Moving to des moines soon!

[capitalcityguy]

Originally Posted by Jenine773

I'd stay away from living in the actual city of Des Moines. I moved here from the North Side of Chicago and learned that lesson the hard way. West Des Moines is considered the nicest area but Johnston, Clive, Waukee & Urbandale are nice. Norwalk isn't too bad and is priced a little better. Carlisle is ok but stay away from the city of DSM.

That just simply is not helpful. You have a city of 200K and thus a huge variety of neighborhoods. You either have a bias that blinds you or you haven't explored the variety of neighborhoods Des Moines offers.

There isn't any neighborhood with nicer homes than some of those just west of downtown (South of Grand, Owl Head, etc.) The problem is, they rarely go up for sale and if they do, you have to have pretty deep pockets. As mentioned, Beaverdale is a great neighborhood, much more affordable, and often voted best neighborhood in the metro.

The OP has a big decision to make and it is a huge financial commitment. This isn't a place to paint with a broad brush or let some personal bias (or lack of knowledge) interfere with him/her trying to make an educated decision.

[capitalcityguy]

OP -- If you will work northwest of downtown, there are great neighborhoods in that part of Des Moines as well as nearby suburbs Urbandale and Johnston. Johnston schools are often not only considered best in metro, but near top in the state. Some of Johnston school districtactually covers part of Des Moines proper. (northwest part).

What do you desire in a neighborhood? Do you want to be able to walk to amenities? Do you want newer houses? Do you desire mature trees or is less developed OK? Would you like your kids to be able to walk to school? Do you desire mass transit options? Bike trails?

The more precise you can be, the better we can advise.

[Northeasterner1970]

Heck even in the suburbs there are areas with character
Like Prairie Trail in Ankeny which you should check out, though it is pricey and you have Valley Junction which is a neighborhood in West Des Moines from the late 1800s-early 1900s and has a nice main street with lots of little shops.

[zhxj3031]

can someone recommend a better high school which has advance program or something like talent classes etc? thanks

[Monkey1970]

Central Campus in Des Moines offers a lot of stuff like that.