Des Moines Revisited

The people in Des Moines were quite pleasant. They'd say hello on the sidewalk, and everyone I tried to chat up about the city took the time to talk about their home. The people (surprise!) very Midwestern. Down-to-earth, but not stodgy, not too serious, but not all spacy either. The pace of everything seemed a little slower than, say, Cleveland and definitely slower than Chicago, but the pace didn't drag.

At the blues concert.

I don't doubt that neighbors in Des Moines would be neighborly and that I'd be able to casually meet people. I'm a little worried about whether there are a lot of people in my peer group (which I consider 30s and 40s) who are unmarried and have no children. Not that those are the only people with whom I make friends, but it's easier to plan things when your friends don't have family obligations. Now, my demographics research did not turn up information that Des Moines is notably more family-heavy than most other cities on my list. But a number of the locals I talked to, without being asked, said they thought I'd be a little unusual, being still single and 37.

Having only one friend in Des Moines, and a Warcraft friend at that (i.e., not a “real life” friend) I am a little worried I'll be lonely, at least at first. But I remind myself that I've made friends everywhere else I've lived – even unfriendly Washington – so I won't worry too much about Des Moines. And nothing I've heard from people who know the place leads me to believe it's one of those towns that on the surface is nice to newcomers, but never really lets them into the true social circles of the city.

Des Moines is kind of a plain city. It's not ugly, but nothing about it really stands out as being really attractive either. Some of the neighborhoods are nice, and there is a large sculpture garden downtown. And of course some individual buildings are attractive, as are some homes, but the architecture leans towards the generic rather than the interesting. The town is not dense at all, which means there is green space everywhere, and that helps make it look pleasant. But it's all the same kind of green space: Grass and trees. Des Moines is totally flat, so there's not even change in terrain to distract the eye.

Offspring of The Thinker and that rabbit from Donnie Darko.

Now, one thing I really liked about Des Moines is how quickly one can escape the city and its suburbs and be out in the country. So if I want a change of pace, escaping the city will be really easy. Having said that, the only place to escape to is … flat land with cornfields as far as the eye can see. Different from the city itself, but not particularly beautiful.

You've got to admit though... This is really charming!

Things I think I'd like about Des Moines:

• Des Moines felt really comfortable, and even easier than, say, Cleveland. Everything is an easy 15 minute drive away, nothing is hard to access, parking is plentiful. There is enough infrastructure to support the people (groceries, restaurants, tables at the library) so there's not a lot of standing in lines or waiting for seats. Traffic is light. As someone who can be really bothered by all sorts of common irritants like traffic, waiting, and other people, having and easy life would please me.
• I like Iowa generally. The small towns, the farms. And I actually like open and flat (although admittedly it could get dull after a while). I like that Iowa matters in presidential elections. And I think participating in a caucus would be really interesting.
• This is a town where I think I could easily achieve my (minor) dream of owning a house! The homes are reasonably priced, especially compared to incomes. And there were enough nice neighborhoods of older homes, I know I could find a place I like.

The Art Museum.  A non-rink-a-dink art museum, at that.

Things I think I'd dislike about Des Moines:

• I'm worried I'll get bored. Or maybe not bored, but run out of new experiences to try. Des Moines is pretty small, and less ethnically diverse than most bigger cities, so there might be fewer festivals and restaurants, etc.
• It's a combination of fairly far away from the people I love, and it's not exactly a tourist destination. So I'm looking at doing a lot of travel to see my friends and family.
• People will make fun of me for moving there. Hell, people made fun of me for visiting there! LOL. (I can withstand such teasing; I needed something to list as a thing I wouldn't like about Des Moines, hehe.)