Sending love from Chicago: Des Moines, you're da best

[dmclone]

As far as the ratings, I feel a little mixed when I see these high rankings.

#1 If you're truly that great, do you need to brag about it?

#2 "Des Moines". That's really broad. It's a lot different living over by the airport, downtown, north side, etc. Just like an city, you can't just drop down in any part of town and expect low crime, excellent schools, great entertainment, etc.

#3 Does anyone care about these things except the people in those towns who already live there? After 2 hours, I couldn't tell you any of the other towns on the list.

 

[cyclonedave25]

Des Moines is a nice town but the weather sucks!

Chicago’s is worse.
When the wind is coming off the lake, its brutal. And it really sucks in the April-May time frame when inland temps are in the 70’s/80’s and the lakefront is 50’s/60’s.
The lakefront is tough to beat on a warm summer day, though.

 

[2forISU]

Chicago’s is worse.
When the wind is coming off the lake, its brutal. And it really sucks in the April-May time frame when inland temps are in the 70’s/80’s and the lakefront is 50’s/60’s.
The lakefront is tough to beat on a warm summer day, though.

I agree with your comments and that is why I have avoided Chicago. Minneapolis sucks 6-7 months out of the year, but hard to beat in the summertime.

 

[capitalcityguy]

IMO this type of praise rings truest to those that have a special appreciation for living somewhere that many of the amenities you want to access are a distance away from home at a human scale (vs auto). i.e….they are easily walkable. This is an example of the traditional development pattern and how cities were organized for 1000’s of years (Including this country….at least pre-WWII). It makes sense that a neighborhood adjacent to downtown (in this case, Sherman Hill) offers this feature that is so appreciated by the author. It is a traditional development pattern/style vs as suburban one.

My point: if you are perfectly satisfied (and many are) with needing to drive almost anywhere and everywhere from your home to access the things you need or enjoy, I wonder if this type of narrative really hits home like it might for some of us? Kind of speaking to some of the “meh” comments that have sprinkled in.

This isn’t a judgement, just an acknowledgement that people are different and want and appreciate different lifestyles.

 

[srjclone]

I live far enough away where the ethnic food is bad, a trip to the city is a total pain, and there aren't too many venues to see a show (that I've found)

DSM has a better quality of life. There is no doubt about that

Fair, but you are comparing a metro to a suburb. Literally every suburb should be a smaller "more boring" metro area.

If you wanted the food options and an easier commute to the city, probably not the best choice to live on the outskirts of the suburbs. The chicago suburbs are unlike almost any suburban area in their set up, and a very unique place to live if you're in the right area, imo.
But obviiously, if you enjoy the aspects of metropolitan living that are difficult to find in the suburbs the suburbs are going to be more boring than the city.

 

[KnappShack]

Fair, but you are comparing a metro to a suburb. Literally every suburb should be a smaller "more boring" metro area.

If you wanted the food options and an easier commute to the city, probably not the best choice to live on the outskirts of the suburbs. The chicago suburbs are unlike almost any suburban area in their set up, and a very unique place to live if you're in the right area, imo.
But obviiously, if you enjoy the aspects of metropolitan living that are difficult to find in the suburbs the suburbs are going to be more boring than the city.

Which loops back to the original point. DSM has a nice balance of small town (it really is a small town) and metropolitan.

It is the Goldilocks of places to live. A gem. A great place to live with a high quality of life and reasonable home values.

If I was forced to make a choice it would be DSM >> Chicago Suburbs....and not even close.

 

[capitalcityguy]

I don't disagree with the following places you listed, but I stack Des Moines up against Knoxville, TN, Lexington, KY, Columbia, MO and Des Moines is the bottom of that list. I don't know if they are fair comparisons but they all are about the same size and offer "top-notch" amenities.

Having a major college is a major advantage to any city. Des Moines has to be good/great without that advantage that a large student population and related amenities that exist when you have a major university located within. Also, the author isn’t writing about “top-notch” amenities. The narrative is much more granular.

I didn’t create this thread to create a pissing match between cities, but will comment on the one you list that I’m very familiar with -- Knoxville, TN. I have family there so I’m there twice a year, minimum, and have gone there for numerous years. I really like it. It is very nice and has the advantage of U of Tennessee but there are several things DSM has over Knoxville as someone who has explored it extensively….including via bike. Knoxville does have much better outdoor sports/activities. Comparing the two metros, they are very similar in many ways. Many ways different.

However, this article is about experiencing life in Des Moines from the perspective of living in a traditional neighborhood just outside of downtown. This is very specific. He is not comparing shopping malls, or chain restaurants, spectator sports, etc. Again, having spent a lot of time in Knoxville and downtown Knoxville, there is no denying that they have destroyed a lot of their urban fabric with multiple urban interstates cutting through and around their downtown. It completely disrupts walkability and thus I would argue that pleasant walks described by the author would not be as numerous from adjacent neighborhoods to Knoxville’s downtown, as one might find in Des Moines (and many other cities, for that matter) .

This would be advantage Des Moines (over Knoxville) at least in terms of the environment this author appreciates and wrote about in the article.

 

[Rabbuk]

What would you give CR?

like a 5

 

[capitalcityguy]

As far as the ratings, I feel a little mixed when I see these high rankings.

#1 If you're truly that great, do you need to brag about it?

#2 "Des Moines". That's really broad. It's a lot different living over by the airport, downtown, north side, etc. Just like an city, you can't just drop down in any part of town and expect low crime, excellent schools, great entertainment, etc.

#3 Does anyone care about these things except the people in those towns who already live there? After 2 hours, I couldn't tell you any of the other towns on the list.

This why I find this article is so impressive (vs the rankings, you reference). This narrative is very specific. This is about experiencing Des Moines from a traditional neighborhood adjacent to downtown.

I’m pretty confident this person never writes this article if their kids were renting a townhome by Jordan Creek Mall. That isn’t a slam. It is very nice out there. But it is autocentric and not really that unique in the grand scheme of things. Nothing within this article would seem to translate back to that environment and make the same types of impressions.

This is why I think an article like this is much more helpful than the rankings – e.g….#1 place to live .

 

[ISUTex]

des moines. poor man's omaha

Omaha? Omaha is well, blah. They do have a nice zoo though. I'll give them that.

Not that Des Moines is some exotic destination, but "poor man's Omaha"?

 

[srjclone]

Which loops back to the original point. DSM has a nice balance of small town (it really is a small town) and metropolitan.

It is the Goldilocks of places to live. A gem. A great place to live with a high quality of life and reasonable home values.

If I was forced to make a choice it would be DSM >> Chicago Suburbs....and not even close.

 

[capitalcityguy]

…Oh…and I don’t understanding anyone using this thread to trash Ames….unless they are bias to that other school out east, I guess.

Also as I’ve said on this forum many times, good PR for DSM is good PR for Iowa State. If you don’t think coaches use Des Moines as a selling point to some recruits (i.e…”and you’re only 30 minutes away from Des Moines”), you’re being a bit naive.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Omaha? Omaha is well, blah. They do have a nice zoo though. I'll give them that.

Not that Des Moines is some exotic destination, but "poor man's Omaha"?

They have Runza though. Omaha is more like DSM’s older middle aged brother that has his HS reunion highlighted and bedazzled with stickers on their calendar. See Travis Justice.

It’s freaking Nebraska. They get left off of “most boring places” list because everyone forgets it exists.

 

[Cycsk]

My favorite feature of Des Moines? Driving through town between 4 and 7pm, listening to the KXNO traffic report. "No delays in the metro!" Those are beautiful words that are heard often.

 

[cyhiphopp]

It's hard for me to be a good judge of living in a HUGE City as I've only ever lived in the Des Moines Metro and Ames. I just know what I like about Des Moines.

Would it be nice to have top level Pro Sports? Sure. But could I afford to go all the time anyways? No. Would the novelty of having the team outweigh the negatives of the city having to support the teams through tax initiatives for stadiums? Maybe not.

Des Moines has pretty much everything it needs and a lot of what it wants. There's starting to be a lot more fun stuff added to downtown. The bar scene is getting much better without going over the top and creating a place you don't want to walk around at night.

It's possible to live in the suburbs and work downtown without driving for hours to get home.

I really like living in Ankeny. I have everything I need in a suburb and what I don't have I can find in Des Moines or West DSM.

If I were a single 20something year old I might dig living in the big city a lot more. That's just not me.

 

[VeloClone]

When you start comparing traffic Chicago (and LA as long as we are at it) have a huge disadvantage from some other cities because of where their city core is geographically. Chicago sits on Lake Michigan so all of the spread from the original downtown has had to go south, west and north with no expansion possible to the east. If that same population had been able to spread out to the northeast and east as well it would have helped the traffic situation. LA is similarly hampered by the Pacific ocean.

 

[cyhiphopp]

When you start comparing traffic Chicago (and LA as long as we are at it) have a huge disadvantage from some other cities because of where their city core is geographically. Chicago sits on Lake Michigan so all of the spread from the original downtown has had to go south, west and north with no expansion possible to the east. If that same population had been able to spread out to the northeast and east as well it would have helped the traffic situation. LA is similarly hampered by the Pacific ocean.

Are there any ferries that can transport commuters to different areas on the lake? That seems like it would be a good idea. You're still commuting, but at least you aren't sitting in traffic.

 

[VeloClone]

Are there any ferries that can transport commuters to different areas on the lake? That seems like it would be a good idea. You're still commuting, but at least you aren't sitting in traffic.

https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-...tinction/6fa66ca2-d48b-4047-ab79-8eda457c4c25

http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-mwt-lakemichiganferries-storygallery-storygallery.html

 

[exCyDing]

This article isn’t really comparing apples to apples. There’s Chicago, then there’s “Chicago.” Sherman Hill is more similar to many neighborhoods in the city, while this guy’s actual hometown of West Chicago is a far-flung western suburb with more in common with Johnston/Clive/West Des Moines than anything 30 miles to the east.

Are there any ferries that can transport commuters to different areas on the lake? That seems like it would be a good idea. You're still commuting, but at least you aren't sitting in traffic.

There are water taxis on the Chicago river, running from Wrigleyville to Chinatown. It’s only a couple bucks, and not a bad way to travel.

 

[madguy30]

Des Moines is nice and it seems like it's gotten better over the years, but even then when I've visited it feels like it's trying to be a city but everyone still knows each other from high school/college. The amount of people I'd see that I knew from just going out for a night was always kind of surprising.

Also was reminded of that South Park about everything being 5 years behind in popularity.

That said, it'd probably be where I'd pick if living in Iowa if I wasn't in the CR or Northeast corner.

And F that on anyone calling Ames a ****hole. A sleepy town, sure, but far from a ****hole.