My husband is being transferred to Des Moines, IA this summer. I'm trying to start my research -- but am kind of lost on where to start. I want to learn about where to find nice family-friendly areas and good school districts. Again, just not sure where to even look. Any suggestions???
I live in Altoona....it is an eatern suburb of DSM. My husband grew up here and we moved back about four years ago. Assests - miles of bike trails, parks, lots of families, great schools, I love it here and would recommend it to anyone...the school district is called Southeast Polk...you can check out the schools and the town on the web. Good luck!!!!
I agree with the other answers on what price range how far your husband wants to drive. Also if you want a big school district or a smaller one. Ive lived in Des Moines for 20 years and have raised two kids (now 19 and 16). I live in Urbandale and my kids go to school in Johnston. Both are good school districts and have afordable housing. I love living in Urbandale, we choose it after living on the east coast for a few years. We wanted to have a good, and safe place to raise a family.
We are in Ankeny just north of Des Moines and really love it. A wide range in home prices and the schools are great, lots of parks in neighborhoods and we are getting a dog park this summer. It's about a 15 min drive to down town depending on where you are at in Ankeny and it's right next to the intersate so easy to hop on and get around to anywhere in Des Moines. My husbands best friend is a realtor for Remax, Lance Martinson and he could help you out in your search. If you'd like his number just send me a message and I'll get it for you. Good luck in your search and welcome to Des Moines!
Hi J. - I've lived in DSM my whole life and where you may want to live is really going to depend on your taste, style and yes budget. :) If you want to, send me a private message and I'm happy to give you some factual (unbiased) opinions on neighborhoods, schools, shopping, churches, culture, etc etc. Its really a great place to live - no matter what you're looking for you'll find it here!
It depends on your taste, of course. And your housing budget. I think the most helpful thing when we moved was to visit and tour the city with our realtor. She was really helpful with information about the best areas for us with what we were looking for and houses we could afford. I'm sure that's not exactly what you're hoping for, but it's hard to know what to tell you without more specifics, i.e. do you prefer an older or newer home, bigger or smaller school, how far does your husband want to drive to work, etc.?
You might start by checking out desmoinesregister.com
