Des Moines overall
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8/20/2006
I've lived in Texas and California, and Des Moines is as good of a place as any to raise families. I don't have any special love for the city, though, and am currently looking for a warmer state to do winter running. Just as other posters have stated, there's good and bad in all cities, so don't expect Des Moines to be perfect. Rachel said come and visit, good advice. Explore it for a week, then decide.
The population is relatively small. This is good for raising families, lower housing costs, etc. Finding HIGH paying work will be tougher, though. (HIGH being more than $60K.) A few industries dominate this town. (It is not Los Angeles with EVERY kind of industry.) I recently spoke with a women in Las Vegas, she said she soon wants to sell her business and raise her young kids in Minnesota--we'll see, though, apparently business is good in Vegas! So, "family" people claim to love places like Des Moines. For single folks, if they love sports bars, metro Des Moines has a lot. If you are single and want 365-day access to every "single-friendly" event possible, then Des Moines won't work. Again, think LA, or any LARGE warm-weather city where weather doesn't shut down travel. Or people just get sick of the winter and don't want to leave home! You can be happy here--but remember that the overall pace of life is more laid-back, less frantic, and more traditional.
Abhd | Des Moines, IA