Moving to DSM - need neighborhood advise. (Des Moines, Walnut: apartment, lease)

[calkat]

My partner and I are moving from San Diego to Des Moines at the end of July.
We are wondering what areas in Des Moines have more of a liberal/tolerant bent ( and what areas may not). We are more "artsy" than into sports, and we hang out at coffee shops much more than bars. We will not have a car immediately upon arriving, so we need to be near a bus line. We are in our mid forties, so we have phased out of party mode and would prefer to live in a fairly quiet neighborhood. Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by calkat

My partner and I are moving from San Diego to Des Moines at the end of July.
We are wondering what areas in Des Moines have more of a liberal/tolerant bent ( and what areas may not). We are more "artsy" than into sports, and we hang out at coffee shops much more than bars. We will not have a car immediately upon arriving, so we need to be near a bus line. We are in our mid forties, so we have phased out of party mode and would prefer to live in a fairly quiet neighborhood. Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!

I'd suggest living somewhere off Ingersoll or Grand Ave west of downtown and/or Sherman Hill. This is probably your best bet for bus lines and artsy folks. There are a few coffee shops/specialty retail in the Ingersoll area and it seems to be quietly improving itself and becoming more of a "destination". Bistro Montage (French restaurant), GT's (bar), Big Tomato (pizza with unusual toppings), Star Bar (bar/restaurant/coffee, slightly upscale or faux-upscale crowd), the Alpine (dive bar with a nicer crowd), Zanzibar's (coffee) and a few other places I can't think of hold down the neighborhood.

[MastermindDSM]

You might want to check out the East Village as well, if aparment or condo living is on the table. Welcome to Des Moines' Historic East Village > Home ( DNN 3.0.13 )

[Luke9686]

Both of the above posts have good suggestions. The area's that won't have that lib. vibe would be the burbs.

[DM_Guy]

East Village, if you have the cash flow, they have some nice lofts and they're very accepting. There are gay bars in that area, but much more as well.

I live in the western "burbs" and I would agree Luke9686 on the burbs. Not everyone, but a lot can be pretty stuffy about stuff like that. Definitely check out the areas around Ingersoll, those are cooler neighborhoods anyway, if you like older places.

[dmguy30]

If you want to use the bus without connecting, I'd suggest finding an apartment/condo in the downtown area. Otherwise, the other three areas mentioned are great too (you won't have far to go to get to the Walnut Transit Mall). The East Village, the eastern side of Downtown, is connected to the westside of Downtown on the D-Line, a free shuttle that operates between 7am-6pm M-F.

All of these neighborhoods are great for the type of diversity/tolerance you'll be looking for.

If you are seeking a more residential feel, Sherman Hill and the Grand Avenue corridor is probably your best option. The East Village is also pretty quiet. The place you'll want to avoid is the Court Avenue District.

Welcome to Des Moines!

[calkat]

All the posts are very helpful. Sorry I took so long to reply, but our computer crashed. New one is finally up and running. We were not able to get an apartment in the areas you mentioned (we got one on the south side), but we got a short lease on the apartment. We intend to explore the areas you mentioned so that we can move there in the not too distant future. We are leaving San Diego July 24th so we will be there soon!

[Luke9686]

Where at on the south side?

[dontchooknonogood]

whats the deal on the "court avenue district?" I'm kinda artsy, not fartsy, eclectic and retro. plz....dish it???

[MastermindDSM]

Its a Bar/Restaurant/Residential district. It is the "in" place for people in their 20's-30's. Relatively loud at night. East Village is a Shopping/Bar/Restaurant district that is less loud and more laid back.