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Old 12-06-2015, 01:07 PM
 
Location: TN/NC
35,057 posts, read 31,271,982 times
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I went swimming in Saylorville. Just not really a good place to get in and out of the river in the city.
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Old 12-06-2015, 01:32 PM
 
Location: Boilermaker Territory
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I sure wouldn't. Too many CAFOs in Iowa close to most rivers..
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Old 12-07-2015, 08:13 AM
 
Location: Utah
57 posts, read 142,697 times
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It sounds like everyone agrees about the river. How is the area surrounding the west side of downtown? It seems like Des Moines overall is a pretty safe place to live and the only negative thing I have heard is that property crime is higher on the east side of the metro area.
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Old 12-07-2015, 10:19 AM
 
778 posts, read 794,642 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gohawks3 View Post
It sounds like everyone agrees about the river. How is the area surrounding the west side of downtown? It seems like Des Moines overall is a pretty safe place to live and the only negative thing I have heard is that property crime is higher on the east side of the metro area.
Crime is a fluid concept. For people that have always lived in Des Moines, they tend to see crime as another day in the neighborhood. For people from larger cities, Des Moines seems to be a calm sanctuary. But for those from smaller places, Des Moines has a crime problem. Depends on where you are now as to how you see Des Moines. I am sure that works on any city though and is not in itself a criticism of Des Moines.

Crime is something we are very concerned about in our move to Des Moines. The best tool we have found so far on staying away from crime is using the property value metric as our guide. But, this has led us to believe that we wont be moving to Des Moines or even West Des Moines at all. We are now looking at Van Meter and Waukee or the land in between those outlying satellites as potentials.

Do what we did, go to Des Moines, stay a week and use the city like you would if you lived there. We plan to go back in late January so we can experience the weather mostly and will probably follow that up in June with our third trip before we move.

Good luck.
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Old 12-07-2015, 10:48 AM
 
Location: Utah
57 posts, read 142,697 times
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Thanks for the advice. I don't think I will have the luxury of spending an entire week before a move because I would have to move fairly quickly and would likely only get to spend a couple days there before I move. I'm currently in the Salt Lake City area. It is safe here overall, but like any large area there are pockets of the community that are best avoided. I'm surprised to hear you mention West Des Moines. I was lead to believe that it is a very nice, newer and safe community. Really, the main thing I am looking for is a safe neighborhood and one you don't need to worry about walking around in. If that makes sense.
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Old 12-07-2015, 11:07 AM
 
28,803 posts, read 47,682,582 times
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28 years in WDM. I gave our area in an earlier post. We never saw crime around us. Police patrol on a regular basis. Never felt unsafe at any time. You can check the crime stats on City-Data. About 1/3 of the way down there is a chart.
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Old 12-07-2015, 11:29 AM
 
Location: TN/NC
35,057 posts, read 31,271,982 times
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I live in Indianapolis now and am from east Tennessee and compared to either of those places, crime in Des Moines is practically negligible.
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Old 12-07-2015, 11:37 AM
 
778 posts, read 794,642 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gohawks3 View Post
Thanks for the advice. I don't think I will have the luxury of spending an entire week before a move because I would have to move fairly quickly and would likely only get to spend a couple days there before I move. I'm currently in the Salt Lake City area. It is safe here overall, but like any large area there are pockets of the community that are best avoided. I'm surprised to hear you mention West Des Moines. I was lead to believe that it is a very nice, newer and safe community. Really, the main thing I am looking for is a safe neighborhood and one you don't need to worry about walking around in. If that makes sense.
Oh, I think I gave the wrong impression on WDM. It had been our target area for a long, long time and it is obviously the IT spot for families, seeking top schools and quality, close-by amenities. But, every piece of property in our price range ~500,000 came with a crazy HOA. We do not want any HOA and this choice has led us to the more rural areas west of WDM. We can still access the services in WDM and be out of the HOA epicenter.
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Old 12-07-2015, 02:42 PM
 
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
2,401 posts, read 4,347,898 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gohawks3 View Post
Thanks for the info and all the links! I didn't realize there were so many trails around, that's pretty cool! I think West Des Moines or downtown area are what I am liking the best thus far. Do people swim in the river or the lakes in the area during the summer?
Gray's lake is an urban lake on the edge of downtown. Very popular spot for biking, running, picnicing, non-motor boating, and yes, there is a beach.

Park and Recreation - Parks & Park Land
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Old 12-07-2015, 02:47 PM
 
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
2,401 posts, read 4,347,898 times
Reputation: 1464
If you have the desire to live in a downtown environment definitely give downtown Des Moines a look. There is a lot of different types of housing being built and in the pipeline. The majority of the best locally owned restaurants are downtown and a bulk of the cultural offerings ( arena, civic center, theater, river walk, etc.. Also excellent access to biking trails.

Downtown Des Moines: Apartments for Rent, Things to Do, Attractions, Parking

Currently under construction - 24hr, full service grocery store adding another convenience within walking or biking distance. .
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