I lived for a couple of month in Des Moines and as a latino coming from Miami, that city was an oasis in the desert! I was really concerned about the people and the way they would treat me. It turns that they were the friendliest, the kindest and most open minded people I‘ve met in this country so far.
@@Foreskinflavourednuts I'm back in FL from my 5 year stay in WDM and still have my winter gear😆 I will NOT be cold when all my coworkers are "freezing" and complaining😁
I’m super glad to know you were welcomed! We do have a sizable Latinx population here, so that helps. Sadly, there are plenty of xenophobic folks here, too, so I’m glad that you didn’t run into them. We do have good people, music, and even food (big improvement in restaurants in the last 17 years!!) in Des Moines.
Also great for orthopedic surgeons. Given the frequent freeze and thaw cycles during the winter there's often a shitton of ice after the first major snowfall. If you're lucky that might not start til late December or even early January on rare occasion.
Hey there, Des Moines native here. I really hope you see this because I'll just say you gave such an accurate and honest description of my city. Especially about tough things to talk about like gentrification and lack of housing for the homeless. I'm definitely a subscriber now.
Hey i am an international student and will be arriving in des moines next week. Can you give me your socials by any chance i just need to ask some questions please.
I love to visit Des Moines for a very inexpensive weekend getaway. I've always felt safe, no matter where in the city I was. When I tell someone I am going to Des Moines, the response is always: Why????? I just shrug as I feel like is my secret escape and kinda want to keep that way 😂
@@ScrappertontheFurst Crime has definitely increased but it's still significantly safer compared to other major cities. I've lived in DSM my whole life and have watched crime go up, but I've also traveled to other places and DSM is still by and large much safer compared to almost anywhere else.
@@ScrappertontheFurst i live here and it is nothing compare to cali so yah its super nice for me i live right downtown its extremely friendly compare to cali and vegas.
I grew up in Fort Dodge and lived in the Chicago area for about eight years and moved from there to Des Moines in 1986. We've never regretted it. The transformation in this town in the last 35 years is absolutely amazing. It's a great place to live.
Now if they can solve the gun problems on Court Avenue during the weekends at night that would be great. If the City doesn't do that a lot of people will not go downtown and stick to the new entertainment zones coming up in the suburbs.
I've traveled to Iowa for years. This is a state that has allot of great people and so underrated. Appreciate you covering this state as it truly is affordable and successful with running things.
Hi Nick. Thank you so much for introducing Des moines, Iowa, I live in Dubuque 3hours away from Des moines. As a Vietnamese-Chinese immigrants, people are very kind and friendly to me.
Chicago transplanted into Iowa. When i was in grade school some kid came in from Chicago. within a week he was throwing chairs through the windows, assaulting teachers, dealing drugs, and cussed like a sailor. The Chi Town Hoodlum lasted a week at that Iowa School.
I have been going to Des Moines every Fourth of July for 25 years to attend the Good Guys car show at the state fairgrounds. I have always been impressed with the cleanliness of the city compared to Missouri cities. Also, they invest heavily in the upkeep and improvements to the fair grounds. That may sound inconsequential but if you compare their state fairgrounds to Missouri's there is a massive difference. The Goodguys show in Iowa one of the best in the country for that reason. BTW. great job on the score setting. You may not be a natural buy definitely trainable. Lol
Des Moines is a great city for car people, theres tons of cool cars everywhere and even at 3:20 in the video you can see a supra parked on the side of the street. at night all the tuners come out. theres even a bugatti veyron you may see if you're very lucky.
I am from India. I lived in Des Moines area for quite sometime.....12+years morethan where I was born and bought up. Not a single reason to moveout except weather. Its an amazing place!!
I had a neighbor from India for awhile. I guess it depends on where you are in India. But where he was from they had monsoon. Sounded like pretty horrible weather to me. He liked southeast Minnesota quite a bit.
Great video! As a Iowa City resident since 1996, I can tell you that the "undesirable element from Chicago" is a long-standing trope. It cycles in-and-out. It's not that bad. Iowa is proud and beautiful and happy, overall.
People coming to Iowa from Chicago wasn't all bad it brought some good to the state as well. There's been a lot of good change to Iowa since the huge migration in the late 80s.
We moved to north Iowa from Minneapolis back in 1992, I was extremely homesick from missing my life in the big city for about two years, now in retrospect I don't plan on ever moving back, Iowa is so much more affordable, the people are genuinely nicer here, the sense of community is strong, and the crime is low, we live in a small town of 151 people, I could go on , but just saying, Liked your vid
lol. Minneapolis doesn't even closely resemble what it was in 1992. It is a cesspool no different from any other democrat controlled city like Chicago, Houston, Memphis, Baltimore, etc. You do not want to go back to even visit. St. Floyd sure didn't help things either.
as a Iowa native, the weather gets brought up as a bad thing here and namely people say that in regards to snow, but there is alot of fun that happens in the snow here, come back when there's snow on the ground, I can show you some of the interesting winter times here. thank you for the showing of our state, it may not have the weather of Texas, and is more friendly than Texas, but lets keep Austin in Texas and keep midwest values here :)
@@kellytownsend4526 they are a thing, but for the most part if you stay out of completely rural areas, the building density prevents them from being able to touch ground and do alot of damage.
I lived with my girlfriend in WDM for about 5 years and other than the weather I loved it❤️❤️ we went to the state fair almost every year and it never disappoints. I grew up in NC and currently live in North Florida but Iowa holds a special place in my heart💙 from the racetrack in Knoxville to college football from 3 great programs in the state, Iowa is absolutely beautiful. The cost of living is going up but you get what you pay for👍🏻 another great video my friend❤️❤️ you have my dream job😆(travel and take pictures)
"30mins out" isn't exactly a helpful unit of distance unless you include what form of transportation you're using. My 15 minute walk to work is a five minute drive, for example
@@lisaturtle6374they actually ended up switching my move last minute to Omaha. I have visited Des Moines a couple times and it seems really nice! But I haven’t stayed there long term.
You didn’t go to mullets?! You def missed out. Been in the Des Moines area my entire life and can attest that it’s a great city. You can get from one side to the other (downtown/metro area included) in 10-15 minutes, you’ve got mass growing infrastructure, endless entertainment, and the best hearted people in the Midwest. Great video! Very accurate as always
Um, I don't know what part of town you are in but you must not get out much. You're lucky to make it out of your neighborhood in 10-15 minutes the way it is now and thanks to the far left city government first adapting the complete streets model for transportation and now vision zero you can be assured that traffic congestion will get a lot worse in the near future.
@@evets9275 huh? I live off 22nd close to The Floor Store. Takes me 8 min to get downtown, 7 min to mills civic, 12 min to waukee, and 7 min to Johnston… so yeah. Feel free to give me your number and I’ll send some screenshots
@@evets9275 also don’t know why you needed to throw the “don’t get out much” insult in… my friends and I are out all the time. In the last week I’ve been to: The platform, eggs and jam, Fongs, paws and pints, and barntown.
I remember stopping in Des Moins just because I had been driving all day and it was late and I needed to rest. I was absolutely stunned by the city and stayed the whole next day there just exploring it.
Thanks for what you do Nick. It's great to see various cities throughout the US without the political spin. I enjoy your unbiased take on things, just objective and straight forward.
We did, for job relocation in NW Des Moines - Urbandale - settled in Madrid 20 minutes north. Might as well call it Mayberry, the children are so normal and happy. Sweet spot.
I'm 26 and moving to the Midwest from Arizona - I'm done with the heat, massive population boom, and prices beginning to rival California. I'm heavily leaning towards Carmel, IN over anything in Iowa solely because Iowa has a tad too much snow
My parents were both from Iowa. My mom grew up in Mount Pleasant and my dad was born in Coon Rapids and they both ended up moving to Des Moines and meeting after World War II and marrying. I still have some cousins that live there and we would often visit on the weekends as that is where my paternal grandmother lived. Other than visiting the west side of town where my relatives lived, I never really got to spend too much time in Des Moines other than going to the state fair once in awhile. I'm from Omaha so Des Moines is not all that much different except it is quite a bit smaller than Omaha what you detailed and some of your other videos. One of my cousins spent several years working for a previous governor as his executive assistant so she spent a lot of time inside the capitol building. She said it is absolutely beautiful inside so I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to see it.
Iowa and Nebraska are looking better and better! I really would like to mover there!! I only wish the downtown retail that the shopping malls destroyed was still in both Omaha and Des Moines!
People who want to keep the city the way it is are more than welcome. Just please don't move here and try to remake it into something that has already failed in other states.
Nick you should check out Fairfield, IA, a smallish town in the southeastern part of Iowa. It is probably one of the most unique towns in America, with the town divided between normal Americans and members of a new-age trancesdentalist meditation cult. In fact, the famous film director David Lynch has a film school and ties to the city. While you ars in the area, I think the visit is worth it.
I'm 17 years old I'm a junior in highschool and live in Michigan des Moines is where I wanna move too once I graduate I know its gonna be alot better than when I lived in Detroit (I live in a small town right now)
@@seththomas9105 Thanks for your reply. Nice to hear from someone in Des Moines. I moved there in 1969. Lived there for a couple of years. Went away to college in Missouri, but spent summers in Des Moines during my college years. Do they still "scoop the loop"?
I’ve lived in Des Moines for 95% of my life. It’s a great place to live. The metro population is growing as you said, but Des Moines population itself is shrinking. All in all, it’s currently at about 750k. Downtown is busy but getting more dangerous. The area you identified as Wrigleyville is actually The Court Avenue Entertainment District. I’ve never heard it called Wrigleyville. However, I would not be down there on the weekends late because there is always issues. There has been lots of issues with the homeless situation along with lots of shootings and stabbings. I would agree with Joe, but expand on it. We’ve seen the issues with Chicago here along with Waterloo and Fort Dodge. There is tons to do here if you know where to look.
Great video and summary of Des Moines, Nick! Wish I'd known you were around...I would of bought you a beer! Next time!! I live just a stone throw away from some of the places you filmed downtown. I love Des Moines and can't think of anywhere else I would like to live. Nick doesn't sugar-coat the places he reviews so when he says DSM is awesome then it is!
BTW, Timothy may have been waiting for the Bus at the wrong stop... Cuz I frequently see him at one of the DART bus stops sippin' from a brown bag.... 😆
My Daughter and Grandson live in the Des Moines area, and the Metro area is about 700,000 people right now. About 6 years ago, i took a tour of the Capitol and they let me go clear to the top windows, even though are not supposed to, its actually a very old steep stairway, so its too much liability. Des Moines has a lot of growth, great schools, and sports complex, both private and public. all in all, its the best place in the state for jobs, food, and fun :) Oh, and Timothy leaving Des Moines for St. Louis is a huge mistake, no matter what, unless you are playing for the Cardinals !
The Cubs are NOT the only professional sports team in Iowa, The Iowa Wild (AHL Professional hockey, The Wolves, professional basketball) also call Des Moines home.
I moved here about twenty years ago and got to see the revitalization from when it started. It's a great city! The only downside is that the metro is very spread out. Once the newness wears off, spending so much time in the car gets old. Yes, Facebook is here and hires local, but do you want to commute to Altoona every day, especially when the weather gets bad? Family keeps us here, but I think we'd prefer a small town, work remote, and we could do more things without the drive time. (And while there may not be a big city style rush hour in Des Moines, construction can really mess up your commute.)
Drive from Des Moines to Altoona would be a hardship? I commuted into Des Moines from 35 miles out every weekday for a few years. I know people who drive much further distances into Des Moines. Lots of commuter traffic between Ames and Des Moines. The Metro is so easy to get around in and long traffic delays are rare.
Nick talks about how awesome the people are and then at 5:45 homie illegally passed you looks like going well above the speed limit and cutting it close to the oncoming truck lol. But for real, visited Des Moines on a trip to visit a friend who moved to Indianola for college and I had good thoughts about Des Moines. The only knock I'd give it (that I even remember) was the smell. The air smelt stale or old, might just be the agriculture surrounding the city. But that seemed to be all of Iowa not just Des Moines. 10/10 would visit again! And great vid!
Yes I noticed that smell also. I visited Waukee mostly and the smell of manure or fertilizer, was very strong for the several days I was there It didn't last all day though thankfully. Other wise I was very impressed with the Des Moines area. It really is a hidden gem in this country, and I'd hate to see it ruined by a massive population increase. When places are advertised to much for a good quality of life. People start moving in and ruin the place.
Cheers for this, I'm an English guy travelling to near Des Moines because of family here and didn't know what to expect. I have a better idea of what there is to see and do here now.
I've lived in Des Moines for about 12 years and it gets better every year. But if you move here to get away from cities that are in decline, PLEASE do not bring the politics from those cities here!
@@GabiN64 The local government in Des Moines claims to be non-partisan because candidates running for office are not affiliated to a political party, but the truth is that 100% of the individuals elected to public office in the city are big time liberals. They are, in fact, one of the most far left local governments in the country and have enacted some of the most progressive policies anywhere in the US.
I’ve lived in Iowa basically my whole life. I’m a professional Iowan. Live in Indianola grew up in Ankeny and Des Moines is basically my backyard. You’re gonna wanna visit Des Moines and hit a few local places We got some neat stuff not gonna lie.
Iowa is not the best by far. But for the most part, it's smaller, more quiet, and safer than popular states. You really see the beauty of Iowa through the hidden gems. Certain parts of the city, or throughout random parts of the state. No monuments or anything super special, but places that can make you feel at home and cared for. Fortunately, (But mostly UNfortunately) A lot of those hidden gems are small businesses, which are taken care of well in Iowa, but not well enough because the amount of growth happening in the areas they are in. Think family-owned coffee shop thrown out by another Walmart. Not to mention the crappy weather. There's pretty much no spring or fall. If there is it lasts a week and then the temps shoot up or fall way down. It definately has it troubles and downfalls, but it could be so much worse. And It's really good for what you get nowadays.
Just hoped too many progressives don't move in and turn it into a crime ridden hell. The progressives don't commit crimes, but they support the ones who do.
My wife and I just returned from 30 years in Minnesota and I would say the weather is substantily less friendly up there. And the taxes are worse in Minnesota and the laws are much more extensive. We used to regular go to Minneapolis and St.Paul for fun things to do, but that ended several years ago as the crime rate has exploded in those cities. Along with insect population
Back in the 80s, I had friends who were afraid to go to a lot of Des Moines neighborhoods. I got looks like I was from Mars when I told them I wasn't afraid to go to anywhere in Des Moines. I'm still not.
If you can stand the cold for about 3 months out of the year then move here. I live in the suburbs of Des Moines ( Waukee ). Don’t plan on ever moving away.
These vids are great when it comes to the optics of a place but to get the true measure of a place maybe you should look into the community library system, the high school graduation rate or the percentage of voters who turn out. Stuff like this is also a good measure of a community.
Des Moines native. Pros: safe, affordable, clean, good schools (relatively), such as Drake University. Cons: boring as snot in the winter, subzero temperatures 🥶, dating sucks - nowhere to meet young people except bars. Also, you should’ve shown a better view of Drake’s campus. It’s so gorgeous. And it’s one of the best schools in the Midwest.
I grew up in Atlantic Iowa, which is roughly between Omaha and Des Moines. Nick, you generally had favorable comments for both Omaha and Des Moines. When I was a boy, those were the only two places I got to visit. My first cousins lived in Des Moines, and in the summer, I got to visit them for a week. I was from a large family, and we did not take any vacations. I enlisted in the Navy, within a few blocks of that homeless shelter you drove by. Not too far from there, was what a young Iowa basketball player considered heaven; the old Veterans Auditorium where the State basketball tournament was held. I knew my family was never going to get to visit California, so Disneyland was only a fantasy. However, if I could get to the State Fair, Veterans Auditorium, and Lake Okoboji up in Northwest Iowa, I had seen all a young Iowa lad needed to see. My two younger brothers both got very close to making the state tournament, but unfortunately the teams I played on were not as competitive. When you went to a state tournament basketball game at Veterans Auditorium, it was truly magical. Des Moines is a very nice city, and today I have numerous family members who live in Des Moines or it's suburbs. Thank you for visiting Iowa Nick, so that many others can see that Iowa offers a surprisingly high quality of life.
Was surprised the drake area was the more “dangerous”. I stayed at an Airbnb right across from there and walked my dog somewhat late at night. Actually felt safer there than Omaha
North of Drake U is dicey. North of the stadium, the neighborhood is mixed with run down properties and a few apartment setups run by slumlords. It’s not riddled with crime, but there are definitely unpleasant events in the area.
I am a Iowa native not trying to be a A hole but I think I've had enough of the Midwest as a whole tornadoes in the spring and summer blizzards in the winter. I'm thinking about heading to Arizona where I don't have to worry about any of that
I love Des Moines. For a City its overall very clean and safe and peaceful. Lots of beauty there such as the sculpture park and the Asian garden by the river. Also the Des Moines in it's own sounds like a fancy and high end city and a great one to be a powerful capital. Besides Des Moines is home to one the most beautiful and best designed state capital buildings with the bonus of it's perfect places location up high. Beautiful capital grounds with many places to walk and sit and a view over downtown Des Moines that's breathtaking especially at sunset In night, it feels powerful. I love sitting up there at night looking at the city lights. I live about 2 hours away from Des Moines so Everytime I go there I make sure to make that a goal.
Had to go to DeMoines to go to a big Mall. 45 minutes from North Ames. Here in Austin Tx that is just the North end to south Austin. Distances feel skewed.
as someone who lives in a town 40 minutes away from des moines i can say it is a pretty town, would also very reccomend. i have been to des moines the same amount of times ive been at my home so.
I really hate to say good things about Desmoines, I like it's size, very safe, super clean with friendly people. I love it the way it is, hopefully it stays this size for a while, but the changes to the tax code will bring in more people...And issues. Someone always wants to fix what isn't broken.
I've always said, I want to live in the town the Grumpy Old Men lived in and walk to Slippery's bar for a beer and go fishing. Owning a bait shop would be good too. Perfection
Went to my 1st Iowa Cubs game last weekend. Beautiful stadium, easy parking, very clean/nice downtown. The game was very exciting and was a great family outting.
Nick, I like what you do. The city in history collated over the current state of our cities all over the world....not much difference. The city adapts to whatever is expedient at the time. If it weren't for all those homes with all the rooms to accommodate whomever, the occupants would be on the streets under personal tents! Can you imagine 16" of snow in downtown LA. The people in Des Moines are forced together. Take a look at what happened to the Hispanic guy who has written a comment. He would have never walked away with such insight. He would have posited himself under a bridge to get away from all those nice people. What we are not seeing are the people at the top who have all the money and how it got to their pockets. That man you gave a 5er to does not give a hoot that part to the monies he usd to buy a ticket goes to pay for gasoline/diesel needed to run the vehicle that delivers him to wherever. Lifestyles of the rich and famous are being supported by every peanut consumed on the night train to Georgia. What scares me is the next step in your adventure where you start looking for a better way of distribution of the available goods and services. Democracy is not perfect, but it is the best we've got. Keep at it, Nick.
I moved to Des Moines a year ago from a terrible area in Illinois. Des Moines is awesome. I’m in one of the suburbs, one of the nicer suburbs and everything is just beautiful. even when you go downtown it’s just clean everywhere. Even the bad neighborhoods where all the violence is, they’re still not that bad, I come from worse.
You definately should have gone to Mullets! There's a great bike bath that runs by and the Cubs stadium is just across the river. Can't forget the amazing breakfast and drinks!!
We don’t need a load of people coming here, we have low crime and rich farmland is being turned over at an alarming rate for strip malls, banks, insurance companies, more and more housing tracts. My good friend lives in a pretty neighborhood, they stripped out the whole small forest across the street from her and built a strip of identical cookie cutter houses. If you came home drunk, I Don’t know how you’d find your house.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Here's the entire Midwest playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLq-_cmf3H6yreUhBrJwFhC9LeCYh1TvBL
CEDAR FALL
This, over Detroit anyway just cause it's that boring drive through...rather that then get jumped by a bunch of angry squirrels with shot guns...
How much snow and tornadoes do they get?
Your condescending sarcasm is🤢🤢🤢🤮
Man u must of been bored lol cuz I know the drive in-between
I lived for a couple of month in Des Moines and as a latino coming from Miami, that city was an oasis in the desert! I was really concerned about the people and the way they would treat me. It turns that they were the friendliest, the kindest and most open minded people I‘ve met in this country so far.
Same for me. Lots of cool bars and clubs downtown. Never would've expected to have as good a time as I did. Only downside, very cold in winter
Them folks really are "Iowa nice"❤️❤️
@@Foreskinflavourednuts I'm back in FL from my 5 year stay in WDM and still have my winter gear😆 I will NOT be cold when all my coworkers are "freezing" and complaining😁
Biggest racists live in blue cities
I’m super glad to know you were welcomed! We do have a sizable Latinx population here, so that helps. Sadly, there are plenty of xenophobic folks here, too, so I’m glad that you didn’t run into them. We do have good people, music, and even food (big improvement in restaurants in the last 17 years!!) in Des Moines.
The winters in Iowa serves one purpose - killing all the bugs.
Nah, they're also for having fun sledding after a good snowstorm.
And snowmobiling if and when it snows
Separating the men from the ca.
Also great for orthopedic surgeons. Given the frequent freeze and thaw cycles during the winter there's often a shitton of ice after the first major snowfall. If you're lucky that might not start til late December or even early January on rare occasion.
@@joespice785 yeah when your 12
Hey there, Des Moines native here. I really hope you see this because I'll just say you gave such an accurate and honest description of my city. Especially about tough things to talk about like gentrification and lack of housing for the homeless. I'm definitely a subscriber now.
Ok Alex :)
Hey i am an international student and will be arriving in des moines next week. Can you give me your socials by any chance i just need to ask some questions please.
I love to visit Des Moines for a very inexpensive weekend getaway. I've always felt safe, no matter where in the city I was. When I tell someone I am going to Des Moines, the response is always: Why????? I just shrug as I feel like is my secret escape and kinda want to keep that way 😂
I know that's right the rest these cities are full of crime
@@devintaylor8702 there’s been multiple shootings in Des Moines. If you don’t live here you don’t know how it’s really like 😂
@@ScrappertontheFurst Crime has definitely increased but it's still significantly safer compared to other major cities. I've lived in DSM my whole life and have watched crime go up, but I've also traveled to other places and DSM is still by and large much safer compared to almost anywhere else.
@@ScrappertontheFurst i live here and it is nothing compare to cali so yah its super nice for me i live right downtown its extremely friendly compare to cali and vegas.
Yeah, but it’s Iowa
I grew up in Fort Dodge and lived in the Chicago area for about eight years and moved from there to Des Moines in 1986. We've never regretted it. The transformation in this town in the last 35 years is absolutely amazing. It's a great place to live.
Downtown DSM used to be a ghost town in the early 2000's. They have done a great job of restoring it with shops, resteraunts, and bars.
Now if they can solve the gun problems on Court Avenue during the weekends at night that would be great. If the City doesn't do that a lot of people will not go downtown and stick to the new entertainment zones coming up in the suburbs.
@@aesonmoritz2100 agree 100%. Heard it is getting a little gnarly downtown these days.
@@paulbradley1763interesting, just crime and drugs ? Gang activity in DSM? Passing by this summer spending a night
Big crime problem, never go unless I have to
@@big12ref2 Des Moines does not have a big crime problem lol stop it you must have never left Iowa in your life
I've traveled to Iowa for years. This is a state that has allot of great people and so underrated. Appreciate you covering this state as it truly is affordable and successful with running things.
A lot
Hi Nick. Thank you so much for introducing Des moines, Iowa, I live in Dubuque 3hours away from Des moines. As a Vietnamese-Chinese immigrants, people are very kind and friendly to me.
Lol... I live in DSM and love to visit Dubuque!
Moved here from CA 3 years ago and love it
@@jenrankin3920 I am from calif and think about moving to DSM
@@dannyt7075
Stay away
@@dannyt7075 Same
Chicago transplanted into Iowa. When i was in grade school some kid came in from Chicago. within a week he was throwing chairs through the windows, assaulting teachers, dealing drugs, and cussed like a sailor. The Chi Town Hoodlum lasted a week at that Iowa School.
yea that’s what’s happening hella people from chicago moving here the new generation getting active
I'm leaving Chicago to Iowa most likely. Just can't deal with he comotion here
@@epicbluerat9999how was it? And was it to Des Moines
@nhjhbmkuy7173 I haven't made it there yet sadly but still planning on it.
My son just graduated from college and his first job is in Des Moines.
Thanks for giving me a
Feel for the place.
I have been going to Des Moines every Fourth of July for 25 years to attend the Good Guys car show at the state fairgrounds. I have always been impressed with the cleanliness of the city compared to Missouri cities. Also, they invest heavily in the upkeep and improvements to the fair grounds. That may sound inconsequential but if you compare their state fairgrounds to Missouri's there is a massive difference. The Goodguys show in Iowa one of the best in the country for that reason. BTW. great job on the score setting. You may not be a natural buy definitely trainable. Lol
Des Moines is a great city for car people, theres tons of cool cars everywhere and even at 3:20 in the video you can see a supra parked on the side of the street. at night all the tuners come out. theres even a bugatti veyron you may see if you're very lucky.
You come back during the state fair in August.👍🏾
I am from India. I lived in Des Moines area for quite sometime.....12+years morethan where I was born and bought up. Not a single reason to moveout except weather. Its an amazing place!!
weather is still better than india
@@yuanruichen2564 You are correct by less than 10%. It depends.
By the way, I greatly miss the town.
I had a neighbor from India for awhile. I guess it depends on where you are in India. But where he was from they had monsoon. Sounded like pretty horrible weather to me. He liked southeast Minnesota quite a bit.
From an Iowan: SSSSHHHH!!!!!!!! We don't want everyone moving here.
it happened to denver, now it sucks. des moines sucks soooooooo much, i hate it there. don't move there at all 😉
That's what Native Americans were saying 200 years ago, whaya gonna do?😆
Trust you won’t have that problem more people or moving out of Iowa than in.
I don't blame u I don't blame you !!!
Iowa honestly seems kinda boring
Great video! As a Iowa City resident since 1996, I can tell you that the "undesirable element from Chicago" is a long-standing trope. It cycles in-and-out. It's not that bad. Iowa is proud and beautiful and happy, overall.
Maybe it's only a trope in Iowa City, but not in Dubuque.
People coming to Iowa from Chicago wasn't all bad it brought some good to the state as well. There's been a lot of good change to Iowa since the huge migration in the late 80s.
We moved to north Iowa from Minneapolis back in 1992, I was extremely homesick from missing my life in the big city for about two years, now in retrospect I don't plan on ever moving back, Iowa is so much more affordable, the people are genuinely nicer here, the sense of community is strong, and the crime is low, we live in a small town of 151 people, I could go on , but just saying, Liked your vid
You’re right iowa native til 29 moved to Minnesota and shot was expensive now just moved to South Dakota and love it
lol. Minneapolis doesn't even closely resemble what it was in 1992. It is a cesspool no different from any other democrat controlled city like Chicago, Houston, Memphis, Baltimore, etc.
You do not want to go back to even visit. St. Floyd sure didn't help things either.
AWESOME 😃
Come to Louisiana lol
@@devintaylor8702 I don't think anyone is moving to Louisiana lol...maybe New Orleans, but most just vacation there.
as a Iowa native, the weather gets brought up as a bad thing here and namely people say that in regards to snow, but there is alot of fun that happens in the snow here, come back when there's snow on the ground, I can show you some of the interesting winter times here.
thank you for the showing of our state, it may not have the weather of Texas, and is more friendly than Texas, but lets keep Austin in Texas and keep midwest values here :)
what about tornados? Are there a lot of big tornados there?
@@kellytownsend4526 they are a thing, but for the most part if you stay out of completely rural areas, the building density prevents them from being able to touch ground and do alot of damage.
I lived with my girlfriend in WDM for about 5 years and other than the weather I loved it❤️❤️ we went to the state fair almost every year and it never disappoints. I grew up in NC and currently live in North Florida but Iowa holds a special place in my heart💙 from the racetrack in Knoxville to college football from 3 great programs in the state, Iowa is absolutely beautiful. The cost of living is going up but you get what you pay for👍🏻 another great video my friend❤️❤️ you have my dream job😆(travel and take pictures)
It would have been awesome if Nick would’ve been there during the state fair!
I had lived in Fairfield Iowa and been to Des Moines before, and now in Jacksonville Florida. Iowa has always been in my memory.
I lived there many years. Great place to live n raise family. The people are wonderful
Yes I definitely want to move to the outer area of Des Moines maybe like 30mins out of Des Moines.. excited to make my move soon
"30mins out" isn't exactly a helpful unit of distance unless you include what form of transportation you're using. My 15 minute walk to work is a five minute drive, for example
He meants not the dump inner city ^
I moved to Des Moines a few years ago… absolutely love it here!!
Why ?! Explain a little. Otherwise it doesn't mean much.
Just drove through Iowa on my way to Wyoming. Just beautiful country good people. And I saw some big deer.
Big whitetail In Iowa
I’ll be moving out near Des Moines for work this summer. Thanks for making me less anxious about “big city life”
Can you gives us a update on how you feel about it now? Im thinking about it Thanks!
@@lisaturtle6374they actually ended up switching my move last minute to Omaha. I have visited Des Moines a couple times and it seems really nice! But I haven’t stayed there long term.
You didn’t go to mullets?! You def missed out. Been in the Des Moines area my entire life and can attest that it’s a great city. You can get from one side to the other (downtown/metro area included) in 10-15 minutes, you’ve got mass growing infrastructure, endless entertainment, and the best hearted people in the Midwest. Great video! Very accurate as always
Um, I don't know what part of town you are in but you must not get out much. You're lucky to make it out of your neighborhood in 10-15 minutes the way it is now and thanks to the far left city government first adapting the complete streets model for transportation and now vision zero you can be assured that traffic congestion will get a lot worse in the near future.
@@evets9275 huh? I live off 22nd close to The Floor Store. Takes me 8 min to get downtown, 7 min to mills civic, 12 min to waukee, and 7 min to Johnston… so yeah. Feel free to give me your number and I’ll send some screenshots
@@evets9275 I guess if any suburb it would be ankeny that takes longest due to traffic, maybe 20 min but other than that it’s sub 15 for me
@@evets9275 also don’t know why you needed to throw the “don’t get out much” insult in… my friends and I are out all the time. In the last week I’ve been to: The platform, eggs and jam, Fongs, paws and pints, and barntown.
Traffic delay in Des Moines: 7 minutes
Traffic delay anywhere in Hampton Roads area of Virginia: *2 hours*
I remember stopping in Des Moins just because I had been driving all day and it was late and I needed to rest. I was absolutely stunned by the city and stayed the whole next day there just exploring it.
Thanks for what you do Nick. It's great to see various cities throughout the US without the political spin. I enjoy your unbiased take on things, just objective and straight forward.
It’s actually dripping with political spin. At least a dozen mentions of liberal politics ruining cities per video.
We did, for job relocation in NW Des Moines - Urbandale - settled in Madrid 20 minutes north. Might as well call it Mayberry, the children are so normal and happy. Sweet spot.
I watch your videos from time to time, and this one had me rollin haha. I hope Timothy made it to STL safely.
I go once a year to visit, love des moines!
Hey former native Iowan here. Born and raised, I can say Iowa is a gem.
Nick dont know what i was more impressed with you running that score board,or you rocking that Fanny Pack 😁
20 years ago when I moved to Des Moines wasn’t much here but this place has changed so much for the better .
I'm 26 and moving to the Midwest from Arizona - I'm done with the heat, massive population boom, and prices beginning to rival California. I'm heavily leaning towards Carmel, IN over anything in Iowa solely because Iowa has a tad too much snow
Good we don't need any more people coming to our state
Des Moines looks like a very inviting place in the summer.
I think the largest skatepark in the us is in des Moines
In the summer… in the winter it’s -45 and multiple feet of snow😭
I have been to Desmoine in 2018 and it was an incredible experience! I loved the people, I love the place ! ❤
My parents were both from Iowa. My mom grew up in Mount Pleasant and my dad was born in Coon Rapids and they both ended up moving to Des Moines and meeting after World War II and marrying. I still have some cousins that live there and we would often visit on the weekends as that is where my paternal grandmother lived. Other than visiting the west side of town where my relatives lived, I never really got to spend too much time in Des Moines other than going to the state fair once in awhile. I'm from Omaha so Des Moines is not all that much different except it is quite a bit smaller than Omaha what you detailed and some of your other videos. One of my cousins spent several years working for a previous governor as his executive assistant so she spent a lot of time inside the capitol building. She said it is absolutely beautiful inside so I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to see it.
It's ok rosemary their loss
I LOVE THESE KINDS OF VIDEOS!! Modern day amateur geography! This is truly the most amazing time to be alive.
Amateur 😢
@@NickJohnson Well, idk if you have a PhD in geography and I don't wanna piss off anyone who spent all that money to get one LOL but awesome channel!
Iowa and Nebraska are looking better and better! I really would like to mover there!! I only wish the downtown retail that the shopping malls destroyed was still in both Omaha and Des Moines!
No don't come here
Please stop telling people to move here.😊
Truly. im scared for us in omaha. Dont need any more homeless, dont need all the prices to rise up, dont need traffic, etc.
enuf with all the out of state plates from democrat states
People who want to keep the city the way it is are more than welcome. Just please don't move here and try to remake it into something that has already failed in other states.
I moved out of Iowa and gave never been happier.
@@blackcherry6877 mostly the cold keeps homeless away but homeless is in all 50 states
Nick you should check out Fairfield, IA, a smallish town in the southeastern part of Iowa. It is probably one of the most unique towns in America, with the town divided between normal Americans and members of a new-age trancesdentalist meditation cult. In fact, the famous film director David Lynch has a film school and ties to the city. While you ars in the area, I think the visit is worth it.
I love your description of Fairfield. "We got the normal people and the cult". Simple and true.
Hope Timothy’s life improves.
I wonder if he ever saw this
I'm 17 years old I'm a junior in highschool and live in Michigan des Moines is where I wanna move too once I graduate I know its gonna be alot better than when I lived in Detroit (I live in a small town right now)
Des Moines has changed a lot since the late 80's, and especially the last 15 years.
i lived in Des Moines for a couple years. went there in 1969. i bet if i went there now i wouldn't recognize much.
i worked on the East Side. i lived near Drake University
is Merle Hay Plaza Mall still there?
@@erikriza7165 Yep, still there but of course, Sears is gone. So is the movie house etc. I haven't been there since Sears closed.
@@seththomas9105 Thanks for your reply. Nice to hear from someone in Des Moines. I moved there in 1969. Lived there for a couple of years. Went away to college in Missouri, but spent summers in Des Moines during my college years. Do they still "scoop the loop"?
I’ve lived in Des Moines for 95% of my life. It’s a great place to live.
The metro population is growing as you said, but Des Moines population itself is shrinking. All in all, it’s currently at about 750k.
Downtown is busy but getting more dangerous. The area you identified as Wrigleyville is actually The Court Avenue Entertainment District. I’ve never heard it called Wrigleyville. However, I would not be down there on the weekends late because there is always issues.
There has been lots of issues with the homeless situation along with lots of shootings and stabbings.
I would agree with Joe, but expand on it. We’ve seen the issues with Chicago here along with Waterloo and Fort Dodge. There is tons to do here if you know where to look.
hey do you know any private landlords I can contact in Iowa I really need a apartment
@nicklouis7497
Nope we do not need more people coming into our state
@nicklouis7497
Nope we do not need more people coming into our state
Great video and summary of Des Moines, Nick! Wish I'd known you were around...I would of bought you a beer! Next time!! I live just a stone throw away from some of the places you filmed downtown. I love Des Moines and can't think of anywhere else I would like to live. Nick doesn't sugar-coat the places he reviews so when he says DSM is awesome then it is!
We have friends that live in ankeny. One thing i noticed when we visited a year back was that it was very clean. Nice place.
Me and my wife are planning are moving there. My family thinks it's a bad idea but I have an idea it's going to be one of my best decisions ever
BTW, Timothy may have been waiting for the Bus at the wrong stop... Cuz I frequently see him at one of the DART bus stops sippin' from a brown bag.... 😆
Was waiting for this one!
Timothy ain’t going anywhere but the liquor store!🤣
My Daughter and Grandson live in the Des Moines area, and the Metro area is about 700,000 people right now. About 6 years ago, i took a tour of the Capitol and they let me go clear to the top windows, even though are not supposed to, its actually a very old steep stairway, so its too much liability. Des Moines has a lot of growth, great schools, and sports complex, both private and public. all in all, its the best place in the state for jobs, food, and fun :) Oh, and Timothy leaving Des Moines for St. Louis is a huge mistake, no matter what, unless you are playing for the Cardinals !
Where you labeled "bad areas" is right by my house and its actually a great community and safe.
Timothy probably remembered how bad St Louis is and stayed in Des Moines.
Lol, right? Des Moines is a paradise compared to most larger cities, especially St. Louis.
I was sent to St. Louis for six weeks of training for my job in 2001. I concluded that 75% of St. Louis should be bulldozed down. Scary place.
Timothy would be long dead if went to STL
Des Moines has some really nice suburbs on the outskirts. Just beware, the winters are hash but it's really good people all throughout the state.
Does Des Moines flood often -Nick?
Thank you
The Cubs are NOT the only professional sports team in Iowa, The Iowa Wild (AHL Professional hockey, The Wolves, professional basketball) also call Des Moines home.
i lived in Des Moines for 22 years and I'm 22 years old lol still do, right next to Altoona and 10 min from downtown, love visiting Illinois also!
I moved here about twenty years ago and got to see the revitalization from when it started. It's a great city! The only downside is that the metro is very spread out. Once the newness wears off, spending so much time in the car gets old. Yes, Facebook is here and hires local, but do you want to commute to Altoona every day, especially when the weather gets bad?
Family keeps us here, but I think we'd prefer a small town, work remote, and we could do more things without the drive time. (And while there may not be a big city style rush hour in Des Moines, construction can really mess up your commute.)
Drive from Des Moines to Altoona would be a hardship? I commuted into Des Moines from 35 miles out every weekday for a few years. I know people who drive much further distances into Des Moines. Lots of commuter traffic between Ames and Des Moines. The Metro is so easy to get around in and long traffic delays are rare.
Went to college in Iowa City and moved to Des Moines this summer. It's a beautiful city. So glad you did a video on it. Iowa doesn't get enough love
Nick talks about how awesome the people are and then at 5:45 homie illegally passed you looks like going well above the speed limit and cutting it close to the oncoming truck lol. But for real, visited Des Moines on a trip to visit a friend who moved to Indianola for college and I had good thoughts about Des Moines. The only knock I'd give it (that I even remember) was the smell. The air smelt stale or old, might just be the agriculture surrounding the city. But that seemed to be all of Iowa not just Des Moines. 10/10 would visit again! And great vid!
Yes I noticed that smell also. I visited Waukee mostly and the smell of manure or fertilizer, was very strong for the several days I was there It didn't last all day though thankfully. Other wise I was very impressed with the Des Moines area. It really is a hidden gem in this country, and I'd hate to see it ruined by a massive population increase. When places are advertised to much for a good quality of life. People start moving in and ruin the place.
Cheers for this, I'm an English guy travelling to near Des Moines because of family here and didn't know what to expect. I have a better idea of what there is to see and do here now.
I've lived in Des Moines for about 12 years and it gets better every year.
But if you move here to get away from cities that are in decline, PLEASE do not bring the politics from those cities here!
Or there "bad habits", to put pc.
there's already druggies and homeless as this video shows sounds like conservative policies are working
@@GabiN64 Fortunately in Des Moines, police are allowed to break up homeless camps.
@@SpookyApparition yeah and most other cities do that.
@@GabiN64 The local government in Des Moines claims to be non-partisan because candidates running for office are not affiliated to a political party, but the truth is that 100% of the individuals elected to public office in the city are big time liberals. They are, in fact, one of the most far left local governments in the country and have enacted some of the most progressive policies anywhere in the US.
I’ve lived in Iowa basically my whole life. I’m a professional Iowan. Live in Indianola grew up in Ankeny and Des Moines is basically my backyard.
You’re gonna wanna visit Des Moines and hit a few local places We got some neat stuff not gonna lie.
Iowa is not the best by far. But for the most part, it's smaller, more quiet, and safer than popular states.
You really see the beauty of Iowa through the hidden gems. Certain parts of the city, or throughout random parts of the state. No monuments or anything super special, but places that can make you feel at home and cared for. Fortunately, (But mostly UNfortunately) A lot of those hidden gems are small businesses, which are taken care of well in Iowa, but not well enough because the amount of growth happening in the areas they are in. Think family-owned coffee shop thrown out by another Walmart. Not to mention the crappy weather. There's pretty much no spring or fall. If there is it lasts a week and then the temps shoot up or fall way down.
It definately has it troubles and downfalls, but it could be so much worse. And It's really good for what you get nowadays.
Just hoped too many progressives don't move in and turn it into a crime ridden hell. The progressives don't commit crimes, but they support the ones who do.
My wife and I just returned from 30 years in Minnesota and I would say the weather is substantily less friendly up there. And the taxes are worse in Minnesota and the laws are much more extensive. We used to regular go to Minneapolis and St.Paul for fun things to do, but that ended several years ago as the crime rate has exploded in those cities. Along with insect population
@@abebrock5559 Oh for sure, I'm just sharing my experience with Iowa as it relates to the video :)
Transplant to Des Moines from Moline Illinois a few yrs back. I love the music scene and that there is something to do just about everyday day.
Back in the 80s, I had friends who were afraid to go to a lot of Des Moines neighborhoods. I got looks like I was from Mars when I told them I wasn't afraid to go to anywhere in Des
Moines. I'm still not.
those people are terrified of the world
Scared little bunnies!
If you can stand the cold for about 3 months out of the year then move here. I live in the suburbs of Des Moines ( Waukee ). Don’t plan on ever moving away.
moving to sunrise drive thanks
Will you or have you been to Dubuque ?
I live north of Ankeny because I moved from Orlando. Traded traffic for snow because I work from home I don’t have to go out much anyway.
These vids are great when it comes to the optics of a place but to get the true measure of a place maybe you should look into the community library system, the high school graduation rate or the percentage of voters who turn out. Stuff like this is also a good measure of a community.
I've lived all over the Country DSM is a relatively friendly place, traditional values and all that brings
Des Moines native. Pros: safe, affordable, clean, good schools (relatively), such as Drake University.
Cons: boring as snot in the winter, subzero temperatures 🥶, dating sucks - nowhere to meet young people except bars.
Also, you should’ve shown a better view of Drake’s campus. It’s so gorgeous. And it’s one of the best schools in the Midwest.
I grew up on the East side of Des Moines within walking distance of the capitol. Spent many summers exploring it as well as the Historical Society.
when I was a kid remember a run down old neighborhood being Raized to build the Historical Building
I grew up in Atlantic Iowa, which is roughly between Omaha and Des Moines. Nick, you generally had favorable comments for both Omaha and Des Moines. When I was a boy, those were the only two places I got to visit. My first cousins lived in Des Moines, and in the summer, I got to visit them for a week. I was from a large family, and we did not take any vacations. I enlisted in the Navy, within a few blocks of that homeless shelter you drove by. Not too far from there, was what a young Iowa basketball player considered heaven; the old Veterans Auditorium where the State basketball tournament was held. I knew my family was never going to get to visit California, so Disneyland was only a fantasy. However, if I could get to the State Fair, Veterans Auditorium, and Lake Okoboji up in Northwest Iowa, I had seen all a young Iowa lad needed to see. My two younger brothers both got very close to making the state tournament, but unfortunately the teams I played on were not as competitive. When you went to a state tournament basketball game at Veterans Auditorium, it was truly magical. Des Moines is a very nice city, and today I have numerous family members who live in Des Moines or it's suburbs. Thank you for visiting Iowa Nick, so that many others can see that Iowa offers a surprisingly high quality of life.
It's interesting, each person's impression says a lot about their personality. You can find a bit of everything, if you know where to look.
I agree with the guy that was interviewed this time. Thank you for coming to Iowa.
Was surprised the drake area was the more “dangerous”. I stayed at an Airbnb right across from there and walked my dog somewhat late at night. Actually felt safer there than Omaha
Drake area
North of Drake U is dicey. North of the stadium, the neighborhood is mixed with run down properties and a few apartment setups run by slumlords. It’s not riddled with crime, but there are definitely unpleasant events in the area.
@@MusicfromMarrs the gas station just to the west of Drake (as well as to the east) get robbed at least once a month
go just east of drakes to evelyn k davis park that’s the hood or cheatom park
I am a Iowa native not trying to be a A hole but I think I've had enough of the Midwest as a whole tornadoes in the spring and summer blizzards in the winter. I'm thinking about heading to Arizona where I don't have to worry about any of that
I love Des Moines. For a City its overall very clean and safe and peaceful. Lots of beauty there such as the sculpture park and the Asian garden by the river. Also the Des Moines in it's own sounds like a fancy and high end city and a great one to be a powerful capital. Besides Des Moines is home to one the most beautiful and best designed state capital buildings with the bonus of it's perfect places location up high. Beautiful capital grounds with many places to walk and sit and a view over downtown Des Moines that's breathtaking especially at sunset In night, it feels powerful. I love sitting up there at night looking at the city lights. I live about 2 hours away from Des Moines so Everytime I go there I make sure to make that a goal.
No! Comment got hearted and it disappeared!
Had to go to DeMoines to go to a big Mall. 45 minutes from North Ames. Here in Austin Tx that is just the North end to south Austin. Distances feel skewed.
I would love to move back home but like you mentioned the weather.
Iowans are so nice and respectful kind people. I’ve lived in Vegas, Houston ,Omaha & Denver but Des Moines has been my favorite and most affordable.
Every time I think " I would never live there " Here I am, wanting to never like I've nevered before 🤣
Great video! All you said was very accurate. I use to live in Des Moines, it was a great place. I hope to move back someday.
I live here. Well.. the Des Moines area. No one outside of Iowa knows the surrounding cities so we all say Des Moines. Urbandale is my city
as someone who lives in a town 40 minutes away from des moines i can say it is a pretty town, would also very reccomend. i have been to des moines the same amount of times ive been at my home so.
I really hate to say good things about Desmoines, I like it's size, very safe, super clean with friendly people. I love it the way it is, hopefully it stays this size for a while, but the changes to the tax code will bring in more people...And issues. Someone always wants to fix what isn't broken.
I grew up in Des Moines. It was a good place to grow up.
I've always said, I want to live in the town the Grumpy Old Men lived in and walk to Slippery's bar for a beer and go fishing. Owning a bait shop would be good too. Perfection
Sounds like a good life Lauren!
Went to my 1st Iowa Cubs game last weekend. Beautiful stadium, easy parking, very clean/nice downtown. The game was very exciting and was a great family outting.
Nick, I like what you do. The city in history collated over the current state of our cities all over the world....not much difference. The city adapts to whatever is expedient at the time. If it weren't for all those homes with all the rooms to accommodate whomever, the occupants would be on the streets under personal tents! Can you imagine 16" of snow in downtown LA. The people in Des Moines are forced together. Take a look at what happened to the Hispanic guy who has written a comment. He would have never walked away with such insight. He would have posited himself under a bridge to get away from all those nice people. What we are not seeing are the people at the top who have all the money and how it got to their pockets. That man you gave a 5er to does not give a hoot that part to the monies he usd to buy a ticket goes to pay for gasoline/diesel needed to run the vehicle that delivers him to wherever. Lifestyles of the rich and famous are being supported by every peanut consumed on the night train to Georgia. What scares me is the next step in your adventure where you start looking for a better way of distribution of the available goods and services. Democracy is not perfect, but it is the best we've got. Keep at it, Nick.
I moved to Des Moines a year ago from a terrible area in Illinois. Des Moines is awesome. I’m in one of the suburbs, one of the nicer suburbs and everything is just beautiful. even when you go downtown it’s just clean everywhere. Even the bad neighborhoods where all the violence is, they’re still not that bad, I come from worse.
The parking sold me
I lived in Des Moines suburbs for a year. I’m a country girl but it was safe there. I was much happier when we moved to a small town in Iowa.
Oh Des Moines in the hometown is Slipknot
@6:36. The Pink Beaver is the best waxing salon in the metro area! Thanks for giving her some love!
Nick don't send a bunch of people here😂
You definately should have gone to Mullets! There's a great bike bath that runs by and the Cubs stadium is just across the river. Can't forget the amazing breakfast and drinks!!
We don’t need a load of people coming here, we have low crime and rich farmland is being turned over at an alarming rate for strip malls, banks, insurance companies, more and more housing tracts. My good friend lives in a pretty neighborhood, they stripped out the whole small forest across the street from her and built a strip of identical cookie cutter houses. If you came home drunk, I Don’t know how you’d find your house.
I love your drive through different neighborhoods. Was also a fan of your part-time job at the Cubs' stadium!
You should do a video about davenport! :)