, Michigan. Now, we all know that is a very troubled city but it took me years to fall in love with Iowa and then Des Moines. I missed the lakes and the trees. You would think being around the great lakes would make for viscious Winters but Iowas are worse. We get the extremes here...hot, humid Summers, wind, tornadoes, ice and low temperatures that seem to go forever. You learn to adjust if you want the Midwest. After 20 years I have grown to love Des Moines. My children were all in grade school and Jr High when we came and have all grown and given me grandchildren. My oldest now lives in Phoenix and loves the busy lifestyle but misses Dsm. We are a clean city with minimal crime and our housing prices are some of the best in the US ( I know because I have been a REALTOR for 20+ years). Our incomes are among the highest with Insurance our top commodity. Our suburbs are quality and well defined. Our downtown is safe and growing daily into new condo's with libraries and develpments continually flurishing. We are a liberal city ...not as conservative as I would like but a well diverse town that is growing in multi-culturalism. Great place to raise a family with good schools but minimal opportunities for college grads. You would grow to love Des Moines.