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Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

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Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#71

Post by yeldarb »

Jemaclus wrote: post #60

Almost everyone commenting here falls into two camps: A) "NYC/SF is great" and B) "I've been to Des Moines, it's great." But nobody here really seems to be comparing the two. If I live in SF/NYC and I want to move to Des Moines, what are the upsides? What are the downsides? Sure, Des Moines is a nice place with fun stuff -- but so are a hundred other cities in the US. What makes Des Moines different or a good enough…

There is no one silver bullet but I can tell you why I choose to live in Des Moines.

For me it is about the community. I like building things. Here, in addition to building my own startup, I am part of a group of people working to build a great ecosystem. It's exhilarating and inspiring to be surrounded by other people who are working together to make Iowa a great place to live. Being a part of shaping that nascent identity is a good feeling.

That's, of course, not the only reason to live in Des Moines. The reasons, priorities, and motivations are different for everyone. I've heard everything from people moving here to raise a family (low crime, great public schools) to cost of living (paired with the low unemployment the standard of living way more than averages out), to the hundreds of miles of public bike trails, to the growing music and arts communities, etc.

But really, it is hard to know whether Des Moines is the right place for you since I don't know you. It may not be, but I love it here.

It is also always interesting to read outside perspectives. David Byrne (of Talking Heads fame) recently wrote about Des Moines and I think it captured a lot of the small "quality of life" details that are hard to pin down without experiencing them from a fresh perspective. http://davidbyrne.com/des-moines

Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#72

Post by yeldarb »

msoad wrote: post #58

Lack of diversity makes it hard for people from other cultures to live in such city. How can I live without access to Turkish food??!

I agree, I would love to see more diversity in Des Moines but I think this is more a function of size; a smaller metro can't have a community of every culture.

I have been waiting for a good Cuban place for far too long!

But it's not like there is a complete lack of diversity. There are large numbers of Vietnamese and Bosnian immigrants living in the city to name a few.

Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#73

Post by jlees »

santaclaus wrote: post #39
wyclif wrote: post #21

If you're interested in alt-startup US cities, here's my list of places I would be interested in if I were a founder or early employee: 1. Boulder 2. Austin 3. Omaha 4. Des Moines 5. Reno (the real sleeper, but just look at the low, low business tax rate and proximity to SF). The above list isn't meant to be chiseled into stone—it's just a thought experiment on my part and I'm interested in what others think the pros…

No PDX? Half the cost of SF or the Valley, located conveniently between SF and Seattle.

Yeah, I'd be interested in folks' thoughts on Portland/Seattle. Considering a move up the west coast from SF.

Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#74

Post by A_COMPUTER »

bigtunacan wrote: post #48

I currently live in Cedar Rapids, which is largely referred to as the "corridor" area; the region joining the "separate" cities of Iowa City, Coralville, Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha which are all sort of converging into one larger metro area as population and grow increases. We are about a 2 hour drive from Des Moines and there is a lot of collaboration happening across the state outside of just Des Moines. There…

> In terms of diversity; it may not have been that diverse 20 years ago

Most of that diversity is comprised of low-wage agribusiness, factory work or meat-packing labor.

Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#76

Post by davidw »

yitchelle wrote: post #55
Touche wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's more interesting that physical location matters at all in 2014.

I don't think we, as humans, will ever work fully remotely. I know companies like 37signals and others have been successful in this working model, but personally, I must have some human contact with the person I have been working with. I would imagine that the majority of humans would also have the same attitude. Humans are social creatures and we have an emotional need to connect. I can clearly see this as I contras…

Also, random spontaneous interactions happen more when there are more 'particles' bouncing around. That's part of the point of this book:

http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2012/10/the-new-geogr...

That said, I did my time in the Bay Area, got out, and I'm happy to see people doing more in all kinds of places.

Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#77

Post by davidw »

jondthompson wrote: post #45
davidw wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> most people in Des Moines were born there The opening bit of this book talks about that: http://www.billbryson.co.uk/index.php/the-lost-continent/#ex... (click on extract to read) "I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to. When you come from Des Moines you either accept the fact without question and settle down with a local girl named Bobbi and get a job at the Firestone factory and live there for ever and ever, or…

It's great that this has changed in the 25 years since he wrote this, and even longer since he lived it. I live in Des Moines. I choose to. There are many people intent on improving Des Moines. It's easy to get in touch with the people that have the political and economic ability to drive that change. Zach is an example of this.

Bryson actually has a number of kind things to say about Iowa; that's the first bit of the book, and it's probably written to hook you. I think overall it's a pretty funny and interesting read about his travels throughout the US, although yes, it's been in print a while. As a native of Oregon, I'm still a bit bitter that he skipped the Pacific Northwest entirely, though.

Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#78

Post by BuckRogers »

Jemaclus wrote: post #60

Almost everyone commenting here falls into two camps: A) "NYC/SF is great" and B) "I've been to Des Moines, it's great." But nobody here really seems to be comparing the two. If I live in SF/NYC and I want to move to Des Moines, what are the upsides? What are the downsides? Sure, Des Moines is a nice place with fun stuff -- but so are a hundred other cities in the US. What makes Des Moines different or a good enough…

I might be able to help here. I'm a native Iowan. I've lived all over that state. I've also lived years in downtown Chicago and Austin. I've also lived overseas in France. I've been to the bay area, NYC, Miami, pretty much everywhere among other hot spots, but haven't lived in those places.

I'm going to be honest, I know DSM well and if it were so great I'd be there now. I'm not sold on the growing hype train about DSM, and the cheap cost of living is an excuse for employers to give you lower wages. It's a nice, progressive city though.

So yes, the best part about DSM is that it is a nice city, albeit a bit small. Part of the influx of people are younger Iowans gathering there as the other cities/towns have gone bust.

As an individual with gainful employment, stay where you are unless you're made an offer in DSM. I can't honestly recommend anyone pack up and make the move without. A lot of employees run around that city with the same few insurance companies on their resumes. It's just a very small market.

The short answer to your question IMO is that in the 'midwest revival' cities group, it's one of the best choices. It's better for a founder than it is as an employee though.

I'm also looking to put down some roots at this point, Seattle, Chicago and maybe Portland are in the running. If you're from the west coast I personally would pick Seattle.

For myself, I'm likely returning to Chicago to put down roots and buy a home, as a robust public transportation system means more to me than any other metric. Spending half my life in traffic isn't something I'm willing to accept.

I think you're spot on though with questioning the hype.

Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#79

Post by curmudgeon224 »

jlees wrote: post #73
santaclaus wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No PDX? Half the cost of SF or the Valley, located conveniently between SF and Seattle.

Yeah, I'd be interested in folks' thoughts on Portland/Seattle. Considering a move up the west coast from SF.

Do it! Move now.

Re: Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines

#80

Post by curmudgeon224 »

Jemaclus wrote: post #60

Almost everyone commenting here falls into two camps: A) "NYC/SF is great" and B) "I've been to Des Moines, it's great." But nobody here really seems to be comparing the two. If I live in SF/NYC and I want to move to Des Moines, what are the upsides? What are the downsides? Sure, Des Moines is a nice place with fun stuff -- but so are a hundred other cities in the US. What makes Des Moines different or a good enough…

well hurry up and figure it out and move please.
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