Posted on 01/23/2016 11:55:58 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The capital of Iowa has long had a reputation as one of the least hip, least interesting and least dynamic cities in the Western world, a dull insurance town set amid the unending corn fields of flyover country, a place Minneapolis looks down on and the young and ambitious flee as soon as they graduate. "Usually you are born here or marry into here or get transferred here," says local entrepreneur Mike Draper. "Not many people come to chase their dreams. If they did, you'd be like, 'What, you want to be an actuary?'"
But unbeknownst to many outside the Midwest, over the past 15 years Des Moines has transformed into one of the richest, most vibrant, and, yes, hip cities in the country, where the local arts scene, entrepreneurial startups and established corporate employers are all thriving. Its downtown -- previously desolate after 5 p.m. -- has come alive, with 10,000 new residents and a bevy of nationally recognized restaurants. A few blocks away, the uber-cool Des Moines Social Club draws 25,000 people a month -- more than a 10th of the city's population -- to take part in everything from Shakespeare and avant-garde theater to live music and aerial gymnastics classes. Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne showed up at its opening in 2014 because he thinks a city once called "Des Boring" may be America's next creative hub....
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
How did Hollister get to be a brand name? What’s so great about a cow town in California, other than the 1947 biker incident?
Translation: once every four years people go to fly over country and find there are some nice places to go have dinner and drinks.
I lived in Des Moines for 12 years. Try the pork tenderloin sandwiches, they’re delicious!
Great place to be from.
Yep good point. According to whom is Des Moines considered cool? The bicoastal liberal elites? The bicoastal media, some of whom traveled there, and found a city which didn’t fit their stereotyped vision of a Midwestern city???
And then these media eltie types report from Des Moines that this city is cool based on their subjective criteria???
They are at 23 degrees right now....Cool enough?
“Great place to be from. “
Come back and visit sometime. Its very different here than 20 years ago.
Having said that; I wish people here in Iowa weren’t so obsessed with articles saying its a good place here.
No one on the coasts spends time worrying about what the rest of the country thinks of them.
Here in Iowa people spend too much time worrying about that.
Personally I could care less.
I saw an article somewhere awhile back ranking cities by Hipster population. Des Moines may have been the top ranked, or least near the top.
To what degree is it based on “yeah, I can find work here”?
Correction. That was Ames, Iowa at number two.
West Des Moinses coming in at 18th.
http://www.cbsnews.com/media/the-19-most-hipster-cities-in-america/19/
Sounds like they have really made some changes there, but still way too cold for me. But it is good to see that there are still some places that can become very productive, and taking a smaller city that has a small downtown population are indeed the ideal places to spark such growth provided the right visions are seen and possible to attain.
When I led the veterans placement unit at the Des Moines unemployment office the jobless rate was usually far below five percent.
Genius PR from central Iowa which does have a lot of white collar jobs available compared to the rest of the country.
It’s not really very hip, but is mostly friendly and comfortable.
Very reasonable housing prices, one practice freeway, and rush hour traffic only slightly troublesome in a few spots.
Growth areas are West Des Moines, Waukee, and Ankeny.
I grew up in Iowa also.
We never really gave a crap about Des Moines. We enjoyed all the small towns.
Live in Nebr. now, but do a lot of camping in Iowa.
But, alas, the fishing ain't no good.
That contributed to my leaving. How many bullheads do you have to land before you start wishing for something else?
How I miss those pork tenderloin sandwiches! Usually got mine at George The Chili King, Merle Hay and Hickman Roads. I think what made them special was George never changing his cooking oil.
I was close to Smitty’s on Army Post Road. The ones at Maid-Rite were okay but not the best.
Graduated from Ballard in 1978.
It’s Politico. It’s all left-wing gibberish timed for the primary.
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