Possible Relocation to Des Moines, IA

[kalliyan1]

I know this might not be the correct place to post this. Moderator move it if need be.

My husband is currently looking at a job opportunity in IA. Seems like the job is his if he wants it. We are going for a visit in a couple of weeks but I was wondering if anyone on here lives in the area, If you can help me with areas to live, school districts, is there a good children's hospital or would I need to go somewhere else, anything else you care to share.
TIA

 

[rhiansmom]

Grew up in Iowa... the Ankeny school district has great reviews and seems to be a great area.

Blank Children's Hospital is awesome

 

[MillauFr]

Check out West Des Moines. They have nice neighborhoods and the schools are good.

 

[yepbob]

I'm not sure where you are moving from but Iowa is a fabulous state to live in. I was born and raised in Eastern Iowa and left as an adult for about a year for the big city but came right back. I can't imagine raising my kids anywhere else to be honest. I am not as familiar with the Des Moines area specifics but Des Moines is a great area and I'm sure you will have no problems finding schools or children's activities, physicians, etc. Good Luck!

 

[kalliyan1]

Thanks for all the replys so far. We are moving from NC We've lived in Chicago but love it here in NC. Climate is wonderful!!!

 

[Minnesota!]

If I couldn't live in Minnesota, I would live in Iowa. It really is a nice place to be!

 

[bjscheel]

The better sides of Des Moines are the west and north, so suburbs like Johnston, Waukee, West Des Moines, Clive are places to look. Or further out of town west, Van Meter or Adel for a smaller-town lifestyle and possibly cheaper housing. Ankeny to the north. I heard Waukee is the fastest growing suburb in the nation, which may be good or bad- they keep outgrowing schools. I'm 45 minutes west of Des Moines, so I'm more familiar with the west side.

I don't have experience myself with Blank Children's Hospital but I get the impression it's great.

Is the job offer in Des Moines or somewhere else?

 

[kalliyan1]

The better sides of Des Moines are the west and north, so suburbs like Johnston, Waukee, West Des Moines, Clive are places to look. Or further out of town west, Van Meter or Adel for a smaller-town lifestyle and possibly cheaper housing. Ankeny to the north. I heard Waukee is the fastest growing suburb in the nation, which may be good or bad- they keep outgrowing schools. I'm 45 minutes west of Des Moines, so I'm more familiar with the west side.

I don't have experience myself with Blank Children's Hospital but I get the impression it's great.

Is the job offer in Des Moines or somewhere else?

It's located downtown Des Moines

 

[mcgrawfan]

We live in Knoxville which is about 40 min from downtown DM. Raising our daughter in our hometown! You could always live here and commute DM me if you have any questions! We are in Des Moines frequently! Great City!

 

[HoldenFamily4Disney]

Des Moines is a very nice and growing city/suburban area, and a great fit for families that value a small-town feel with big city vibes (some excellent eateries, good shopping, zoos, a busy airport, etc). My daughter has been in and out of Blank Children's hospital the last few months. It is considered a top regional children's hospital. Research the neighborhoods and suburbs and school districts. West Des Moines is the popular pick, but but there some great "bedroom" communities within a 20 minute drive of downtown. Good luck!

 

[Ranger111]

Weather

I won't repeat the good stuff people said -- people are friendy, etc., but do know the weather is very harsh in Iowa -- especially if you are used to North Carolina.

Winds can be terrifically high and combined with low temperatures, it is not unusual to have many days in the winter where, with wind chill, temperatures are in the single digits -- or -- occassionally below zero -- sometimes WAY below zero.

Go to weather underground or some other such site to see the historical/average temperatures for the winter if you are interested, but they will chill your NC blood.

Also, summer can be absolutely horrible in terms of humidity -- but you might be used to that from NC, depending where you are...

Mostly flat, so if you are a runner, no hills to worry about.

 

[Iowajes]

I don't live in Des Moines, but I moved to Iowa as an adult and I absolutely love it here.

The Des Moines children's hospital is good, but if you need access to excellent, or to some rare specialists- it is only a 2 hour drive to the University of Iowa Children's hospital or to the Mayo Clinic (depending on what care it is you want- the Mayo clinic has national name recognition, but there are some things even they send kids to UIHC for). If you just want regular pediatric care, there would be no reason to leave the city, but since you ask specifically for children's hospitals, I wonder if your family has an underlying need- in which case, I thought you might want to look to see if it can be served if a problem escalated, for example.

 

[kalliyan1]

I don't live in Des Moines, but I moved to Iowa as an adult and I absolutely love it here.

The Des Moines children's hospital is good, but if you need access to excellent, or to some rare specialists- it is only a 2 hour drive to the University of Iowa Children's hospital or to the Mayo Clinic (depending on what care it is you want- the Mayo clinic has national name recognition, but there are some things even they send kids to UIHC for). If you just want regular pediatric care, there would be no reason to leave the city, but since you ask specifically for children's hospitals, I wonder if your family has an underlying need- in which case, I thought you might want to look to see if it can be served if a problem escalated, for example.

We do need a few specialists vs. just general pediatric care so this will be very important to me. If this move happens, I will be reaching out to our current doctors for recommendations. I was mostly curious as to what the reputation was for Blank hospital.

 

[kalliyan1]

Weather

I won't repeat the good stuff people said -- people are friendy, etc., but do know the weather is very harsh in Iowa -- especially if you are used to North Carolina.

Winds can be terrifically high and combined with low temperatures, it is not unusual to have many days in the winter where, with wind chill, temperatures are in the single digits -- or -- occassionally below zero -- sometimes WAY below zero.

Go to weather underground or some other such site to see the historical/average temperatures for the winter if you are interested, but they will chill your NC blood.

Also, summer can be absolutely horrible in terms of humidity -- but you might be used to that from NC, depending where you are...

Mostly flat, so if you are a runner, no hills to worry about.

Oh, I know all about harsh winter weather. Prior to moving to NC, we lived in Michigan. I figured the weather would be much different than what we are currently used to. My kids started wearing shorts to school mid march!! So far, that is the worst part about the possible move is the cold! I still laugh when they close the schools for a week if we get a DUSTING of snow on a Sunday night. It can be gone by Monday but they will still have the schools closed if there is any moisture on the roads at all.