Potential move to Des Moines Iowa -help

[D2B]

Hi

Well, I need any and all help I can get from my fellow PSérs. We are currently in the UK and my husband has several options for his next assignment. One of which is Des Moines in Iowa. Now, we have lived in various European places, but never the states and have no idea what so ever

.

So I have a few questions

- any feedback on the area (good and bad)
- we have a toddler so needs to be family friendly and safe
- any website links that give you feedback / information on the area and state
- any website that can give you cost of living indicators for this area, what avergage wages are, insurance costs ,real estate rental costs for nice areas, house prices, crime stats etc and how they compare to other regions
-how cheap is it to fly within the us and visit places? (we love to travel around and explore as much as we can of
- what would we need to consider must haves in an expat package for moving to the US and that region eg school fees, health insurance
- any expat forums for non us moving into the us anyone knows about


Arghhhhhhh, we have no idea and need to evaluate options fairly quickly.

Please if you have any thoughts good or bad please let us know, I guess with a young family I am a bit more weary of just jumping into the next country without some research. I know my way around Europe, but Iowa I really have no clue, so please fill me in or tell me where to go for information.

Any info on the area or general expat stuff we should need to know for the states would be most welcome.

On the plus side I wouldnt have to pay VAT and customs on my WF and Facets pieces - surely that must count for something

thanks

 

[asscherisme]

Hi,

I moved from the east coast (Washington DC area, right outside the city) to the midwest a few years ago and I can say it was culture shock. The prices in the midwest are far far below what you would pay on the coasts (east and west coasts) of the us. You get a lot more home for your money. School districts can vary a lot in terms of quality so research is needed there.

I am in IL but not in an urban area and I'm sorry to say I regret agreeing to move here. I desperately want to move back to either the washington dc area or to the new york city area (where my husband is from) and if a good job that paid enough for my husband came up I would jump in a heartbeat.

There are of course exceptions, but in general, the midwest is considered much more conservative and the coasts more liberal. Personally I prefer liberal.

I will tell you a major issue for us has been religion. If you are not Christian than be prepared to have a difficult time in the midwest. I know its different closer to the larger cities such as Chicago but I'm talking about suburb living its VERY hard on my kids and my husband and I being non chirstian in the midwest. We are jewish and I know for a fact that we are the only jewish family in our neighborhood, in our schools and my kids feel really left out when everything for their friends revolved around the church. Especially near the holidays. Its awful. full on Christmas pageants. IL just passed a law last year called the Silent relflection and student prayer act. No kidding. They have a moment of silence every morning for kids and staff to pray! My husband and i threw a fit and are shocked because of US laws (the first amendment) calling for seperation of church and state.

My kids have been told they are gong to hell because they are not "believers".

If you are Christian, than the above won't be an issue, but beware of how conservative it is.

After all, Iowa just voted for Hucabee in their presidential caucuses.

If I could go back in time, I would not move here.

I don't mean to scare you, you asked for honesty.

I have never lived in IA but IL is next door to Iowa.

I am thankful I am a few hour drive to Chicago so we can do that as a day trip. In fact, we are going in 3 weeks to Chicago to see Wicked! I am very excited about that.

edited to add, we have found cost of living in ALL areas cheaper in the midwest, everything from car insurance to homeowners, to preschool. The only thing that did not change was health insurance. But even dentists bills are less than on the east coast. Electricity and gas is cheaper too.

Here are some links you might find helpful:
http://www.city-data.com/
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2007/
http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html

 

[fleur-de-lis]

I do not live there, but I have been to Iowa. Nice people, very inexpensive cost of living.

I hope I don''t offend anyone who lives there, but the state does have the feel of being "in the middle of nowhere". To me, the state''s agrarian history on the plains still plays large in the culture. And in a more literal interpretation, I imagine a person who loves to travel would find relatively few direct flights to coastal destinations; it would rate among the worst states for ease in frequent travel IMO.

As a European who is considering moving to the state, I would recommend renting the movie "The Bridges of Madison County". Admittedly, the movie is set outside of the city and 30 years in the past, but it might help give an idea in broad strokes of Iowa and the potential culture shock for a city-dwelling European to move there.

That said, the plains states are among the most wholesome and safe, which is a plus for your son.

 

[mintve]

Its been awhile since I''ve been to Iowa, but my dad grew-up there (marshalltown) and I was born in Iowa (Bettendorf/Devenport). Its is middle America, midwest, but at least you would be moving to Des Moines, and not a more rural part of the state.

I think it woiuld be a very good wholesome place to raise a child. The winters are VERY cold and snowy. and you are not too far from places like Chicago. Plus, Ashton Kutcher grew up there, so it can''t be all bad

In what part of Europe do you currently live? Are you near a big city or more in the countryside? Its funny you mention Iowa b/c one of my friends, who is German and lives in Scotland, has only been to the States once. Her one and only trip to the states was to Iowa. So, her idea of what america is is much different to that of someone who visits LA or NYC. That being said, all of america is not like LA or NYC either. In fact, the midwest/middle america of Iowa is probably more like what the vast majority of the country is like.

 

[somethingshiny]

Well, I live in IL, but I go to Iowa quite often. I go to the Davenport area, not really Des Moines, but I'm sure it's similar.

I DO think the midwest is more conservative, but I've never felt it in an "in your face" kind of way. I grew up in Dallas, so I was used to big city living before moving to the tiny town I live in now. Midwesterners are very quick to say hello and have a chat.

Religion is, as Asscher stated, a bit on the rough side if you're not a Christian. We have some Jewish but no Buddhist, Hindi, Muslim or anything else I can think of (in my area). So, I do see that to be a potential problem.

Schools are going to be varied. You'll have to check into statistics for the school districts you're considering. They should provide information on graduation rates, teacher histories, and crime statistics in the school. The state will have mandated laws on class requirements, so those may vary only slightly from one district to the next. School fees in IL are around $150 a year. I don't know what they are in Iowa. Actually, in some states, public school is completely free. I know I've seen info stating that Des Moines has some of the best schools in the country.

Communities within Des Moines are from one extreme to the next. They have very poor areas, and very rich areas. I can't give you any info on which places to try. But, the realtors should be able to tell you about the surrounding population for the areas you're considering. There are lots of events that take place in Des Moines. Theatre, concerts, festivals,

Insurance is going to depend on what hospitals/doctors you choose and your coverage. Most decent health plans will cover 80 to 90 percent of most services. Prescription services are generally a flat fee out of pocket. (ours range from $5 to $20 per RX) Many times, dental is lacking, as is optometric services.

As far as travel in the US, again, varies. You can get round-trip flights for $99 sometimes. (within the US)

The midwest is so "open" compared to most places in the US, you'll likely have tons of space, parks, playgrounds, etc.

I hope I gave you at least a few answers.

Here is Iowa's website (that's advertised to the public)
And, here is a "resident satisfaction survey"

Good Luck!
IOWASURVEY

argh, The above is Two separate sites. One's IOWA, the other's SURVEY.

 

[Elmorton]

DH and I just moved to Davenport a few months ago - so no experience yet with Des Moines, but it''s a little bigger (about 1/2 million to our 350 thousand in the Quad Cities). Davenport is like any other midwestern city - there''s art (Figge museum), culture (Bix Beiderbecke jazz festivals, Putnam museum), decent shopping (Von Maur is by far my favorite). We have lots of restaurants here, and plenty to keep us busy.

Regarding children, DH and I want to raise ours in Iowa - we''re hoping that we stay here. Iowa has open enrollment, which means that you can send your child to any public school, not just the one in your district. DH is a sportswriter, so he regularly talks to the kids in the area schools, the administrators, sees the buildings, and is impressed with what he sees.

And I''d like to address the thought that we''re all evangelical christians - only about a 1/3 of caucus goers were Republican, and of them, something like 60% were evangelical christians (from exit poles). When you do the breakdown, that is NOWHERE near a majority.

And, speaking of churches, if you''re C of E, Iowa has a solid Episcopal Diocese - I''ve been very impressed with the Church, its leadership, and activity in the past few months that we''ve been here.

The one big thing I''ve noticed is that Iowa is much more politcal than Illinois. I love that people are more involved in the political process and care about their local issues (I find this refreshing, even when I disagree with them).

The other thing I''ve noticed is that people are NICE here. You don''t get the "I can''t be bothered with you" Chicago-attitude that I so often ran into when living in IL.

In Des Moines, you''re not exactly a stone''s throw from a major city, but you''re not insanely far, either. Chicago, Madison Wisc, and St.Paul/Minneapolis are not beyond your reach. In Iowa, DH and I visited Iowa City this week for some shopping and a basketball game and had a great time. I''ve also visited the Amana Colonies when I was younger which is really nice for a quiet retreat (and amazing wool products).

When we first looked into moving here, I went straight to the internet and read absolutely horrible things about Iowa and Iowans. From the internet narrative, I read that I''d be murdered in 30 seconds after my arrival by a cow, and my future children would have six eyes from the corn. Kidding, but not by much! I read one review that "Iowans are only nice to other Iowans" - I don''t know how a person seriously believes a blanket statement like that.

I enjoy Iowa so much, and I hope you will, too! I''m all for an Iowa PS gathering.

 

[Elmorton]

Shoot, I just realized that I didn't address any of your actual questions -

DH and I rent a duplex with a two bedrooms, one bath in a nicer area and spend around $700 a month on rent. We searched local listings in the paper to find a local landlord (he used to live here until his family outgrew the space). We did look at a LOT of slummy places since we didn't know the neighborhoods and I was very disheartened by the apartment search, but then after we signed the lease here I noticed that there are duplexes in our neighborhood - really utilize the Des Moines register if you're looking. In our neighborhood (which is an older, established neighborhood), a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath house goes for about $150k. New construction on the same is I think around $200k. Housing in the midwest is pretty reasonable and from what we can tell (though we haven't been seriously looking), Iowa has not been too affected by the mortgage crisis.

Crime in Des Moines (as it is in Davenport) will likely be higher than the rest of the state for the obvious reason that it's a metro area. Our newspaper has a section once a week that shows you where crimes are located on a map and you can see that they're pretty much in the same places. I nearly died when I saw the crime stats here, but then I saw that it's mostly left and it really is isolated to certain neighborhoods - and as everyone here told us, you can tell quite easily when you're in those places.

It really depends on where you want to fly - but here is the link for the Des Moines airport: http://www.dsmairport.com/

Hope that helps a bit!!!

ETA: Please tell me the post about Bridges of Madison County was a joke?! Des Moines is NOTHING, NOTHING like that movie. And, neither is Field of Dreams (although that DOES exist), for that matter. You can get an idea of the rural landscape, but please don't compare that to an area with half a million people!

 

[Sizzle]

I can''t believe there are so many people living in the Quad City area on Pricescope! Perhaps a gathering is in order. Corey (Midwest Gems) is here as well as JH REVEL. Does anyone have any of their creations?

 

[Fly Girl]

I grew up in Iowa. It is a great place to raise a family, so I wouldn't worry about your kids. General education levels in the state are among the highest in the US. As mentioned before, it has an agriculture based economy. Friendly people. It kind of depends on what your interests are as to how happy you will be there. Our family flew down to Des Moines last summer to go to the opera. (My nephew had a summer job with the Des Moines Metro Opera company.) So, cultural opportunities are present, but nothing like the big East or West Coast cities.

Edited to add a LINK to the Iowa Department of Education. When they talk about being 4th or 9th in the nation, that would be out of the 50 states.

 

[dancingqueen]

I live in the Quad Cities, but travel to Des Moines fairly often for work. I love the downtown area.

I have a few work friends in the area that are rasing kids and love it. Overall, I think most people would say the entire state of Iowa would be a wonderful place to raise children.

My only complaint is ease of travel when flying. My whole family is on the east coast and I can never fly direct. Des Moines should have better flight options, though.

Checking out the Des Moines Register is probably a good idea.

 

[D2B]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

I appreciate everyones viewpoints, both good and bad, as everyones experiences will be different, but are equally valid and important in getting a full picture. I wil look up the various website addresses over the next few days. I dont think we can make this decision without flying out there and having a look ourselves (the company would fly us out). When we moved to the UK for work, we had been there previously and knew the country and had realistic expectations, our problem is that we dont know the US or Iowa at all.

Well, will keep you all up to date on how the search is going, if it starts to get more serious I will have heaps more questions just about everyday US things.

Thanks again, what a wonderful community

cheers from the UK

D2B

 

[San Diego Bride]

hi D2B,

i don''t live in iowa, but live in a neighboring state. i moved to the midwest from a large city in california about a year and a half ago and it was definitely a shock. everyone''s experience is different, so i can only tell you mine.

cost of living is very reasonable here. your money goes far for housing, groceries, shopping, etc. getting around is easy. traffic is basically nonexistent and parking tends to be ample and free. airplane travel has pluses and minuses. on the plus side, airports tend to be close if you live in the city, parking is cheap, and security lines are very short. on the minus side, smaller markets mean smaller planes, higher fares, and less direct flights. des moines has great children''s health care at blank children''s hospital. hoepfully you won''t need their inpatient services, but i would look into their clinic for outpatient needs.

overall, people tend to be friendly and welcoming and there is definitely a sense of "community" here. i find it''s a little more welcoming if you "fit in" though. people tend to bond over their churches and children. we have neither and are quite comfortable with that, but we do seem to get judged for that from time to time. that gets frustrating. the population, though changing, is quite homogeneous. i hear more racist comments here (i''m hispanic) than in other places i''ve lived. i suspect that some of these things will change are more diverse people continue to move to the midwest but it definitely bothers me and will prevent this from becoming my permanent home.

that''s just my opinion. good luck in your decision.

 

[rubybeth]

I live in a medium-sized Midwestern city in Minnesota, just north of Iowa. Iowa is, as people have said, primarily an agriculture based state, though Des Moines and Iowa City, from what I''ve seen/heard of them myself are decent in terms of urban life. My concern for you, coming from England, would be: how much do you rely on public transportation now? Americans rely heavily on cars in order to go short distances (5 blocks to the grocery store, for instance) because many cities here are not built with pedestrians in mind and don''t have mass transit systems like larger cities. I would check into Des Moines mass transit if this is a concern of yours. It''s one reason I would like to leave where I currently live, because if I were in a more ''walkable'' city I could spend less on gas, parking, and get more exercise, but it''s not possible to really walk anywhere.

Also, it can get cold. Like, -30 with windchill cold. But, the midwest is quite safe, Iowa has great schools, you''d probably meet lots of friendly people. I just mentioned your post to my boyfriend and he wants me to include the fact that Des Moines "smells like cereal," because of the 3 or so factories there who produce breakfast cereal, though it''s not an unpleasant smell.

 

[lumpkin]

I love Des Moines! I have some family there. They have a few fun things to do there: the Botanical Center and the Science Center. We took the kids to the Science Center and we could have spent a couple of days there, so if you like that kind of thing, it''s fun, and if you join they have a partnership with 130 other science/museums accross the US that you can go to on your Des Moines Science City pass. They have one of the best planitariums in the country. It''s very small town, but not so small that everyone knows everyone else''s business. Great schools. There''s a great park there with a small lake where you can fish or run/bike/walk on trails. The cost of living is pretty good and the crime rates is pretty low. The winters are very harsh -- they have a lot of ice and sometimes have power outages that last several days. One year they had a huge flood and couldn''t use their own water for over a week. I don''t know if they have addressed the problem with their river being prone to flooding or not.