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- Thread starter SoapyCy
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I love Des Moines, been here 18 years now after moving here from Ames. There is a lot of opportunity here for you if you have an open mind. My wife is a recruiter for a lot of big companies in the area (if you need any extra eyes for employment PM me) My best suggestions for school is the West Des Moines area or even Urbandale but a lot of good options all around. We have a 1 year old son currently and plan on having him in West Des Moines Schools or Urbandale....flexible on that.
I didn't move to DSM, but we made a similar life change a few years ago. We lived in Omaha for the first 7 years right out of college. I had a cool job, but it required a ton of travel so I was gone most of the time.
We liked Omaha but didn't love it. I liked my job, but grew weary of the travel once our first was born. We struggled with the decision to move for about a year and then finally decided to pull the plug. We ended up moving to MSP and we love it here. We are so glad we made the change. It's hard to even imagine how we made it as long as we did in Omaha where we were clearly unhappy.
That's all to say: good for you for doing what's going to make you and your family happy. Whether that's DSM or anywhere else, I applaud anyone willing to assess their situation and make a bold move for the betterment of their lives.
My advice would be to do your research and be realistic about what you all need to be happy. For us it was a sense of community and we needed a shock to the system to get us moving in the right direction. I also think we made a good call to rent first when moving to a new city so we could get the lay of the land before buying a home. Good luck to you!
(PS - Based upon your profile pics, I would have assumed either you or your wife was a plastic surgeon.)
I throw in a plug for Urbandale. Our kids are a few years away from school, but we like that Urbandale is not this biggest of schools in the area and it is also more diverse than some schools in the area. We live in "old" Urbandale, east of the interstate, and we love the proximity to everything. 15-25 minutes gets us anywhere we want to go in the metro, 45 minutes driveway to Jack Trice.
Good luck with your decisions, that cannot be easy.
Good luck with your decisions, that cannot be easy.
We had a similar situation. We just said screw it. Were moving. It was risky, but everything worked out thankfully. We figured worse case scenario we would be renting an apartment and taking odd jobs until we found what we wanted. We happened to land jobs and buy a place with in three months. We also had a one year old at the time. Sometimes you just have to go for it.
Des Moines is a great little city. Nice suburbs,and bedroom towns around the outside as well.
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I grew up in the west suburbs, then lived in beaverdale after college, then ended up in Johnston in a new build before moving out of state. I really liked Johnston and would move back there if I had to come back to DSM.
My second choice would be West Des Moines but the more “old money” parts of WDM so the area from 35th to 60th street south of Ashworth but north of Mills Civic also staying north and east of JCTC. The newer areas out west are a **** show of a mix of 400k houses with a bunch of giant apartment complexes mixed in.
I would also look at the areas of Cumming that are in the WDM school district if you aren’t concerned about being a bit further out and grabbing a nice big 1/2 acre plus lot.
My second choice would be West Des Moines but the more “old money” parts of WDM so the area from 35th to 60th street south of Ashworth but north of Mills Civic also staying north and east of JCTC. The newer areas out west are a **** show of a mix of 400k houses with a bunch of giant apartment complexes mixed in.
I would also look at the areas of Cumming that are in the WDM school district if you aren’t concerned about being a bit further out and grabbing a nice big 1/2 acre plus lot.
I'm sure you already know this, but moving is one of life's great stresses. Multiply that with new jobs and kids.....
Know that going in. Even an easy move isn't without some stress involved.
I moved to California without a job. My main issue was finding a place to live without income.
You sound set on Des Moines. Great town! The biggest mistake I've made with relocation is going to a place that's a bad fit. Then you're stuck in a place you don't want to be. A costly mistake to fix.
Good luck!
Know that going in. Even an easy move isn't without some stress involved.
I moved to California without a job. My main issue was finding a place to live without income.
You sound set on Des Moines. Great town! The biggest mistake I've made with relocation is going to a place that's a bad fit. Then you're stuck in a place you don't want to be. A costly mistake to fix.
Good luck!
We're cut from the same cloth. We live in a small-ish town outside MSP that could be considered a suburb, but is probably too far out to be definitively called that. We want to move even further out for our next house and either be in the country or a smaller community where we can really get invested locally.
DSM is great for that because the traffic isn't bad at all. You could live 40 miles out and still have a 1 hr commute depending on where you work. It would take me an hour to get to downtown MSP from where I live now.
We moved to Ankeny from KC. I am so thankful that we made this move. Our church home is wonderful, the schools are top notch, and the friends that I have made through golfing and church will continue for life.
I'm pretty sure Bondurant, Waukee, Urbandale would all give you the same options. Bondurant would probably be closer to the Grundy Center/Marshaltown vibe you are used to.
I grew up in a town of 100 outside of Kalona and my wife grew up in Urbandale. We are very at home in Ankeny. It has a small town community, but it's starting to lose that a little as it grows so crazy fast. But I'm guessing Waukee is in the same boat. Urbandale is land-locked now I think so they aren't going to change much.
If it wasn't for my love for attending ISU games we probably would've chosen Waukee back in '06 and would be able to enjoy all the flashy new things they have gotten that Ankeny hasn't. (I'm referencing the Y mostly...) But Ankeny's new Prairie Trail will only transform this town more, good or bad...
I'm pretty sure Bondurant, Waukee, Urbandale would all give you the same options. Bondurant would probably be closer to the Grundy Center/Marshaltown vibe you are used to.
I grew up in a town of 100 outside of Kalona and my wife grew up in Urbandale. We are very at home in Ankeny. It has a small town community, but it's starting to lose that a little as it grows so crazy fast. But I'm guessing Waukee is in the same boat. Urbandale is land-locked now I think so they aren't going to change much.
If it wasn't for my love for attending ISU games we probably would've chosen Waukee back in '06 and would be able to enjoy all the flashy new things they have gotten that Ankeny hasn't. (I'm referencing the Y mostly...) But Ankeny's new Prairie Trail will only transform this town more, good or bad...
In DSM catholic school likely = Dowling, so I would maybe look at the west suburbs or west side of DSM. Of course will depend on where you and your wife end up working, but the DSM commute really isn’t something to worry about.
Really can’t go wrong with most parts of WDM. Johnston and Urbandale would be good too. If you’re looking for a spot with more unique character maybe look at beaverdale or Grand ave neighborhood on west side of DSM proper
My advice would be to stay away from Waukee and the areas of WDM, Clive, and Urbandale that fall into the Waukee school district. There is nothing wrong with the schools but that district is growing like crazy and with young kids you will most likely experience the growing pains of shuffling schools.
We live in the WDM area that Gunner pointed out and absolutely love it. IMO the best part about the WDM school district is that it is pretty much capped as far as enrollment goes since there is minimal room for new construction.
We live in the WDM area that Gunner pointed out and absolutely love it. IMO the best part about the WDM school district is that it is pretty much capped as far as enrollment goes since there is minimal room for new construction.
Ankeny has really grown on me since moving there ~2 years ago. Doesn’t have quite the amenities WDM has, but still plenty of cool restaurants and bars (also Firetrucker). Easy access to High Trestle Trail. 15 minutes to downtown. And 20 minutes to Jack and Hilton
Any of the burbs are good, I would find the one closest to the career opportunities for one of you.
I'll throw a plug in for Norwalk. I've lived there over 25 years and it's quiet, low crime and easy to get to most places fast. I work downtown and the commute is easy. Hiway 5 makes it about 15 min's to Jordan Creek and if your heading east it's easy to get to I 80. The community is really growing and businesses are moving in. Schools and FD & PD are really good.
Another plug for Urbandale. We live in the far northwest side of near grimes. The school district is Waukee and we love it.
I live in the Westwood neighborhood of Des Moines and love it. We're walking distance to the elementary school where my 3 kids will go (currently have 1 that goes there). My daughter has less than 20 kids in her class right now - which I guarantee you will not get at any of the suburbs, especially Waukee, but we also are in one of the smaller elementary schools in Des Moines.
We're a 5 minute drive from downtown, or Merle Hay/Valley West areas for shopping. Only thing we need to get in West Des Moines/Waukee is when my wife goes to Costco once a month.
We're a 5 minute drive from downtown, or Merle Hay/Valley West areas for shopping. Only thing we need to get in West Des Moines/Waukee is when my wife goes to Costco once a month.
Based on what the OP described, I'd think Beaverdale would be a really good fit. It has that small town downtown feel to it. I lived there for 3 years and loved it. There were always young families out and about as well.