Des Moines vs. Omaha (Cedar Rapids, Sioux City: private schools, colleges, design)

[Persimmony]

Originally Posted by rriojas71

Omaha vs Des Moines = 6 and 1/2 dozen of the other. They are interchangeable IMHO.

Although Des Moines does have the better signature skyscraper of the two, but strangely it's almost the exact same height as Omaha's.
Coincidence?? I think not.
LOL

I'm not really sure about that ... but I will say Des Moines needs to work on their lighting at night. The Principal Building and the Ruan Center used to both be lit all night, now the Ruan Center RARELY uses their lights and the principal buliding shuts them off around ten.

I was driving out of Omaha the other night and it looked beautiful with all of the lights on.

People who drive through Des Moines at night probably can't even tell we have a skyline. It's ugly at night. IDK what they're thinking.

[Dport7674]

Both are pretty much generic boring cities.

[Persimmony]

Originally Posted by Dport7674

Both are pretty much generic boring cities.

lol OKAY. Someone trying to start a fight on the forum?

I guess generic is an opionion... if you're looking for authentic midwestern culture it's not generic.

[Dport7674]

Originally Posted by Persimmony

lol OKAY. Someone trying to start a fight on the forum?

I guess generic is an opionion... if you're looking for authentic midwestern culture it's not generic.

Oh I'm not trying to pick a fight at all. Neither are exactly "happening" cities. Give me Iowa City or Lincoln any day.

I'm just saying it's not like we're comparing L.A. vs. NYC or Miami vs. Seattle.

Des Moines and Omaha are damn near identical. Asking which is better is kinda silly. If you're asking about differences in taxes or gun laws or something, it might make sense.

And in my humble opinion neither offer "authentic midwestern culture". I think you'd have to go to much smaller towns for that.

[jrs1966]

Originally Posted by Dport7674

And in my humble opinion neither offer "authentic midwestern culture". I think you'd have to go to much smaller towns for that.

There is some truth to that assessment. Both are trying to measure superiority by comparing things such as the height of buildings or number of big-box retailers in their respective markets.

I can't really see how either one of those would qualify as a leading indicator of cultural abundance.

[capitalcityguy]

Originally Posted by Dport7674

Both are pretty much generic boring cities.

I agree with your later comment on this thread that it is silly to compare to two to determine which is "best". They are very similar. But to say they are boring tells me you've either not spent much time in either place or that you are a boring person yourself. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and go with the former.

[Dport7674]

Originally Posted by capitalcityguy

I agree with your later comment on this thread that it is silly to compare to two to determine which is "best". They are very similar. But to say they are boring tells me you've either not spent much time in either place or that you are a boring person yourself. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and go with the former.

I appreciate the benefit of the doubt kind Sir, but I've lived in Omaha for awhile and have spent a good amount of time in Des Moines. I stand by my original statement. I can think of a of whole list of midwest cities I'd rather spend a long weekend in.

[capitalcityguy]

Originally Posted by Dport7674

I appreciate the benefit of the doubt kind Sir, but I've lived in Omaha for awhile and have spent a good amount of time in Des Moines. I stand by my original statement. I can think of a of whole list of midwest cities I'd rather spend a long weekend in.

Of similar size? I'd be really curious to here what those places are and what they offer that these two cities don't. We love doing long weekend trips within driving distance, so we're always looking for new, exciting places to check out.

[Radical347]

Originally Posted by MattDen

Omaha just seems to have more of an authentic, gritty old-style culture to it compared to Des Moines which is unique. Omaha's scene sort of has a bit of the way about it like alot of eastern midwestern cities, while Des Moines scene feels like Minneapolis-lite in my personal opinion or it tries to emulate to a certain extent.

Cleanliness- Des Moines wins this one hands down.

Transit- Omaha. Omaha has a much more widespread transit system then Des Moines, Des Moines has one high frequency route and very few others. Omaha's is more widespread

Educational oppurtunity- Omaha by far, Des Moines has a private college but Omaha has private colleges/community colleges/ University of Nebraska Omaha/ satilitte campuses/ medical campuses. Its a major college city

Yes to most of what you've written but especially to all of the above.

About ten years ago I would have said Des Moines on all accounts. Omaha wasn't doing much of anything whereas Des Moines was turning quite nicely into a small-sized yuppie city.

But in the past decade or so Omaha seems to have experienced a renaissance. It's always been grittier than Des Moines, but somehow now it's gotten the image of the "cool urban grit" that many kids seek. The college scene has also made a bit of a name for itself. There has been a huge boom in the underground music scene. It's "the cool place" of the midwest now, between Denver and Chicago. It's growing up in a different way than Des Moines, which in the meantime continues to be a cookie-cutter, although nice, and very clean, yuppie/family city. So now it's harder to judge as they both have things going for them, but in different ways.

[metroplex2003]

I agree. Omaha has made strides. IF it continues to boom west, we could have a mini-Twin Cities or Dallas/Ft. Worth in the next few decades.