Des Moines area raked in the rankings in 2014 Read more: http://businessrecord.com/Content/Culture/Culture/Article/Des- (Ogden: fit in, best cities)

[capitalcityguy]

Many of these are very subjective, but nice recognition none-the-less as Des Moines continues to show up prominently in "Best of" list year after year. 2014 was no exception:

Des Moines area raked in the rankings in 2014
Wednesday, December 24, 2014 3:00 PM

Let's just say it's been a good year for economic development in the Des Moines area. When Jay Byers, CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, makes public appearances, he likes to mention the long and growing list of rankings by magazines and other entities enamored with Des Moines' latest development boom.

Here's a year-end recap of a few of the accolades, as collected by the Partnership:

Top City for Young Professionals - Forbes.

No. 3 Top Ten Places With the Most Job Opportunities Per Capita - Beyond.com analysis of second quarter 2014.

No. 2 Best Farmers Market in America - The Daily Meal; and "Top 10 Farmers Markets in the United " - Shape magazine.

No. 2 Best City for Business and Careers - Forbes.

Top City With an Up-and-Coming Downtown - Fortune.

No. 6 Best Cities for Raising a Family - Forbes.

No. 5 Best Cities for Jobs - Zip Recruiter.

No. 6 Top Mid-Size Cities of 2014 - Energy Star.

No. 1 Wealthiest City in America - "Today" show.

No. 1 Best Medium...

Read more: Des Moines area raked in the rankings in 2014 - Business Record

[tollfree]

In Des Moines, tea can even sweeten itself.

[capitalcityguy]

Tack on another for good measure. Hot off the press:

Des Moines among top 10 U.S. cities for new college grads
Friday, April 17, 2015 10:44 AM
Des Moines was ranked No. 3 in a list of Top 10 Cities for New College Graduates, as named by financial data company SmartAsset. More than 100 of the largest U.S. cities were evaluated and graded based on 10 measures covering three aspects of life most important to recent college grads: jobs, affordability and fun. The average score in each of those three areas was used to produce a single score to find the top cities. Topping the list were Austin, Texas and Lexington, Ky. Des Moines' strong job market and...

Read more: Des Moines among top 10 U.S. cities for new college grads - Business Record

[capitalcityguy]

Better safe than sorry!

Residents Feel Least Safe in Fresno, Most Safe in Des Moines

At the best end of the list, the communities where residents “feel most safe and secure,” were leader Des Moines at 85.7%; Raleigh at 84.8%; Boise at 84.5%; Honolulu at 82.6%; Provo, Utah, at 82.5%; Winston-Salem at 82.2%; Ogden, Utah, at 82.1%; Colorado Springs at 82.1%; Omaha at 81.9%; and Austin at 81.5%.

Read more: Residents Feel Least Safe in Fresno, Most Safe in Des Moines, Says Gallup - 24/7 Wall St. Residents Feel Least Safe in Fresno, Most Safe in Des Moines, Says Gallup - 24/7 Wall St.
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[atler8]

Trust me: I am sorry that I ever left!
Kudos again to greater Des Moines.

[Serious Conversation]

I think it's obvious Des Moines ranks well on the numbers. I did six months to a year of research on these metrics before landing a job there and was so surprised at how many opportunities were available in so many fields. Coming from Tennessee, where landing any sort of a job was seemingly an act of Congress, Des Moines is basically a grab bag giveaway of prosperity.

Still, I never met many friendly people there. I had a job I disliked with colleagues that often made fun of me for my accent. The nicest people I met were from elsewhere. You'll also never be the "in" club because you're not an Iowa native.

[BetterCallPaul]

Emigrations, sorry to hear you had a negative experience at your employer. As a Wisconsin native transplanted to Iowa for college, and having stayed ever since, I know there are pockets in any community that don't accept outsiders. Having lived all over Iowa, I've found the xenophobia to be pretty minimal in the metro. Southern accents rock, not sure what your co-workers were thinking giving you a hard time about it after the first week or two on the job.

[maniac77]

IMO Des Moines being on a plethora of "best of " lists does the city no favors. Yes, it's great for economic opportunities, publicity and growth, but what could the potential costs be?

Des Moines has never been hip before, so getting so much national praise is a relatively new phenomenon (over the last decade or so) for the city that has taken some getting used to for its residents. Des Moines used to just be the Mecca for small-town Iowa kids, but now people are flocking here from all over the US and world to work and live on a larger scale than ever before. I have heard from many that Des Moines isn't welcoming to outsiders, and I agree that there is a small pocket who wants to maintain the status quo and doesn't want their way of life compromised. Des Moines has a good thing with its relatively low unemployment rate, relatively low crime rate, relatively low cost of living, and mostly good schools, etc. I'm sure some residents are scared of possibly losing that with the recent influx of outsiders to the area. There is certainly no excuse to not being accepting towards outsiders, but this small-mindedness comes from a few in the city who fear change.

And it has to be disappointing for those who come here expecting to find some kind of utopia to be majorly let down and to feel like they can never truly fit in here due to the perceived unfriendliness towards outsiders. The truth is Des Moines is a mediocre mid-sized city. It has its positives and negatives like pretty much anywhere. National publications decided to latch onto it for whatever reason, and the consequences could be good or bad (but probably mixed). Des Moines fits my needs perfectly, but I can definitely see how it wouldn't be for everyone.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by maniac77

IMO Des Moines being on a plethora of "best of " lists does the city no favors. Yes, it's great for economic opportunities, publicity and growth, but what could the potential costs be?

Des Moines has never been hip before, so getting so much national praise is a relatively new phenomenon for the city (over the last decade or so) that has taken some getting used to for the residents. Des Moines used to just be the Mecca for small-town Iowa kids, but now people are flocking here from all over the US and world to work and live on a larger scale than ever before. I have heard from many that Des Moines isn't welcoming to outsiders, and I agree that there is a small pocket who wants to maintain the status quo and doesn't want their way of life compromised. Des Moines has a good thing with its relatively low unemployment rate, relatively low crime rate, relatively low cost of living, and mostly good schools. I'm sure some residents are scared of possibly losing that with the recent influx of outsiders to the area. There is certainly no excuse to not being accepting towards outsiders, but this small-mindedness comes from a few in the city who fear change.

And it has to be disappointing for those who come here expecting to find some kind of utopia to be majorly let down and to feel like they can never truly fit in here. The truth is Des Moines is a mediocre mid-sized city. It has its positives and negatives like pretty much anywhere. National publications decided to latch onto it for whatever reason, and the consequences could be good or bad (but probably mixed). Des Moines fits my needs perfectly, but I can definitely see how it wouldn't be for everyone.

I do think a lot of the problems come from locals who don't want any change. Unlike a lot of areas, people are moving to DSM to work and contribute, not to retire and ultimately be a drain on resources. I know where I'm from in east TN, and especially more touristy areas like western NC and FL, people are primarily coming to retire and aren't economically productive. Maybe there are some tensions where native Iowans see the outsiders as coming to "take our jobs."

When I was hired, about half the existing staff in my department were contractors, and I was hired as an employee at a higher rate of pay than what those guys were probably getting. Maybe that just got me started off on the wrong foot with these folks - I don't know, but it wasn't my problem. The management was actually remarkably nice to me, but the direct coworkers were just terrible for the most part. The job itself (call center) is terrible too.

The weather sucked, but it was 2012, so the drought/heat may have skewed my perceptions. In any event, it was far and away the hottest and most extreme weather I've ever experienced.

I actually received an offer to work in a different department of the company in 2013 (after I moved), but the pay was lower than what I was making at the prior job. Had I gone back in a different department under different circumstances, maybe it would have been a better experience.

[Meemur]

I'm from Ohio. I haven't run into any groups yet that greatly dislike outsiders: I'm into gardening, crafts, and biking, and everyone has been fairly welcoming, at least in my opinion.

Maybe I would've had a different experience if I had other interests or had neon hair and a nose ring. I hear that "characters" seem to run into problems.

I've lived in places where downtown is mostly boarded up and closes at 5 pm, so I'm fairly impressed with downtown Des Moines, plus all the stuff to do on weekends. I admit that I'm an older person and don't do the bar scene or attend concerts. I can't speak to what there is for 20-30 somethings who like those sorts of venues, but I've certainly had a full list of things to do, more than I've been able to get to so far.

I wish I had time to get to more of the events that have been at the Fairgrounds and Convention Center.