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Old 07-17-2013, 01:06 PM
 
11 posts, read 24,745 times
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Hello to all, This is the first time I post here but I'm eager to hear your comments. I'm 28 years old married for 11 years, I have two daughters one is 11 and the other 9 (you do the math). My husband and my children are eager to move to Iowa, I thought I was courage’s until this opportunity came up. To be honest, I’m very scared. All I know is South Florida, I grew up here and we blend in just right since we’re Hispanic and Miami is full of Hispanics. At the same time, I know we aren’t party people. We like calmness and can count the times we’ve been to South Beach or Miami Beach. We are very close, the four of us and feel better when is just the four of us. We vacation in Tennessee every January, we’ve understood the cold a bit and notice there’s a lot of work involving it. I also own a soft top baby blue beetle convertible, which I believe I’m going to have to sell due to the weather in Iowa. My husband is a manager in automotive retail and I’m in banking, can we find work up there? Better pay, is it more expensive to live there? I know West Des Moines is the area where we will be the most, but rent seems to be high there… are there any good surrounding areas with Less for rent? I might be overwhelming some of you with so many questions, but all of these are lingering in mind. I would love to hear your thoughts…

Last edited by Number1Wife; 07-17-2013 at 01:23 PM..
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Old 07-17-2013, 01:23 PM
 
Location: Des Moines Metro
5,103 posts, read 8,605,780 times
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Quote:
My husband is a manager in automotive retail and I’m in banking, can we find work up there?
Bank jobs:

Banking Jobs, Employment in Des Moines, IA | Indeed.com

Automotive retail managers:

Automotive Retail Manager Jobs, Employment in Des Moines, IA | Indeed.com

I strongly recommend that you do not move until at least one of you has secured employment.

You could each apply to 30 jobs ahead of time and say you will visit Des Moines from X date to Y date and see if you get interviews. If you each get several interviews, then it is worth making the trip. If you don't, stay where you are or look for more opportunities closer to home so the travel costs are much less.
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Old 07-17-2013, 01:25 PM
 
Location: Des Moines Metro
5,103 posts, read 8,605,780 times
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Also, West Des Moines is very expensive. Look in the south end of Des Moines or Altoona for more affordable rents, unless you're going to be working in West Des Moines.
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Old 07-17-2013, 01:31 PM
 
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Meemur - Thank you... I've heard the south end of Des Moines is not a good area, I'm I wrong? As for Altoona, how far is it from West Des Moines?
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Old 07-17-2013, 01:42 PM
 
9,480 posts, read 12,289,523 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Number1Wife View Post
Meemur - Thank you... I've heard the south end of Des Moines is not a good area, I'm I wrong? As for Altoona, how far is it from West Des Moines?
The south side is my least favorite part of the metro. I personally would not want to live there, but people who do seem happy.

Altoona is all the way on the east side of the metro area.

If you look at a map of the city, you will see the freeways and interstates kind of form a square around the city, making it pretty easy to commute most anywhere, though.

Whether WDM is expensive or not depends on your budget, really, and housing needs. Compared to south Florida I am going to guess (I could be wrong) that it will not be super expensive to you.
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Old 07-17-2013, 01:56 PM
 
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Lots of crime, due to the fact of Des Moines being the meth capitol of the US.
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Old 07-17-2013, 02:06 PM
 
Location: Calera, AL
1,485 posts, read 2,251,445 times
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"Lots of crime" and Des Moines do not belong in the same sentence. There are some not-so-pleasant parts of the city, but even the worst parts are pretty tame compared to many major cities.

As for meth, yes, there is a meth problem in Iowa, but it's hardly unique. It's rampant throughout the Midwest and nearly as big a problem in the rest of the country.
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Old 07-17-2013, 02:26 PM
 
Location: Des Moines Metro
5,103 posts, read 8,605,780 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Number1Wife View Post
Meemur - Thank you... I've heard the south end of Des Moines is not a good area
There are some OK neighborhoods down there, especially for renters. You can look at police reports and chat with a good realtor to help you in your search. As for "meth capitol," hardy! Sure, there are tweakers everywhere, even hidden in "nice" neighborhoods.

I'm in the process of moving from Columbus, Ohio. The "bad" parts of Des Moines don't compare to the near east side of Columbus with the daily multiple shootings (mostly drug-related), car jackings, and other street crime. To be fair, CPS manages to contain it to that area a good deal of the time, but I have to chuckle under my breath when an Iowan mistakes a guy with allergies and a limp for being a tweaker.
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Old 07-17-2013, 09:04 PM
 
11 posts, read 24,745 times
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Thank you for the posts, I appreciate the honesty. How hard will be to get used to the change ??? How are the people ?
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Old 07-17-2013, 11:36 PM
 
164 posts, read 322,569 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Number1Wife View Post
Thank you for the posts, I appreciate the honesty. How hard will be to get used to the change ??? How are the people ?
Hi I live in West Des Moines but was raised in Miami! I went to American High near Hialeah. You're going to have a huge culture shock. I'm not sure where to start! Winters are going to be very hard I also lived in Atlanta for a good ten years and I thought it got cold there. Secondly, it is expensive but West Des Moines has great schools so its kind of a trade off. The people? Here people are very conservative. From an Hispanic to a Hispanic you are going to have a hard time with the lack of diversity. People aren't very welcoming. Even though Miami is known for being rude, at least they say it how it is, here they'll say it behind your back. I'm not saying West Des Moines is terrible because in reality I like it here but I also haven't lived in Miami since 2002, it's definitely slower than Miami you'll either love it or miss the fast paced life. I don't know how much you like Pollo tropical but I still miss that place. You are going to lose the convenience of finding the common Latin foods. I have discovered a Mexican supermarket in nearby Urbandale that has Goya products. I can also say that it would be better for your kids here than in South Florida. If you're looking for a change West Des Moines will be great and you'll have to give it some time. I hope I helped you if you want you can always direct message if you have other questions. BTW I'm Colombian, where are you from?
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