Ankeny vs. Pella (Des Moines, Newton, Indianola: fit in, houses, neighborhoods)

[michael spaur]

I am a retired magazine editor who now works freelance. I line alone and plan to move to the Des Moines area. I don't really want to live in Des Moines proper and, after due diligence, have narrowed my search down to Ankeny or Pella. I'm looking for someplace that's quiet, friendly and comfortable (yeah, I know Iowa winters suck). Ankeny appears to be Des Moines' ultimate bedroom community, while Pella appears to be a modern Mayberry. Tell you the truth, I'm leaning towards Mayberry. Am I wrong?

[601halfdozen0theother]

Are you a member of the Dutch Reformed Church? If so, you will be welcomed in Pella with open arms. If not, you might find it hard getting a social toe hold there. If you do move there, remember not to do any outside work on a Sunday!

I'm not a fan of Ankeny, though others here are. To me it's full of tickytacky burb housing now. There's no longer any there there, IMHO.

You might like Newton, Grinnell, or Indianola. Take a look at the stats on those communities and see what you think.

[jmgg]

Originally Posted by 601halfdozen0theother

Are you a member of the Dutch Reformed Church? If so, you will be welcomed in Pella with open arms. If not, you might find it hard getting a social toe hold there. If you do move there, remember not to do any outside work on a Sunday!

I'm not a fan of Ankeny, though others here are. To me it's full of tickytacky burb housing now. There's no longer any there there, IMHO.

You might like Newton, Grinnell, or Indianola. Take a look at the stats on those communities and see what you think.

Ditto this as to Pella. As someone who has half his heritage being Dutch and knowing first hand the Dutch culture in communities like this, heed the warning. You will struggle to fit in. It will be subtle, but it will always be there. Even if you are Dutch, but don't attend a church with the words "Reformed" in it, don't be surprised when you can't fit in.

I recommend Indianola as well. I'll throw in the communities of Winterset, Carlisle, Adel, and Norwalk as well.

I have a daughter living in Indianola and loves it.

[michael spaur]

I have heard about the exclusion reputation of the Pella folks and never thought it would matter to me. Maybe I was wrong. I will check out those other towns before committing to what might be a somewhat skewed version of Mayberry

Thanks guys.

[601halfdozen0theother]

Pella isn't Mayberry in any way, shape or form. In fact, it's a little eerily Stepfordish. Still, it's a very nice town with a healthy economy based on tourism and small manufacturing. It also has a small college (Dutch Reformed.) It is very clean and pretty and fun to visit.

Most of the other towns we mentioned above are far more Mayberryish. I'm also very fond of the little town of New Sharon, just east of Pella.

[Florida2014]

I dated a gal from Pella. Her father was a reformed "Christian" minister. Without getting into too many details, let's just say that relationship was doomed from the start. If the house was free I'd probably not want to live in Pella.

Was in town this week and visited Ankeny a few times, I no longer recognize it. It's a sea of pre-planned neighborhoods and they are building everywhere. If I were an empty-nester, I would not want to live n Ankeny.

I would agree with someone above, check out Norwalk. I stayed in the Beaverdale area of Des Moines and I still am drawn to that neighborhood for some reason. The old, brick houses are beautiful. I know the area around it has gone downhill dramatically in the past few decades but I just love the charm of that little neighborhood.

[Lemastre]

Iowa is historically pretty conservative politically (it even voted for Trump in 2020). More liberal immigrants may thus feel unwelcome if politics come up in conversation. Pella is a unique settlement, and it's handled in other responses to your question. But my general attitude on changing locations would be to look for a town of under fifty thousand that has a reputable college. Then find housing near the campus. The Midwest has many such towns. If you need a city to provide your employment, look for such a town nearby or possibly live near a college in the city. The college faculty provides some outside culture, and the changing student body keeps things up to date.

[CBOTfan]

Originally Posted by Lemastre

Iowa is historically pretty conservative politically (it even voted for Trump in 2020).

It even voted for Obama TWICE, and that is pretty recent history.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by michael spaur

I have heard about the exclusion reputation of the Pella folks and never thought it would matter to me. Maybe I was wrong. I will check out those other towns before committing to what might be a somewhat skewed version of Mayberry

Thanks guys.

For what it's worth it does appear that there are other churches in Pella besides the Dutch Reformed churches.

https://pella.org/live-here/get-esta...es-of-worship/

So it appears there are some heath... er.....non Reformed church members who live there.

[Suesbal]

Interesting that Dutch places in the US don’t have the “let it all hang out” ethos of the Netherlands.