Des Moines, Iowa

Maybe moving to Des Moines…what’s it like?

Des Moines is a great place to live it's nice and people are generally friendly. It's a big town effectively. Traffic is not to bad we complain about it but it's nothing compared to larger cities even during rush hour. I dont think any of my gay friends have experience any horrible incidents to my knowledge. But we are still in the midwest, I know of people who disapprove but dont openly say things unless they are in private. I live in urbandale in a townhome 2 bed 1 1/2 bath with attached garage and pay $1250 a month for rent. It's a safe neighborhood too I'm never worried about anything getting stolen or anything like that here at least. As far as things to do there always seem to be something to do. My fiancee and I love to go to the farmers market in the summer and there are an endless amount of trails if you like to walk or bike. We have breweries for days if your into that as well. We have a pretty good showing for pride as well, most of the east village seems to shut down and turn into a giant party. There are a few game shops if you like card games or dnd or anything like that I suggest mayhem for that kind of thing. Theres a good selection of food as well, if you like burgers I suggest zombie burger in the east village and if you like a nicer Mexican dish Malo in downtown dsm is really good. Hope this is helpful and just let me know if you want any other information about DSM I'll be glad t help out.

Maybe moving to Des Moines…what’s it like?

What's Des Moines Really like? TBH compared to Kansas City or the Twin Cities, it is decidingly a bit more boring. Diversity wise the city is largely white, but a fair amount of Hispanic people, Asians (especially Vietnamese) and Blacks (who make up around 4% of the state as a whole). Diversity wise you can definitely see things changing, especially when you look at religious institutions compared to say 30 years ago, we now have 2-3 Mosques, 5 Buddhist temples, a Sikh association, a huge Hindu temple a bit outside of town (near Madrid) and Orthodox Churches.

Music: Des Moines is home to a jazz bar, and several other bars in the area will usually have performances 1-2 times a week. We have a symphony orchestra and the Drake music programs put on great performances during the school year. Also, just a half hour away is Ames, and if you catch an ISU jazz band concert you won't be disappointed, the students there are all awesoem players.

Art: Des Moines has an Art center and several historical houses that serve as small museums. There are several art festivals in the summer as well. Overall art scene in Des Moines pails in comparison to somewhere like Chicago, but we do have one.

History: Des Moines definitely has a free historical museum and has some unique architecture, none more elegant than the Capitol Building itself. There are also quite a few incredible churches that are worth going to for just the architecture (Many along Grand Avenue and others such as St. John's basilica).

What is it like to live in Des Moines, Iowa, USA?

Other than Iowa City, there is no other city in Iowa where I would willingly reside. It has the amenities and attractions of a city 3–4 times it’s size and a surprisingly large and varied cultural scene. Is the winter a drawback? Not really. Road clearance is a science and art in the Midwest and Des Moines’ ability to keep traffic moving in all but the worst weather is top notch. As one responder noted, there are no major professional teams, but most of the mainstream sports have minor league or developmental teams in the area. It is conveniently located close to Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City and St Louis, so you are a short plane ride to more urban areas. While it is a relatively small city to be the largest in the state, the ease of travel, burgeoning cultural scene and great schools more than compensate for what some may miss in a metropolis. I love going back and will always regard it as my hometown.

What is it like to live in Des Moines, Iowa, USA?

I currently go to college in Des Moines. Here are my pros and cons:
PROS

Everything that is here is easily accessible. It is easy to get around.
There is a wide variety of entertainment and culture growing in Des Moines.
The economy is growing and there are a lot of jobs here.
People are down to earth and nice
CONS

There are no pro sports teams here. There are the Iowa Cubs. If you want to see pro sports, Kansas City, Minneapolis, and Chicago are the closest nearby.
Airport is limited. I have to usually go to Chicago or Minneapolis for connecting flights.
It can be boring sometimes because the variety gets old here.
Overall I have enjoyed my time here in Des Moines. I could see myself settling down here, but will most likely go somewhere more urban when I graduate. Hope this is helpful.

THE PROS AND CONS OF LIVING IN IOWA