Moving to Des Moines from Glendale(phx), Arizona. Need some 'insider' info :)

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by SharpHawkeye

1. I would stay out of the south and east sides of the city. You can go there if you want, but coming in from out of the area I wouldn't recommend it.
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No offense, but I wouldn't take that advice too literally. There are some very good neighborhoods on both the South and the East Sides...and some bad ones too, yes. I'd make sure to get a feel for the area before you sign anything of course.

[srsnwalter]

Originally Posted by amnesia623

We've decided to move to Des Moines from Glendale, Arizona and are looking for some information on areas to live, schools (our son will be starting school in a few years), jobs, etc...

We aren't a stranger to Iowa as we lived in Ft. Dodge (moved from phx) for a year from 2005-2006. My fiance's family lives in and around the Ft Dodge area and I grew up in AZ. When we did live in Ft Dodge we traveled to Des Moines a few times and really liked the area. One time we were lucky enough to catch a laser show at the science center.

It's a bit crazy, but we want to be closer to her family but want to stay AWAY from Ft. Dodge. It's not the town for us.

Glendale has been good to us, but we want to move. There are several reasons we want to move. Some because of the weather, some because of the growth, but mainly to be closer to her family. I also think that having a kid makes you think more about your surroundings and the climate in which you'll be raising them.

We want to move to a quieter, smaller place that has the conveniences of a larger city. We came to the realization that we do most of our shopping at Wal-Mart and any things I need special I usually order online anyway. We go to the mall rarely and when we do it's so we can get 'exercise.'

I do graphic/web design and she does cosmetology. I haven't started a job search yet, but will soon. I'll also be looking to start a freelance business when I get there. I have been doing some salary comparison via careerbuilder/craigslist/etc... and it seems the pay for GD is about the same between phx and DM.

So my questions are this:
1 - If we choose not to live in downtown DM, what are some good, affordable, areas to look into. We are your typical middle of the road income family.

2 - How are DM area schools. I can't imagine them being worse than phx area schools, but you never know.

3 - How is the economy there? Jobs? etc...

4 - How is the traffic, rush hour, etc...?

5 - Is DM a family friend town? Is there family activities?

6 - How cold does DM get as compared to norther Iowa (ie...above Ft. Dodge). I remember days in Ft Dodge where the high temp didn't get above freezing and stayed close to 0f.

7 - Culture. Is there an active 'arts' scene for plays, live music, etc...?

That is all I can think of right now.

Any help would be appreciated!

There are a number of great neighborhoods in Des Moines. The Beaverdale area (north west side), around Easter Lake (south side) and also Grandview Park and Fairmont Park on the north east side are great family neighborhoods with nice affordable housing. Outside of town within 10 miles are great towns like Altoona, Ankeny, Grimes and Pleasant Hill.

Des Moines is very family friendly with a number of things to do such as the Blank Park Zoo, Science Center of Iowa, parks, bike trails. The Iowa Cubs (baseball) and Iowa Stars (hockey) are minor league teams that are fun to go see. Adventureland Amusement Park and the Iowa State Fair (in Aug) is a lot of fun for families.

Employment is good. Unemployment around 4.4%

Culture - Des Moines has a great Civic Center and Des Moines Playhouse for national and local shows. Stephens Auditorium is 30 miles from Des Moines on the campus of Iowa State in Ames, IA. The Iowa Events Center also brings in some great shows and concerts. Also, there are a number of outdoor concerts series (Jazz in July, Nightfall on the River, Clive after 5) through out the city and parks. The fourth weekend in June is the Des Moines Art Show (Ranked 5th in the nation and is great for kids and adults).

Traffic is easy. Especially compared to Phx. Rush hour still moves along and the Iowa Dept of Transportation just completed a 7 year expansion project on I-235 which runs through town to help traffic flow smoothly.

Schools are good ( both public and private ) Des Moines schools are finishing a 10 year renovation plan on its schools paid for by a 1 cent sales tax option. Total Sales tax in Polk County is 6%.

Des Moines is usually 5 to 10 degrees warmer that Fort Dodge. It does get cold though in January and February.

[amnesia623]

Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate all the information.

How is iowa politically? I know this is a passionate topic for some, but generally is iowa more a 'red' state or a 'blue' state.

Not that it's really going to matter in to determine where I move, just curious.

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by amnesia623

How is iowa politically? I know this is a passionate topic for some, but generally is iowa more a 'red' state or a 'blue' state.

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I'd say it's generally slightly more blue than red. Eastern Iowa usually goes Democrat, The Des Moines area is usually split between Democrats in the city and Republicans in the suburbs, rural Iowa usually goes Republican. Iowa City is very liberal and I imagine there are some parts of the state that are very conservative. I guess we're kind of right down the middle, really.

[SharpHawkeye]

I think you're right, ElRhino. I should explain that answer better.

I actually grew up on the south side of Des Moines...if you can call kindergarden to fifth grade "growing up". S.E. 5th to be exact. It was a nice neighborhood, as my childhood memories recall--but my parents decided to leave Des Moines entirely when they felt the neighborhood was "going downhill". (Their view, not mine.) So, yes, there are nice neighborhoods in the area. Easter Lake in particular was hot back then (early/mid 90's). But my parents were familiar with Des Moines--Dad had worked there off and on, Mom had researched the area extensively. (She got the airport expansion plans from city hall years before they had even re-routed Army Post Road.)

I'd hesitate to recommend the south or east sides to someone coming into the area with little background knowledge of where the good and bad neighborhoods are. And I should have been more clear. There's nothing there to prevent you from going there...it's not Detroit. I just wouldn't tell you to move there.

Hope that clears up what I was thinking about!

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by SharpHawkeye

I'd hesitate to recommend the south or east sides to someone coming into the area with little background knowledge of where the good and bad neighborhoods are.

That makes sense, I just wouldn't get it put into stone, you know? The Easter Lake area (kind of where I live) is very hit or miss between nice developments, normal single family houses and a ton of section 8 apartments. It's really gone downhill in the past 5 years, but there are still some nice parts and nice aspects to it.

Hopefully anyone who is thinking about moving there checks out the neighborhood first. I think it would be a good idea to visit the neighborhood grocery store, I think that would be a good reflection of who lives in the neighborhood.

[iowacases]

Small world...we moved to Carlisle in June from Glendale, AZ. We left for what sounds like the same reasons you are looking into moving. We have 2 small children and wanted a better, safer place to raise them. I just remember being able to play in my neighborhood as a child and wanted the same for my own kids - not something I would feel comfortable with in the Phoenix area. (we lived off 65th Ave and Mountain View by GCC, BTW)

We bought right away, which sometimes I wonder if we should have rented first, got to know the area, then settled in, but it turned out that we are very fortunate. We love where we are, though it is very different lifestyle than Glendale. We bought out in the country a couple miles south of Carlisle. We are loving the peace and quiet. Carlisle schools have an excellent reputation so we are happy on that point.

The people here are very friendly. My husband left behind his studio salon (he was a stylist) and was looking for employment. He got the job he has because our neighbor got him an interview with his boss. I would also have to concur with a previous post as far as the west side seems to be where you are going to get top dollar for a cosmetologist. My husbands salon was in Cave Creek and the west side is the area he has decided he will target when he gets his Iowa license. (which you can actually do since AZ does the national test)

Traffic seems non-existent here compared to Phoenix. This includes foot traffic. We went to a WalMart on a Sunday afternoon and a guy in the parking lot told us, "It's a zoo in there!" We thought, oh yeah, WalMart on a Sunday? What were we thinking? But we went in, looked around and started laughing. The "zoo" was the equivalent of going shopping in the non-busy time back in Phoenix. If you go during the week, it seems deserted in comparison.

There always seems to be a lot to do around the area. We haven't done too much just because our kids are at that age where it can be hit or miss whether an outing is fun or a nighmare.

There was some talk about avoiding the south and east sides. I would say I have to agree that it totally depends on the specific area. We really liked some of the neighborhoods over by the airport. We just didn't want to be near the airport, even if they don't have the kind of flight traffic as Phx. The other thing I have had people tell me is that the schools on the south side aren't what they used to be - that they are going down in quality.

I would say, a suburb or surrounding area city like Altoona or Ankeny is going to give you affordable housing, close to the city proper, while still having shopping choices at your fingertips like you are used to. Indianola does have a WalMart, but that's about it for major retailers. If you aren't worried about having immediate access to major retailers, then Carlisle and Norwalk are great and affordable family communities with good schools too.

Speaking of major retailers, the west side is where you will find your duplicate Arrowhead Mall area. Here it is called Jordan Creek Mall and has your Costco, Cheesecake Factory and PF Changs, among others. You name the store, you can probably find it in this area. So if you want to maintain that lifestyle, you will want to look more at West Des Moines, Clive, Urbandale, Waukee. It is a pricier area, but still very reasonable compared to what you would get for the money in Glendale/Phoenix. We were looking to downgrade our lifestyle and raise our kids to appreciate the simpler things in life, so the fact that we are 40 minutes away is fine with us. (other than I used to be a big Costco shopper!) The price tag on our property reflects the distance too - $115k for a 1300sf house on 1 acre. We were willing to sacrifice a little shopping convenience for the deal.

We do miss Trader Joes and Sprouts though! Sigh... Oh, yeah, and real Mexican food!
We don't miss 80 degree Thanksgivings and loved having snow on the ground to start the holiday season.

Have I written a novel yet? Feel free to email any questions.

[Iowagirl566]

Originally Posted by amnesia623

We've decided to move to Des Moines from Glendale, Arizona and are looking for some information on areas to live, schools (our son will be starting school in a few years), jobs, etc...

We aren't a stranger to Iowa as we lived in Ft. Dodge (moved from phx) for a year from 2005-2006. My fiance's family lives in and around the Ft Dodge area and I grew up in AZ. When we did live in Ft Dodge we traveled to Des Moines a few times and really liked the area. One time we were lucky enough to catch a laser show at the science center.

It's a bit crazy, but we want to be closer to her family but want to stay AWAY from Ft. Dodge. It's not the town for us.

Glendale has been good to us, but we want to move. There are several reasons we want to move. Some because of the weather, some because of the growth, but mainly to be closer to her family. I also think that having a kid makes you think more about your surroundings and the climate in which you'll be raising them.

We want to move to a quieter, smaller place that has the conveniences of a larger city. We came to the realization that we do most of our shopping at Wal-Mart and any things I need special I usually order online anyway. We go to the mall rarely and when we do it's so we can get 'exercise.'

I do graphic/web design and she does cosmetology. I haven't started a job search yet, but will soon. I'll also be looking to start a freelance business when I get there. I have been doing some salary comparison via careerbuilder/craigslist/etc... and it seems the pay for GD is about the same between phx and DM.

So my questions are this:
1 - If we choose not to live in downtown DM, what are some good, affordable, areas to look into. We are your typical middle of the road income family.

2 - How are DM area schools. I can't imagine them being worse than phx area schools, but you never know.

3 - How is the economy there? Jobs? etc...

4 - How is the traffic, rush hour, etc...?

5 - Is DM a family friend town? Is there family activities?

6 - How cold does DM get as compared to norther Iowa (ie...above Ft. Dodge). I remember days in Ft Dodge where the high temp didn't get above freezing and stayed close to 0f.

7 - Culture. Is there an active 'arts' scene for plays, live music, etc...?

That is all I can think of right now.

Any help would be appreciated!

1 - Most nicer homes are between $150 - $200,000, depending on how many bedrooms and baths you want. New construction is about double that.

2 - Schools, I can't really say as I didn't grow up in Des Moines and don;t have children but in general I think they are pretty good.

3 - Yes, the job market is good here judging by the classified ads. There are job market held by the major employers a couple of times of year.

4 - Traffic is not too bad except on I -235 during the rush hour commute. Now having said that I use to live in West Des Moines. To drive from the downtown to my apartment took 20 minutes during the evening commute. They just completed a 7 years project to widen I -235 (in places it is now 5 lanes wide).

5.- Yes, always lots of events for kids. Thursday's DM Register has a special section called the Datebook that lists all the upcoming activites for the next week for DM and the surrounding communites. From May to October there is a huge Farmers Market downtown. There are many Arts and Crafts Fairs. A monthly Flea Market at the State Fair grounds. There are cat, dog, and horse shows as well. There is Kids Fest(an all day events geared to kids). There are lots of outdoor activities including a new skating rink in the downtown. Grey's Lake has a 2(?) miles bike/walking path. There are many running/walking/biking paths in the metro area. Out in Urbandale is the Living History Farms( a working musuem where kids can even put on gloves and help out). There's the Science Center, the Art Musuem, Civic Center, Wells Fargo Arena. Lots of soccer fields and baseball fields. I sure I am missing some more stuff but they should find plenty to do.

6. - Des Moines will in general be 5 to 10 degrees warmer than Fort Dodge. I live 30 miles north of Des Moines and work outside so I pay very close attention to the weather. It's general 5 degrees difference in that 30 miles.

7- I don't attend too many concert anymore but I know that recently John Mellencamp played Des Moines. Bon Jovi is coming in February. Every Year in August is the State Fair where The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Garth Brooks, Brooks and Jones, and many great 70 bands have played. Sorry but it's getting late and I am drawing a blank right now. There are of course many clubs that have local acts.