Deciding where to relocate and deciding on Des Moines, Iowa

I could have chosen to move anywhere after I was laid off. I'm choosing Des Moines. So, why might you care how I decided what I did? Because who moves in and who moves out shape the tax base, job opportunities, and livability of where you are now. My intention with this entry is two-fold:

1. To give you something to think about that you can use to make a difference in your own community.
2. To make the case for the Des Moines metro.

I’d love to hear from you why you chose to live where you did. Here’s my story…

Why I chose Des Moines:
I should start with one caveat: whether it’s the city of Des Moines or one of its suburbs has not yet been decided.

1. Proximity to family. It’s the type of trump card that overrules virtually all other factors, but a key factor to consider for cities and states that are losing population and looking to reverse that trend. Help people to rethink their childhood stomping grounds and you’d be amazed and who—and how many—might come back. Proximity to family got me to take my first look, but the remaining reasons are what sold me on the deal.

2. A strong core industry with a large, white collar community. Des Moines is one of the world’s insurance capitals. It’s also the home to a surprising number of social media companies, financial services companies, agribusiness, and more. Several companies like Kemin Industries, Pioneer Hi-Bred, and Principal Financial Group have international operations. I want to live in a highly educated community, as well as one that reaches beyond its borders.

3. Friendliness and groundedness. This applies to all of Iowa, really, but it certainly was a key draw for Des Moines. I’ve found people there are friendly and they mean it. They’re also grounded so that they have a clear sense of who they are and what matters to them. They’ve struck me as humble enough to know what they aren’t and sufficiently prideful and ambitious to compete with just about anyone.

4. Affordability and accessibility. Boston, Portland, San Francisco, and Seattle were all on the short list. I began to question how much some of the amenities mattered if I had to either live somewhere dramatically smaller or farther out than I wanted. Either way, if you can’t afford to do it, there’s a limit to how much you benefit from having it nearby.

5. A scenic and growing downtown. Whether I ultimately live in the core city or not I’m committed to their health. A scenic downtown is critical to a growing downtown. The Principal Riverwalk in Des Moines’ may not compare to San Antonio but it’s still beautiful. The new Pappajohn Sculpture Park is arguably world class.

6. Pride and energy. 10 years ago people in Des Moines looked at me like I was insane when I said I might relocate there. Now, there’s an amazing sense of pride and energy. I keep discovering new cultural arts amenities, there’s an awesome social media community, the Iowa Cubs a Triple-A baseball team and the 17,000 seat Wells Fargo arena (opened in 2005) that gets national acts far sooner than you’d ever imagine.

What would make a difference in Des Moines

1. Downtown retail to go with the great downtown restaurants.
2. More theaters and museums. I’m spoiled by a metro with the 2nd higher per capita number of theaters in the US, so the game plan is quality over quantity.
3. More access to water. Des Moines has great places like the Principal River Walk, Saylorville Lake, and Grey’s Lake. A magic wand would provide more artificial lakes in future developments and more affordable, accessible ways to access the water spots Des Moines does offer.
4. More green space. Iowa is among the lowest in the nation in the amount of public land. Great parks nurture serenity.
5. A larger university presence. Iowa State is only 30 miles away but it’s just not the same as having it in the city. Check out Madison, Wisconsin and see the difference. Grow Drake University and Grandview University by 50% each as a start. Use the land between Ames and Des Moines to spawn new communities and research facilities akin to the Research Triangle in North Carolina.
6. Greater city-suburban cooperation. The Greater Des Moines Partnership is doing a marvelous job of this. The more Des Moines vs. West Des Moines vs. Johnston vs. Waukee the less the region succeeds. Create a slice of the pie for each region of the metro and market the region as a whole.