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I have a really high affinity for all of these cities. I lived in Des Moines for 3 years, and visit St Louis and Milwaukee quite a bit.
It's extremely easy to avoid the high crime and run down parts of St Louis and Milwaukee, and while St Louis has some truly bombed out parts on the north side, much of the city is beautiful and vibrant.
The comment about lack of lakes and recreation is hilarious Milwaukee is literally adjacent to one of the largest lakes in the world, LOL. It even has beaches and views that one could easily mistake for ocean. These cities also have rivers, and generally there are reservoirs within easy driving distance of one needs more lakes.
The rivers, climate, parks, public art remind me somewhat of continental Europe. Sure, the built environment is different, but the Midwest has it's own cool vibe with plenty of pre WWII brick and Art Deco.
I say this as a born and raised Californian: the main reason the Midwest is looked down upon is old fashioned snobbery and a mid-twentieth century cultural obsession with the beach and surf culture due in large part to SoCal influence via the entertainment industry. Personally, I don't really enjoy laying out in the sun destroying my skin, and while suntans look attractive when young, it ages you quickly and there are a lot of weird leathery looking people in CA that aren't that old.
We're in Idaho for now because we love the mountains and because Boise is a great city. But as our kids get closer to adulthood I've encouraged them to consider Midwestern cities as great places to get established and raise a family.
Oh, and I would add Omaha to your list.
Last edited by AnythingOutdoors; 05-10-2023 at 09:43 AM..
I lived in the northern suburbs of Indianapolis for years.
It's a great bargain for the quality of life.
The problem is that it's in Indiana. Growing up in the mountains of Tennessee, the weather there is terrible - grey all winter, colder than TN, hotter in the summer than TN, very little access to nature.
^ Fixed for you via edit. In St. Louis City the northern 1/3 of the city is a bombed-out wasteland whereas the central 1/3 and southern 1/3 of the city proper have a lot of solid neighborhoods.
Yeah, I agree. I spent the night in the Soulard neighborhood once and it is quite charming. Too bad it is partially ruined by the mess of highway spaghetti.
As much of a mess as STL is, I would still choose it over Milwaukee or Des Moines. I really like the built environment of STL- nice brick instead of ugly vinyl buildings everywhere. At least, in the intact neighborhoods. Many areas of STL look like Mordor.
Excuse me, but Milwaukee has its own brick...Cream City Brick. It's used all over Milwaukee and in other cities. Here's a link to some pictures.
If you want a city that's warmer go with St Louis. However out of those choices I'd go with Milwaukee. That said, I agree with the above poster regarding Indy (where we live currently). It's probably one of the most affordable midwestern cities. Public transit isn't the best but depending on where you live you could definitely make it work without a car.
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Milwaukee is literally adjacent to one of the largest lakes in the world, LOL. It even has beaches and views that one could easily mistake for ocean. These cities also have rivers, and generally there are reservoirs within easy driving distance of one needs more lakes.
