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Here is a city vs city comparison I haven't seen before and given my recent visit to both in the past 2 months I think its fair to start the debate. Keep in mind that this is kind of a David vs Goliath situation given that Sioux Falls metro is 273k metro and Des Moines is 699k. Quite fitting that Sioux Falls is famous for having a large David statue by Michaelango within its parks. Despite that I feel this is a fair comparison since it seems Sioux Falls punches above its weight while Des Moines is just typical of a city of this size.
Lets start off with the categories
Restaurants
SFSD
As an outsider you would be shocked to discover how much ethnic variety exist within the confines of this small city from all types of asian to Ethiopian. Its pretty rich in cuisine and many spots covered by Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins: Urban Chislik and Bread & Circus Sandwich Kitchen come to mind.
DSM
There is a lot of fun eateries like El Bait Shop, Fong's Pizza, Zombie Burger.
I want to say a tie but given SFSD is a smaller city have to give it the nod.
Local Eats
SD has the Chislik but IA got the Tenderloin and Loose Meat Sandwich. I found all these dishes to be just variations of things we're all familiar with. I tried the alleged best of each at the respective cities but gotta say the only thing I totally dug was the loose meat sandwich from the Maid-Rite fast food chain.
Farmer's Market
No competition DSM wins this one. You dont get ranked #2 Best Farmers' Market in America by Daily Meal for nothing. There is enough vendors and prepared foods for your heart's content along the entirety of Congress Ave.
Sculpture + Art
If you base it off sculptures, DSM wins this one. Just the amalgamation of sculptures within the main streets versus sculptures enclosed within a park has a huge effect. If you want to rate it by garden's you got Porter Sculpture Park not far away off I-90 and I am sure the works of this one man's blows everything in Pappajohn sculpture garden outta the water.
As far as murals go, SFSD's got Zach De Boer but DSM's got Ben Schuh and Chris Vance proliferating art throughout the city amongst other artists. Its hard to compete when you got a bigger city and more artists so DSM wins this.
Overall a tie since SFSD wins in the sculpture competition
Major Thoroughfares
SFSD got Phillips Ave and DSM's got Court Ave. If I wanna have a rager I am sure I am going to find more options in Court Ave.
Neighborhoods
I was never sure if SFSD had anything other than downtown. Again its a small city pales in comparison to DSM with its many hipster neighborhoods like East Village, Highland Park, Western Gateway
Outdoors
Sioux Falls got The Falls and DSM has got Gray's lake. With all the rivers and bridges you just can't outbeat what nature provides you in the form of falls.
How about natural sights further out? SFSD still wins out. I'd take a side trip to the Palissades any day over the High Trestle Trail bridge. Emphasis on natural vs man-made stuff.
Architecture
SFSD got the Old Courthouse Museum and Cathedral of St Joseph but DSM's got the Iowa Capitol and Polk County Courthouse. Nod to DSM here.
Souvenir Shop
Zandbroz Variety (SFSD) vs Raygun (DSM). As cute as Zandbroz is, hard to beat the greatest store in the universe.
I’ve been to both many times. Des Moines is a small city and Sioux Falls is a big small town. Downtown Sioux Falls is nice but outside of that it’s small midwestern suburbia. Des Moines is trying to be more urban and exciting but it seems like Sioux Falls is not.
Wasn’t too impressed with the Asian options in either city.
SF is the largest town in South Dakota and serves its purpose as such. I think having the capitol or larger university in SF would give it more excitement. Compared to Sioux City though, SF has got it beat.
Des Moines is nicer and has a lot more options and amenities etc which you're not going to hear me say that often. Really the better conversation piece for comparing Sioux falls is Fargo. And I think other than restaurants Fargo is pretty significantly better than Sioux falls in most ways. Sioux falls is about 7 degrees warmer in the winter than Fargo (both day and night).
And I wouldn't consider Fargo or Sioux Falls to really be true cities (kinda on the bubble but I'd say both are large towns really, with Bismarck and Rapid City being borderline small/medium town and Grand Forks/Minot being smallish towns by national standards). I'd consider Des Moines to be a borderline small/mid sized city, so it's really not a good comparison.
That being said, some people hold up Des Moines as some sort of Midwest Brooklyn, which it’s just not…at all.
I think this is a fairly sound analysis.
The municipalities of Sioux Falls and DSM are similar in size (both in the general neighborhood of 200k), but that's about where the similarities end. It's like comparing Floyd Mayweather to Muhammad Ali in their primes - pound-for-pound Mayweather is considered the greatest boxer of all time, but if the two got in the ring, early 1970s-era Ali would crush Mayweather without breaking a sweat. The bulk of Sioux Falls' growth is Sioux Falls itself, it doesn't have much in the way of suburbs/exurbs. The bulk of Des Moines' growth is in the suburbs and bedroom communities - indeed, Des Moines proper is only about 30% of the whole metro (compared to 1980 when it was over half). Sioux Falls doesn't look, feel, or act urban - it's more like an Aberdeen or Mitchell on steroids than an actual city. It doesn't have a downtown befitting a city of its size, and I truly think the people that run the city, and even those that live in the city, are perfectly content with being a glorified suburb.
Des Moines certainly has more going on for it with superior shopping, dining, and entertainment options, but I am going to probably incur some ire by stating that it might actually be one of the most OVER-rated cities on C-D, at least among its relative peers. If anything, it's underserved in the dining/shopping/entertainment department, and is often among the last cities in the country to get big box retailers or major restaurant chains. Sioux Falls had Five Guys several years before Des Moines for example, and also has a Macy's store while Des Moines does not. Also, Des Moines' airport is "international" in name only, and despite some modest remodeling and even attempts to build a brand-new terminal, remains very outdated and lags behind cities even in lower weight classes. It also has a relatively bland history, and is not a hub for multiculturalism, higher education, or innovation. It is doing a better job of slowing down the brain drain, but still can't match the offerings of Chicago, MSP, or KC.
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