Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Iowa > Des Moines
 [Register]
Des Moines Dallas, Guthrie, Madison, Polk, and Warren Counties
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 01-10-2007, 03:20 AM
 
368 posts, read 1,329,917 times
Reputation: 455

Advertisements

I was just wondering how a population the size of Des Moines can support that great looking skyline yall have.On this website it is projected Des Moines will lose population and under 200,000 people is really nothing for a city.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 01-10-2007, 08:27 AM
 
196 posts, read 776,665 times
Reputation: 94
Des Moines has a financial services/insurance based economy and that is reflected in some of the tallest buildings:

801 Grand (Principal Financial Grp) - 630 feet
Ruan Center - 457 feet
Financial Center - 345 feet
EMC Insurance - 325 feet

This is just a partial list, DM has 8 buildings over 300 feet tall. Even though the city has about 200,000 people, the metro boasts 520,000 people. DM is also blessed with a lot of forward thinkers that believe we can have a skyline similar to cities much larger.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-10-2007, 06:07 PM
 
28,803 posts, read 47,699,483 times
Reputation: 37905
The city of Des Moines, and Polk county LOVE to give away money to big business, especially when they are part of the good ol' boy club.

Makes it easy to build those ego-structures. Take a look at the new Wells Fargo "campus" in West Des Moines. BIG tax breaks, etc.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-10-2007, 06:09 PM
 
28,803 posts, read 47,699,483 times
Reputation: 37905
BTW, you are aware of the "Smirnoff" building in downtown DSM?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-13-2007, 10:41 PM
 
14 posts, read 54,957 times
Reputation: 34
Default You can see it for miles from the south.

I loved downtown DM at night when I lived there. There was nothing like one of those pinkish sunsets against the downtown skyline. The buildings are mostly connected by a skywalk too. (Very useful in harsh winters or summers.) There is a lot of artwork and modern renovation in Court Avenue District and other parts downtown. It isn't Chicago, but it certainly isn't podunk either. We loved living there and probably still would be there if it were not for a career move.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-19-2007, 05:51 PM
 
Location: Colorado
1,394 posts, read 4,171,837 times
Reputation: 954
Lets get back on topic, enough of the bashing.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-19-2007, 09:04 PM
 
1,911 posts, read 3,755,076 times
Reputation: 933
Like most Iowans, you cannot deal with a real viewpoint, everyone has to love Iowa, think it is the center of the world, or the cult will turn on you.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-19-2007, 09:31 PM
 
500 posts, read 2,859,732 times
Reputation: 331
I love Iowa! So much. I live in New York City but love traveling to the Midwest and specially Iowa (Des Moines, Iowa City, Waterloo are places I cherish).

That said, I don't see how the Des Moines skyline can be "spectacular". It has about one single block of tall buildings, and these are not really that "tall".

A city that is bigger than Des Moines but not that much and has a great skyline is Pittsburgh.

The art in downtown (think the Claes Oldenburg sculptures) and the Des Moines Art Center are great, though.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-22-2007, 08:53 PM
 
28,803 posts, read 47,699,483 times
Reputation: 37905
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yorkie_Mom View Post
Lets get back on topic, enough of the bashing.
Bashing? What, the truth is bashing? Get a grip. I live here. I know how it works. Tell me again where you live?

Read this article.

http://www.siteselection.com/ssinsid...ive/ti0311.htm

The "payoff" they talk about will be a state boon, but our taxes won't go down because of it.

I love the Des Moines area, but I'm not about to ignore the back-room politics and good old boy wheeling and dealing that goes on. That would be foolish.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-22-2007, 10:19 PM
 
Location: Colorado
1,394 posts, read 4,171,837 times
Reputation: 954
Try living in Minnesota, it isn't any better, and from what I have read on these threads, a lot of states are having the same problems, some worse then others. Yorkie
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Iowa > Des Moines

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:28 PM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top