Living in & around Des Moines

[CyBroncos]

I've lived in West Des Moines a year and really like it. Easy to get around town and plenty of shopping and dining options. The West Glen area is pretty cool. It's a nice area and with you having kids you have plenty of parks and good schools around and not as much trouble to worry about as the other parts of town.

[Gonzo]

Depends. Do you want a house with "character" (aka old)? Do you want more quiet living or closer to malls, etc?

How much are you looking to spend?

There are probably things you should list if you want an objective opinion.

"Character" is great but I prefer homes built with 21st-century living in mind. Kind of lame I know, but with two young kids would want a strong neighborhood feel, nothing too busy, which is why I'd be interested in knowing what some of the outlying communities are like. 275-300k.

[dmclone]

"Character" is great but I prefer homes built with 21st-century living in mind. Kind of lame I know, but with two young kids would want a strong neighborhood feel, nothing too busy, which is why I'd be interested in knowing what some of the outlying communities are like. 275-300k.

Not lame at all. "character" is great for some people. I'll take the reliability of my cookie cutter house. It's like comparing a Honda Accord to a Camaro. Yeah the Camaro will get the ladies to look but they won't be as impressed when the T-Tops start leaking.

[aauummm]

I'm looking for some objective insights/opinions on Des Moines and some of the surrounding communities... West Des Moines, Urbandale, Johnston, Norwalk, Indianola, Waukee, Pleasant Hill.

For a youngish family moving there, which part(s) of Des Moines and/or surrounding communities (such as the ones named above) would you recommend and why? Which would you avoid?

Any input would be much appreciated.

I would certainly check out the newer areas of Altoona (Venbury, etc.). Lots of young families, lowest city taxes in central Iowa. You won't even know that Adventureland, BassPro and Prairie Meadows are here but they payed for a large portion of our new aquatic center, fire station, library, new schools, etc. Great SE Polk school district with a brand new high school, middle school and new grade schools.

The commute to downtown or the west side of DM is perfect, a nice 15 minute drive west with the sun at your back and light traffic. Driving back home in the evening, the sun is again at your back and no traffic jam like there is going west out of town on 235. Very easy access to all freeways in any direction. Jack Trice is 35 minutes from my front door. There's great selection in the $300K range and you'll get more house for that amount than what you'll get in any of the western subs.

[capitalcityguy]

As mentioned, more details would be helpful.

Do you want a house, a condo, or a townhome? Do you want to live in a walkable neighborhood (i.e.…can walk to some amenities like restaurants, limited shopping, etc.) or are you OK hopping in the car anytime you have to go somewhere. Do you want to be near bike trails or doesn't that matter? Do you like newer subdivisions or neighborhoods with more character/trees? Do you want to live near young families? How close do you want to be to the majority of things you do (grocery, mall, work)? How much do you want to spend on a house? What are some things you really liked about past places you lived and what are some things you hated? How much does the school district matter?

Several of us I’m sure have lived in different places in the metro and can give opinions from our prospective. It would be a lot more effective (and we could cut through a lot of the background noise you're going to get on this thread) if you supplied more specifics.

[dmclone]

Metro tax rates


City of Ankeny : FY 2011 Polk County Property Tax Rates

[SuperCy]

We've been in Altoona for 8 years a love it. We decided to buy in the older part of Altoona. It has a small town feel to it, but everything we really need is 5 minutes away.

It's not a bad commute. I work In West Des Moines and it takes me a little while to get there. the positive is that I'm always going against the flow of traffic. Ideally, I'd love to work in downtown.

[NobodyBeatsCy]

For a young family, I would pick Waukee as your best option. Indianola is too far and seems like another world. Norwalk has tried to change and grow but it's the same town it was 30 years ago (and will be for another 30). WDM and Clive are great (I live in Clive) but I bet you can get more for your money and a good school system in Waukee. Plus - everything seems to be growing in that direction. I think its a great investment.

[dmclone]

I don't know anyone that lives there but I always thought Polk City would be a great place to live. Close to the lake, far enough away from the metro that it still has that small town feel, close enough so the commute is not bad, etc.

[Gonzo]

Metro tax rates


City of Ankeny : FY 2011 Polk County Property Tax Rates

Good stuff, thanks.

[azn4cy]

"Character" is great but I prefer homes built with 21st-century living in mind. Kind of lame I know, but with two young kids would want a strong neighborhood feel, nothing too busy, which is why I'd be interested in knowing what some of the outlying communities are like. 275-300k.

Then that right there is why you didn't consider Beaverdale/Waveland. I actually feel the same way.

I personally like both WDM area and Johnston. I think WDM ends up being closer to a lot of stuff (except ISU events, but you don't have that to worry about ) But Johnston is a little quieter, and like a previous poster mentioned, depending on the neighborhood, can have a bit of a smaller town feel.

for the 300k range, you'd be golden in either of those places.

[aauummm]

I don't know anyone that lives there but I always thought Polk City would be a great place to live. Close to the lake, far enough away from the metro that it still has that small town feel, close enough so the commute is not bad, etc.

Actually, Polk City is a very attractive place to live, with a lot of new housing in the $300K range. I've checked it out a lot, but chose Altoona. Altoona has the edge in shopping and convenient access to 235, the 65 bypass and the Interstates, but Polk City definitely has the edge in the lake and it's recreational opportunities.

[1100011CS]

Nice. Lemme guess, the way way east side?

Yeah, like Iowa City east.

[brianhos]

You came to the wrong spot for objective insights on towns. This will quickly turn into a bash Ankeny, or bash Waukee fest.

Ankeny is closest to JTS!

[Wallacelantz]

I would certainly check out the newer areas of Altoona (Venbury, etc.). Lots of young families, lowest city taxes in central Iowa. You won't even know that Adventureland, BassPro and Prairie Meadows are here but they payed for a large portion of our new aquatic center, fire station, library, new schools, etc. Great SE Polk school district with a brand new high school, middle school and new grade schools.

The commute to downtown or the west side of DM is perfect, a nice 15 minute drive west with the sun at your back and light traffic. Driving back home in the evening, the sun is again at your back and no traffic jam like there is going west out of town on 235. Very easy access to all freeways in any direction. Jack Trice is 35 minutes from my front door. There's great selection in the $300K range and you'll get more house for that amount than what you'll get in any of the western subs.

Altoona also has a great system of trails if you like to bike, run, or walk.