Relocating to Urbandale (Des Moines, West Des Moines, Clive: rentals, townhouse, neighborhood)

[smg_2hnds]

Thanks in advance! I have questions below.

I've just rec'd a job offer (2-yr appointment) with the feds; subsequently, I am considering relocating from Michigan to Urbandale. I would likely be relocating sometime between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

The job location is within Urbandale; my wife is a consultant who works from home with periodic travel. My wife and I have no kids, like outdoor activities (X-country ski/bike), enjoy sports and own two golden retrievers.

My primary concern is housing. We're not interested in purchasing at this time so are looking to rent. Ideally, we'd like a minimal commute but not at the expense of opportunities to walk the dogs, x-country ski, bike, etc. We'd be willing to drive to get to the airport, go to a Cubs game, etc.

1) Any suggestions as to rental properties or management companies (apt, townhouse/single family) that are dog friendly, easy commute into Urbandale? Close to the Raccoon dog park? Companies to avoid?

2) Fair rental costs? Value? (Currently in 2br townhome w/garage - $750/mo).

3) Public transportation an option for my commute?

4) Sugestions for vet care?

5) Areas to avoid (crime/drugs, etc.)?

Thanks again!
smg_2hnds

[Loramore]

I've lived in Urbandale for 20 years, but unfortunately I don't have experience with rental properties. Keep in mind that Johnston, Windsor Heights, Clive, West Des Moines, Waukee, and Des Moines are options depending on where your company is.

Public transportation is very limited in the suburbs. There are a few routes that go downtown and out to the malls.

The parks & rec facilities are great in Urbandale. There are plenty of trails that connect with the Des Moines area.

I know the owner of Westfield Vet Hostpital (Welcome), and he's excellent.
I've taken my dog to Grand Ave. Vet, which is also good. It's in West Des Moines closer to downtown.

I don't know of any unsafe places in Urbandale. The closer you get to Des Moines (towards Merle Hay Mall) the income is lower, but I'm not aware of crime.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[smg_2hnds]

Thanks for the feedback! I do have some follow-up questions.

Thanks for the tip on the vet hospital too. I've had the luxury of using my sister as my family vet and, as you can imagine, really want to find a good, competent and empathetic veterinarian. I've really been spoiled! My dogs are adult and will be needing geriatric care as they continue to grow older.

My place of work is within Urbandale. I gather from my reading (your and other posts) that I would be able to live outside of Des Moines proper and avoid traveling to/from the city center - most estimates I've seen is that you can get around most anywhere within a 20 minute drive. Would you agree with that estimate?

As to the lower/higher income areas, we are effectively still living in a "student mode." I went back to school after my previous career and am starting all over . . . ideally, we want to continue living as inexpensively as possible so that we can whittle-down some of our accrued debt. That said, like everyone else, I really want to maximize our budget. The good news is that by all accounts, the cost of living is relatively inexpensive - even cheaper than where I am in Michigan. Do you think living away from Urbandale and living elsewhere (e.g., W. Des Moines) would be a good balance - say, better price on housing with minimal hassle on the commute?

Because this is a new job, I really expect a 60+ hour work-week while I learn the job. My biggest fear is that I'll be stuck with an hour commute (one-way) and suddenly, I have an 80-hour work week. In this circumstance, I'd really rather have the time if the relative costs aren't substantially higher to live closer to work. I'd appreciate any thoughts on commute/neighborhood balance too.

In the interim, I hope to make it out there for a few days in early November to learn the area - I hope to learn as much as possible so I can maximize my time while in town.

Thanks again for taking the time on the previous thread - I really appreciate the feedback!

[Gus0405]

In regards to the travel in the area, If you lived in any of the western suburbs(Clive, Waukee, West Des Moines, Urbandale, Grimes) you would be able to you can get about anywhere in the city in about 20 minutes. You wouldn't have to go to Downtown to get to any of these places, but if you ever wanted to you could get there in about 10-15 minutes. I can assure there is no hour long commute to Urbandale, you would have to live 50 miles away for that to be possible. The only other place that maybe cheaper that is further away would be Adel, which is a small town about 10 miles west of Urbandale. It would take about 20 minutes to get to Urbandale, but I am not sure if they have much of a rental market out there, though it may be cheap enough to offset the travel. I currently live in Urbandale and work in West Des Moines, it takes me about 8 minutes, that includes going to work at about 8 AM, which is our "rush hour." All of the suburbs on the west side are probably exactly what you would expect. Newer areas, newer homes, quiet. I would suggest Urbandale and West Des Moines for what you're looking for. These areas have had large growth over the last decade or so and there is a wide range of houses and townhomes available.

[smg_2hnds]

Thanks so much for the feedback. Between the job and everything I've read about the area, I'm really looking forward to getting out there. One of my major concerns on this job hunt was to attain a much better balance between work and home. Given the state of the economy and the absolute horrible economic situation in Michigan, I was afraid I would have to reconsider locations and deal with the ultra-urban lifestyle.

I'll be heading out sometime the end of the month or early November to start looking for rentals. Thanks again and, if anyone out there has anything else to add, please don't hesitate to post to the thread.

[IowaTexasDC Guy]

lol......hour long commute....in Iowa....lol. You can get from WDM almost to Missouri in an hour. One of the reasons I left Austin.

[smg_2hnds]

I can imagine - one of the reasons I haven't looked at major metropolitan areas for work. Nothing like a 40-hour commute time per week!

[charlestowne]

Rethink the move!!!!! We relocated to West Des Moines from Chicago a year and a half ago are are NOT impressed. People are unfriendly...especially if they grew up in Iowa....crime is OUTRAGEOUS for such a tiny city...(check out the robberies in Urbandale/Johnson where you are moving), home invasion rape a few weeks ago at Drake, serial rapist (West Des Moines) shot dead in a luxury gated community in May/June...I could go on and on..... Combine unfriendly people, crime, and a city with nothing to do.....we are looking to leave ASAP.

[IowaTexasDC Guy]

The above is laughable.