Des Moines or Sioux Falls (Cedar Rapids, Davenport: how much, high school, living)

[RonnieJonez]

it's frozen pizza now

DesMoinesRegister.com

[pepe1]

Originally Posted by RonnieJonez

Neither towns are really expensive except I doubt Sioux Falls is trying to push million-dollar condos in its downtown core to pretend it's a big city.

I guess I fail to see how "pretending to be a big city" has anything to do with million dollar condos downtown? Developers typically offer million dollar condos in an area because of market forces, not because they're "pretending to be a big city".

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by RonnieJonez

Another thing DSM does WAY too much is they will find some article by some unknown magazine ranking them as the "best place to eat popcorn" or something ridiculous like that and actually use it as a selling point.

Des Moines is truly the real Narn, IA.

I think (or least, I hope) that article was a tongue-and-cheek reference to something that is a human interest story. Those kind of stories are supposed to be light-hearted in tone, and it seemed that way from what I read. However, that may not stop some individuals who are desperate to validate Des Moines' existence from using this article for exactly that purpose.

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by pepe1

I guess I fail to see how "pretending to be a big city" has anything to do with million dollar condos downtown?

I think Ronnie is making a reference to how Des Moines tries to present itself as a huge metropolis, where $1,000,000 downtown condos are in such high demand. I'm sure condos in that price range might sell quickly in Chicago or New York. However, it would be a real stretch to see very many of those sell in Des Moines.

Maybe Ronnie will correct me if I mischaracterized his comment, but I think that's the point he was attempting to make.

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by RonnieJonez

it's frozen pizza now

DesMoinesRegister.com

Take that, Omaha!!!!!!!!!!! You want some too, Cedar Rapids?!!!?

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by mfrerkes

I think Ronnie is making a reference to how Des Moines tries to present itself as a huge metropolis, where $1,000,000 downtown condos are in such high demand. I'm sure condos in that price range might sell quickly in Chicago or New York. However, it would be a real stretch to see very many of those sell in Des Moines.

Maybe Ronnie will correct me if I mischaracterized his comment, but I think that's the point he was attempting to make.

Can anyone actually verify that they're sellling downtown condos in Des Moines for anywhere near $1,000,000? I know a friend of mine's dad (who's LOADED) purchased a condo towards the top of the Plaza building for around $300,000. I see a lot of these East Village ones going for about $300k, give or take about $100k. I do think that's more than what people are actually going to be willing to pay to live in downtown Des Moines though. I'm sure there might be a few very high-priced units, but not that many.

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by El Rhino

Can anyone actually verify that they're sellling downtown condos in Des Moines for anywhere near $1,000,000? ... I'm sure there might be a few very high-priced units, but not that many.

Ronnie stated that there was a push by certain individuals to get very high-priced condos in the downtown area. I don't what his sources are, or if he has any, but I understand the point he was trying to make.

I've been on other forums where Des Moines posters have expressed disbelief that their city does not have a "major league" professional sports team. Such comments border on ridiculous when you consider that many other metro areas (some 3x bigger than DSM) also have no "major league" professional sports franchises. Ronnie was pointing that this unrealistic "big city" mentality of needing $1 million condos stretches credibility.

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by mfrerkes

I've been on other forums where Des Moines posters have expressed disbelief that their city does not have a "major league" professional sports team..

Hilarious. I'm all for Des Moines and all, but when cities like Salt Lake City, Kansas City, Nashville, Milwaukee and so-on are considered small markets for pro sports, we don't stand much of a chance.

I've read a lot of pipe dream "what if" discussion for both Des Moines and Omaha about getting a pro sports team. I remember one of the blowhards from the "Big People's News" tried to run for governor or something and part of his platform was to lure a pro team to Iowa. I know that kind of talk surfaces every few years in Omaha.

A few years ago Des Moines got some sort of minor league basketball team and the commercials said something to the fact that Des Moines was now joining other professional level cities in this league... Like Fargo, ND , Rochester, MN , Sioux Falls, SD and a few other places like that. I thought that was kind of funny.

[RonnieJonez]

Originally Posted by mfrerkes

Ronnie stated that there was a push by certain individuals to get very high-priced condos in the downtown area. I don't what his sources are, or if he has any, but I understand the point he was trying to make.

I've been on other forums where Des Moines posters have expressed disbelief that their city does not have a "major league" professional sports team. Such comments border on ridiculous when you consider that many other metro areas (some 3x bigger than DSM) also have no "major league" professional sports franchises. Ronnie was pointing that this unrealistic "big city" mentality of needing $1 million condos stretches credibility.

Central Iowa Buisiness

Whiteline lofts plans to include condo's up to $1.65 million, and "SOHO" lofts (come on now this is Iowa) in the Des Moines East Village has some around $1M (yes some people will actually get mad if you include "Des Moines" and don't exclusively refer to it as the "East Village")

Again, taking a well-known area of New York City and putting it in Des Moines just doesn't make any sense. Other cities of similar metro size don't do this nearly to the extent done here. I understand "East Village" is a fairly general name, but it's the way they go about it like it almost rivals New York's that is ridiculous. There's probably like 50 blogs online and even a few magazines dedicated to proving how amazing and "big city" Downtown DSM living is. CORE magazine for instance, if you read one, you'd swear these people live on Mars - they are that unrealistic. These developers + local press just make things up to impress themselves and the city allows huge tax breaks downtown so they can build more empty buildings and brag about having more "urban downtown living" than Omaha or Wichita (cities in the same category), then of course top it off with something even more ridiculous like "per capita, Des Moines has more square footage rental space than downtown San Francisco".

There is just no vibrancy in Downtown Des Moines other than a few weekends in summer when there is an event or when the I-Cubs play, of course these developers would want you to think Court Ave is the next Ocean Drive, when the majority of your new population is from rural Iowa they will believe anything, maybe they are just good at exploiting that.

And this exact same mentality is just as big in the suburbs (maybe even more), except they're pretending they're in Beverly Hills when they're never more than 5 min away from a cornfield. Des Moines overall is a nice place but in some aspects it is very strange.

[El Rhino]

I think I agree with your sentiments, Mr. Jonez.


I think Des Moines is a nice place and things are "pretty good for a city this size", the downtown area is coming along and so-on. It is a little embarrassing when you read some of the hype we give ourselves knowing good and well that things aren't *that* great.

I'm sure that if I had some friends visit from California or the East Coast, they would be impressed by the downtown area (namely because they'd expect nothing) but I don't know... It just seems like we talk it up a little too much. If we went off the "for a city this size" aspect, it would be cool, but when we try to compare it to NYC or SF, come on....

"I thought DSM was Manhattan for a second" - hilarious. I rate this post positively.