Living in & around Des Moines

**CyGal** · 08-30-2010, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by 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.

I have 2 coworkers who live in Polk City and they seem to like it. One has 3 little kids, one has no kids. From what I hear, the only bad thing about PC is driving on 141.

It is a little further from the metro area, but it is a nice place to live.

**Al_4_State** · 08-30-2010, 06:45 PM

Originally Posted by CyBroncos

What school district is Beaverdale in? I'm thinking Hoover or Roosevelt...no thanks

It's in Hoover, but Roosevelt is close, and Roosevelt isn't a bad district at all. Open enrollment is always an option too.

I'm honestly not that worried that a DSM public education would handicap my child, when I have kids. I think exposure to a diverse demographic would have a lot of life education benefits, rather than the sheltered world of a suburban district. If a kid is bright, and at all motivated, they can get a quality education in a public school.

**Palmer** · 08-30-2010, 06:49 PM

Lived in the Johnston school district for 15 years ....love it

**stlcardinals5** · 08-30-2010, 06:56 PM

i live in clive by waukee and its great. very nice neighborhoods with lots of young kids. and i love where you can send your kids to either waukee, urbandale, wdm, or dowling. even smaller schools like DM Christian, Iowa Christian, Adel, Dallas Center are close. great area.

**Gonzo** · 08-30-2010, 07:21 PM

Thanks all for the great info. Much appreciated.

**dmclone** · 08-30-2010, 08:46 PM

Originally Posted by Al_4_State

I'm honestly not that worried that a DSM public education would handicap my child, when I have kids. I think exposure to a diverse demographic would have a lot of life education benefits, rather than the sheltered world of a suburban district. If a kid is bright, and at all motivated, they can get a quality education in a public school.

True. Same can be said for the Detroit school district. Very diverse.

**justcynn** · 08-30-2010, 08:58 PM

Waukee, Grimes, Altoona = newer neighborhoods with fewer trees, etc. on the east side of Des Moines, Altoona, Bondurant. etc - tax abatements fueled the growth over the past several years, problem I see with that is that a 5 year old home doesn't compete with a new home that has a tax abatement available with it = lower resale potential. We are very pleased with West Des Moines, has some established neighborhoods and in your price range, I bet you can find a very good deal right now in an awesome neighborhood. Look south of EP True, Stonebridge area, and South 50th Street area. If I were moving here now, I would look in West Des Moines, Clive and Johnston. Nothing wrong with the others, but I just prefer the more establised neighborhoods but in that price range in Des Moines - property taxes will likely be quite a bit higher! I was leary of the size of west des moines schools, but have found the Elementary our kids are in is excellent and outside of sports opportunties - I think Valley is a great school as well. Kids stay in Elementary through 6th grade which I really like, 7th,8th together at one of two Junior Highs, 9th Grade by itself at Valley Southwoods and then 10-12 together at Valley. As a father of two Daughters getting into these ages - 6th graders don't belong in Junior High and 9th Graders don't belong in High School! When I was in school 6th through 9 was in one building and that was a terrible idea!

**enisthemenace** · 08-30-2010, 09:21 PM

I live in Waveland Township/Park and would only want to live a couple of other places:

Altoona
Runnells

All great for kids. Roosevelt, IMO, is the best metro school academically (might not being saying too much, but I would put it on par with the Dowlings and Waukees) and I think something can definitely be said for the diversity the city schools 'offer'.

Southeast Polk is an excellent school district, and there are a ton of young families. In this district, you have Altoona for true suburbia, tight knit, loyal, very friendly. Real nice homes in your price range.

Go with Runnells if you want a little isolation (still SEP school district). Great lots out there, and with your budget, you could build the house of your dreams on a pretty good plot of land.

**aauummm** · 08-30-2010, 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by Wallacelantz

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

Yes, the trails are very nice, well maintained, safe and extensive. Altoona also has the Altoona Campus which is a very unique facility for any community. It is a big fitness/community center that a person would only find in a much larger city. Welcome to the Altoona Campus

We had owned a home in the Waterbury area of Des Moines for many years and were looking to retire and downsize. I saw a home for sale online that was in Altoona. We had never been to Altoona ever so I decided to check it out. Loved the town, location, prices, amenities, people, the neighborhoods, family atmosphere, etc, so we bought. That was in 2002 and it didn't take me long to become a big Altoona fan.

**Three4Cy** · 08-30-2010, 10:42 PM

I live in West Des Moines in Reed's Crossing and love it. I am 15 minutes to my job downtown, a 5 minute walk to Jordan Creek A five minute drive to Target, Hy-Vee, churches, lots of restaurants both chain and independent. We are in Waukee schools and the school bus picks up right in front of my house. We have an almost new park in the neighborhood, close to bike trails, aquatic center, and I can walk to Brookview Elem. to get my kids. Our class sizes are typically no bigger than 22-23 kids in elementary school. My house backs to the site of the 2010 Home Show, and all those are much more expensive homes than mine, and all but two of them are sold. We have tons of kids in the neighborhood and most are junior high age or younger. We are more established, so we have bigger trees, mature yards, and family atmosphere. There are some really nice homes on the market in this area right now, that fall into the price range you are looking for.

One note on Waukee, they have some of the highest taxes in Dallas County because there is not much of a business base there. They have no big businesses paying property taxes, it is mostly houses, so their property taxes are higher.

**Bubbahotep** · 08-31-2010, 07:22 AM

No love for the south side? I see how you people are.

**weR138** · 08-31-2010, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by CyBroncos

What school district is Beaverdale in? I'm thinking Hoover or Roosevelt...no thanks

I think most of B-Dale is Roosevelt which is a good school. This is an ignorant statement.

**Al_4_State** · 08-31-2010, 07:37 AM

Originally Posted by Bubbahotep

No love for the south side? I see how you people are.

Police Say Men Cooking Meth Started Devastating Fire - WHO

In all reality though, the south side's bad rap is a little undeserved. I'd rather live on the south side than the east side, or between Drake and the Des Moines River.

**azn4cy** · 08-31-2010, 08:05 AM

Originally Posted by Al_4_State

Beaverdale would be a perfect fit for you. Convenience of living in the middle of the metro area, and it really has a strong small town neighborhood feel. It comes off like a separate community, even though it's a neighborhood of Des Moines. There are various neighborhood festivals year round which have a lot of family friendly activities, and a good mix of restaurants and bars for when Mom and Dad need a break.

My girlfriend and I moved there because A) it's really close to Drake, but more importantly, because we loved the neighborhood pride, and small town feel with the big city amenities/opportunities.

I agree with you on the neighborhood feel, but you sort of ignored the first part of his post, which states he's looking for a newer development. That pretty much rules out Beaverdale.