Are you thinking about moving to Des Moines, IA? Watch the video below to get my TEN reasons why you should!
Hi, I’m Heather Wright with RE/MAX Concepts. I’m a REALTOR in Des Moines and I would love to tell you why Des Moines is an awesome place to live.
#1 - IOWA NICE
If you’ve ever heard the term Iowa Nice - it’s true! And, it applies to people in Des Moines too. You might get a wave on the road, strangers helping each other at the store, or a simple “hello” from someone passing you on the sidewalk.
#2 - FOUR SEASONS
When you move you Des Moines you can expect all 4 seasons. Granted, winter might show up a few more times than you expect, spring is never as long as you think it should be, summer is incredibly hot, but fall is glorious (and that’s my favorite season!) So, get ready to layer your clothes because you never know what Iowa weather will bring for the day.
#3 - LOW COST OF LIVING
Des Moines is consistently ranked on top 10 lists for many reasons but one of them is the low cost of living. In Des Moines alone, the median cost to purchase a home in the last year was $155,000 which is a lot more affordable than the average of $275,000 in Chicago and the national average of $312,500!
Courtesy of Redfin
Courtesy of Redfin
United States Housing Market
Courtesy of Redfin
#4 - PARKS & TRAILS
The Des Moines Parks & Rec department manages 75 parks throughout the city. And they’re really lovely! We’ve also got various aquatic centers, splash pools and “spraygrounds” for the kiddos to stay cool in the summer. They also manage 2 REC centers, 3 community gardens, 3 golf courses and 3 dog parks!
THEN, there’s the trail systems. There are 63 miles of paved trails and 18 miles of soft trails so you can go for a stroll, a nature hike or get out your bike and ride. Seriously, the trails are IMPRESSIVE.
#5 - TRAFFIC
Des Moines traffic isn’t that bad, especially when you compare it to a larger city! Rush hour usually lasts about 1 hour, if even that long. You can get about anywhere in the metro in less than 25 minutes.
#6 - IOWA CAUCUS
The Iowa Caucus is the kickoff to the United States Presidential election primary season. Your political friends in other states will be impressed that you’re part of the Iowa Caucus.
Not to mention Des Moines was named as one of the 5 presidential campaign stops that are also awesome places to live!
#7 - FOOD
The restaurant scene in Des Moines is awesome. Whether you want to pick up a pizza at Casey’s or Fong’s, go out for casual dinner at Iowa Taproom, maybe get some Italian at Centro (or my favorite Baratta’s), there’s so many options! And if you consider yourself a foodie, you’re in luck because Des Moines is becoming well known for it’s foodie scene!
#8 - EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
There are many employment opportunities in Des Moines and the unemployment rate is 2.5% which is less than the national average of 3.5%. Large local employers include Wells Fargo, Principal Financial, Nationwide, Unity Point, Hy-Vee, MercyOne - and many others. Might be one reason why Des Moines was ranked in the top 7 Recession Proof cities.
#9 - EDUCATION
There are SO MANY education opportunities in the Des Moines area.
Iowa consistently ranks in the top 5 states nationally for statewide average scores on college entry exams.
Iowa has the highest graduation rate in the nation, more than 8 percent higher than the US average!
In the Greater Des Moines area you can depend on the excellent public schools. There are several private school options too.
AND, within Des Moines (or not far away) we’ve got access to 17 higher education institutions.
#10 - AWARD WINNING CITY
Des Moines is consistently voted in the top 10 “Best Places to Live” lists which take into consideration the cost of living, job market, quality of life and I don’t know what else.
In addition to that they rank in the top 21 for unique art towns, top 11 for best farmers markets, #6 for best cities to work in Tech, and top 10 best state fairs in the nation. These are just a few of the awards/rankings Des Moines has received.
That’s it - my top 10 list of why you should consider moving to Des Moines! Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments below where I try to respond to all comments personally. You can also click the link below to visit our website where we have tons more information.
Thanks for watching, if you liked this video please be sure to like it, comment, and subscribe to my channel. Hopefully I can answer any questions you have about moving to Des Moines!