| liv score 571 How We Calculate Our Data |
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|---|---|
| Civics | 32 |
| Demographics | 60 |
| Economy | 55 |
| Education | 49 |
| Health | 62 |
| Housing | 54 |
| Infrastructure | 81 |
#96. Des Moines, IA
The fastest growing city in the Midwest, Des Moines offers the amenities, both cultural and recreational, that rival its much larger cousins. With short commutes, nationally renowned farmers’ markets and a booming millennial population, Des Moines is a surprisingly cool city smack in the middle of the heartland.
Do you like baseball? The Iowa Cubs call Des Moines home, and locals’ allegiance to the team rivals many major league cities. The Cubs play in Principal Park, which has a prime spot in the city along the Des Moines River.
If you work in finance or insurance, Des Moines is the place to be. Large companies like Principal, Nationwide, Mercer, Wells Fargo, Athene and more hang their hats in Iowa’s capital city. The bottom line? There’s money to be made in Des Moines, and entertaining, creative and unique ways to spend it. But rest assured you won’t spend it all on your home: the median home value in Des Moines is just $130k. It’s no wonder many native Iowans who moved to bigger, more expensive cities are finding their way back to Des Moines.
Local Obsession: Raygun, the irreverent t-shirt and gift shop that has coined hilarious slogans such as “Des Moines: French for The Moines” and “Iowa: 75% Vowels, 100% Awesome.”
Climate Described in 6 Words Or Less: Not as cold as Minnesota.
Top Industries and Employers: The top industries here are finance and insurance (including companies like Principal, Nationwide, Mercer, Wells Fargo, Athene), as well as data centers, agbioscience and advanced manufacturing.
Local Dream Job: Social Media Strategist at Happy Medium, a super cool marketing agency based in Des Moines.
Quintessential Meal: Velvet Elvis Dip at The High Life Lounge. The restaurant is right next to Principal Park, so check it out right before or after an Iowa Cubs game.
Favorite Weekend Activity: Enjoying one of the countless unique events that crowd Des Moines’ social calendar. Our favorite? Bacon Fest.
After-Work Meetup Spot: MALO, a great Mexican restaurant with half-price Sangria during happy hour.
Best Brewery/Local Beer: Exile Brewing
Beloved Bookstore: Beaverdale Books
Free Way to Have Fun: Spend the day appreciating art (without having to spend a dime!) at the Des Moines Art Center and Papajohn Sculpture Park.
Hidden Gem: Fong’s Pizza, a Chinese/pizza fusion restaurant that offers delicacies like crab rangoon pizza and pepperoni-stuffed egg rolls. Eating here is an experience everyone needs to have at least once in their lives.
– Tim Carty
Read More:
Heartland Hotspot: Why Millennials Are Flocking to Des Moines
Beyond Silicon Valley: 5 Up-and-Coming Tech Hotspots
The Best Places to Live in Iowa
Why Everyone Is Moving (Back) to Iowa — And You Might Want to Join Them
5 Presidential Campaign Stops That Are Also Awesome Places to Live