Iowa from Connecticut suburbs (Des Moines, Iowa City: insurance, loft, condo)

[jeremeyk482]

Hi guys.

I'm looking to relocate for my job and my search has taken me to either Des Moines or Tampa FL. I just can't afford the cost of living in Connecticut any longer. I was hoping someone who is knowledgeable about both places can help me outline the differences between CT and IA.

For starters, I come from Westport CT, about 30 minutes north of NYC where small homes are in the millions and studios are a thousand and up. I know Des Moines is cheaper, but I'll probably be making less, no?

How are the people of Des Moines? Folks in CT are very reserved but classy, and they are open-minded and go by the motto "to each their own." Is Des Moines this way, or is it ultra conservative and religious? My GF and I aren't married and we don't want to move to a place where people will look down on us for cohabitation.

Good areas/bad areas?

Thanks a lot.

[Pearlbob]

I think cost of living will be phenomenally better for you. Yes, you'll probably be making less money, but not THAT much less to off set the difference between paying a million for a condo outside NYC that will cost you $150,000 in DSM.

DSM is very liberal. Gay friendly, democratic, etc. I haven't heard of people looking down on cohabiting unmarried people for decades. Who cares? No one in DSM.

DSM is generally very safe. East side, some of SE side, could be considered worse than others. But even the east side has an area of condo boom, old loft warehouses and such. West Des Moines (separate city) is where the most growth has been over the last decade or so, including the other suburbs out in that direction.


You will find, however, that people from DSM tend to retire to...Tampa. DSM has horrible weather, although if you are from CT you know about snow and below 0 temps. I would imagine most people living in DSM would say, "You chose this over Tampa?!"

[Luke9686]

While I have never been to the Connecticut NYC suburbs, I did live in the suburbs of Boston for awhile. I will assume the suburbs are similar outside NYC and Boston. Older areas, homes close together, traffic still kind of heavy and overcrowded. Correct me if I'm wrong on that, but most of the Northeast is like that.

Anyways, if that is the case, you will find the DSM area to be a big relief. The suburbs are your typical cookie cutter homes, with big yards and a tight nit area. In the city of Des Moines are several neighborhoods. Anywhere from older brick homes in Beaverdale, to large victorians in the Drake area, to older homes in the up and coming Ingersol area. If you search my posts, I went into great detail about the Des Moines area in one of them.

[DSMGuy]

DM doesn't have quite the forested scenery and large hills of CT, but it does have smaller gently rolling hills to the south and west. The northern metro is pretty flat.

Also, you might also feel at home because DM has been called the "Hartford of the Midwest" because of all the insurance companies that have home offices here.

[patmc]

I moved to Ames, Iowa from Bridgeport (I attended the University of Bridgeport).

I am making less than in CT but not a whole lot less. I do think the dollar goes further in IA than in CT.

You might want to talk to some of the folks on www.HeyIowa.com It is a good source for coversing with others in the smaller Iowa towns.

[Duckworth]

Originally Posted by jeremeyk482

Hi guys.

I'm looking to relocate for my job and my search has taken me to either Des Moines or Tampa FL. I just can't afford the cost of living in Connecticut any longer. I was hoping someone who is knowledgeable about both places can help me outline the differences between CT and IA.

For starters, I come from Westport CT, about 30 minutes north of NYC where small homes are in the millions and studios are a thousand and up. I know Des Moines is cheaper, but I'll probably be making less, no?

How are the people of Des Moines? Folks in CT are very reserved but classy, and they are open-minded and go by the motto "to each their own." Is Des Moines this way, or is it ultra conservative and religious? My GF and I aren't married and we don't want to move to a place where people will look down on us for cohabitation.

Good areas/bad areas?

Thanks a lot.

I think you will find people in Iowa generally open-minded, particularly in the larger cities such as Des Moines. Iowans in general tend to be from the "live and let live" school, and are mostly a friendly group.

Iowans don't like extremes in politics, or anything else. Which is why we have Chuck Grassley (quite conservative) and Tom Harkin (very liberal) in the Senate -- so they can cancel each other out. <g>

I believe you'd be impressed with the quality of life in Iowa. It's a beautiful state, for one thing. (No it's not all flat!) Lots going on in Des Moines, and you have a very hip college town, Iowa City, just down I80.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Don't fret about the social politics of DSM. Open minded people. DSM and eastern parts of the state are more liberal than Western Iowa. Midwesterners are generally religious, but more Lutheran/Protestant over Southern Evangelical. "Live and let Live" would actually sum it up pretty good. Iv'e spent alot of time in IA and DSM. It feels like Minneapolis mini to me (and that's a compliment).

[globetrotta]

Go with Tampa it will be a better adjustment than Iowa

[FarFromHome]

and I can't wait to go home!!!!! I don't live in Des Moines, but have spent some time there. People here are friendly, but no one is friends. I've been here 10 years and have not made one lifetime friend (oops, lied, but he's living in London and comes to visit some friends here).

I miss the trees, I miss the food, I miss crazy people who have varied interests. I miss people who liked school and have read books and know what jazz is. I miss everything about it.

Des Moines is flat and really spread out and as far as I've seen the mid-west is just one big strip mall. They like football (amature), Nascar, and talk about the weather incessantly.

Good luck with your search, but if you love New England, you'll be hard pressed to find somewhere that captures your heart the same way. The cost of living is the only thing that keeps me here, and when my daughter is grown and does not need me anymore, I'm back to living on a shoe string in Boston!

[globetrotta]

LOL That is so true about the weather its not even funny how much they like to talk about weather an amature football.