Des Moines' population growth outpaces state, Midwest (Cedar Rapids, Iowa City: home, buy)

[tollfree]

Again, Ronnie Jonez is a character from a Chappelle Skit back in 2004. Intentionally spelled "Jonez".

As for the misspellings in your username, they are not intentional. You really don't know any better.

[Tek_Freek]

What a doofus. Of course the misspellings are intentional. I created my username. It's exactly as I want it.

I can spell my last name.

And none of that changes this: doesn't offer much variety

[GraniteStater]

Des Moines really doesn't have a job advantage compared to Madison because Madison has a huge student population. Madison also does have a huge variety of built environments to suit every lifestyle within a short distance which I find quite interesting. The lakes create sectors of development within the metropolitan area that you don't find anywhere else. Also, I appreciate that the development is not continuous or monotonous. One can find city living, suburban living, and rural living all minutes apart and occasionally on the same road.

[tollfree]

It should be noted...Des Moines & Madison are very similar, two politically-obsessed cities with very powerful local fanbases as to how amazing the city is. They're both extremely "groupthink" based cities.

[Tek_Freek]

doesn't offer much variety

[Tek_Freek]

And we're still obsessing about Madison in the Des Moines forum.

We

don't

care

[funksoulbro]

Originally Posted by RonnieJonez

The overwhelming vast majority being from Iowa already, so yes, it's becoming a bigger city as rural Iowa declines.

That's the one thing I've noticed as well. As a kid, I lived in two small towns in north central Iowa where the influence of the Des Moines media market is very strong. In both places, the kids always leave town after graduation and head to Des Moines, or one of its suburbs, for a job.

It's great that Des Moines has been able to keep kids within the state of Iowa. I think the local Des Moines television stations and the DM Register do a tremendous job steering kids in that direction through various marketing ploys disguised as journalism. Des Moines is the "big city" in Iowa where college-aged kids can go to escape mom and dad, but not be too far away for Christmas visits. That has really given the city an unstoppable formula for growth.

As you mentioned, however, this growth has come at the price of many a decimated small town that will eventually cease to exist.

[Tek_Freek]

Originally Posted by funksoulbro

That's the one thing I've noticed as well. As a kid, I lived in two small towns in north central Iowa where the influence of the Des Moines media market is very strong. In both places, the kids always leave town after graduation and head to Des Moines, or one of its suburbs, for a job.

It's great that Des Moines has been able to keep kids within the state of Iowa. I think the local Des Moines television stations and the DM Register do a tremendous job steering kids in that direction through various marketing ploys disguised as journalism. Des Moines is the "big city" in Iowa where college-aged kids can go to escape mom and dad, but not be too far away for Christmas visits. That has really given the city an unstoppable formula for growth.

As you mentioned, however, this growth has come at the price of many a decimated small town that will eventually cease to exist.

Big box stores (WalMart in particular) aren't helping, either.

[funksoulbro]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Once again Des Moines, IA should be TRYING to compete with Madison, WI. It fails to do so and your article link proves the point. The growth rate in Madison, WI is double that of Des Moines, IA and job growth in Madison over time is much greater.

My brother lived in Madison for a year and absolutely hated it. He works as a photographer and said the self-righteous attitude of that city was unbearable. He moved to Omaha shortly thereafter and loves it there. I think I'd like Omaha if it simply didn't have "Nebraska" by its name. Nebraska is a deal-breaker for me.

Anyhoo...I'm not sure whether Des Moines can beat Madison in population growth, but I do believe Des Moines can give Madison a real challenge with the whole self-righteous angle.

[funksoulbro]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

Big box stores (WalMart in particular) aren't helping, either.

Big box stores don't prompt kids to move out of their hometowns. Both small towns I lived in didn't even have Wal-Marts. One had a Pamida and the other had a Ben Franklin store. My classmates left because they wanted to get away from their parents and live in the one place that was pounded into their skull by watching WHO and KCCI all those years: Des Moines.

I really think Des Moines' media deserves a lion share's of the credit for recruiting the massive number of small-town Iowa kids it has received over the past 25-30 years. Des Moines' growth began when the farm crisis started killing rural Iowa. The city (and the media which glamorizes it) put into action a very effective campaign to capitalize on the catastrophic downturn in Iowa's rural agricultural economy.

Just like Madison has capitalized on attracting hipster d-bags from all over Wisconsin, Des Moines has figured out how to lure small-town Iowa kids away from the flaming wrecks that were once their childhood homes.