Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine has named Des Moines among its top 10 cities. Here are some quotes from the article:

The city is working to lure back young Iowans and attracting global talent by developing its downtown and promoting the jobs available in the many industries that flourish there. Other big draws: low-cost housing, plus the city’s long-touted reputation for family-friendliness and a “19-minute commute.”

Full text of the article can be found here: http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/best-cities-2010-des-moines-iowa.html

For 12 years, Forbes has been ranking the Best Places for Business and Careers and, at the top of this year’s list, was Des Moines , Iowa . “ Des Moines favorable regulatory environment and well-educated workforce makes it an attractive destination for high-value-added, well-paying industries,” stated Sunayana Mehra, an economist at Moody’s Economy.com.

With a metro area comprised of 562,000 people, Des Moines business and living costs are more than 10% below the national average. In addition, 33 percent of adults are college educated, while 92 percent possess high school diplomas. The economic and housing outlook for Des Moines also looks bright. Employment rates are expected to increase 2.7 percent over the next three years and household incomes are projected to rise 2.9 percent.

Forbes gathered a variety of statistical data from over 200 cities, ranking them based on items such as business and living costs, past and projected job growth, educational attainment, projected economic growth and quality of life. For more information, please read the complete article published on Wednesday, April 14, 2010.

I found this online and thought readers might be interested in seeing some health stats on Iowa’s most populous county since it’s the home of the City of Des Moines.

Source: http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/iowa/polk

Here are just a few highlights from the article, you can read the full article online at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/realestate/commercial/17desmoines.html.

…recent commercial, residential and retail development in Des Moines, where public and private cooperation has produced a robust urban landscape matched by few cities its size.

…Des Moines was one of a growing number of cities that recognize the potential of downtown development, as well as the urgency of changing economic and political strategies to encourage it.

Des Moines was able to find a nonpartisan formula for making decisions on taxes, infrastructure, parks and housing that support downtown construction. “Des Moines is one of those places that recognized that to pull off being a special place they can be proud of, people have to work together”

This time, the 2009 MSN Real Estate Most-Livable Bargin Markets. From their site, here’s what they had to say about Des Moines.

Des Moines may be one of the best and most overlooked places to jump-start your career. The economy of this Midwestern state capital is solid, with a large number of well-paying jobs in the insurance, bioscience and agribusiness fields. Yet the median house costs just $150,000. Forbes has ranked it one of the best places for business and careers three years running.

It has some of the cleanest air in the country, its residents report low stress levels and there’s enough outdoor recreation, culture and fine art to keep most people happy (its Art Center was designed by I.M. Pei). “There’s so many things that are accessible here,” says Lauren Burt of the Greater Des Moines Partnership. “There’s a lot of volunteerism and ways to be engaged with the community.”

Cons: The extremes in weather might come as a shock to many relocating here. Winters are very cold, and there’s no shortage of tornadoes and floods. Moreover, it’s relatively isolated, with the nearest big cities — Omaha, Neb., and Minneapolis — an hour-and-a-half and three hours away, respectively. Plan on bringing your car; there’s not a lot of public transportation.

Population: 547,911
Affordability index: 2.70
Unemployment: 5.5
Job growth: -1.43%
Median home price*: $150,100
Home price appreciation**: -0.57%
Cost of living index: 85.4
Median household income: $55,545
Commute time (mins.): 21.6
% commutes greater than an hour: 2.63%

*All median home prices Q2 2009

**All home price appreciation numbers cover Q2 2008 to Q2 2009

In this week’s posts for the StarTribune.com, a Minneapolis-St. Paul newspaper, the city of Des Moines was highlighted, you can check out the full article at: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/travel/65206692.html?page=1&c=y.

Here are a few excerpts:

With a sophisticated art scene, major-league restaurants, eye-catching architecture and proud history, Iowa’s capital city charms and impresses.

We became acquainted with the city by seeking out — actually, more like stumbling across — its distinctive architecture. No formal tour, just a spontaneous blend of walking and driving and nosing around, with lots of Google searches filling in the gaps. My favorites were definitely downtown’s art deco beauties: US Bank is fortunate enough to be ensconced in the sophisticated Iowa-Des Moines National Bank Building (520 Walnut St.); its equally beguiling neighbor, the Des Moines Building (405 6th Av.), is worth a peek for its glamorous black marble lobby.

The city’s restaurants fed us very, very well. Lucca (420 E. Locust St., 1-515-243-1115, www.luccarestaurant.net) was so impressive that we returned the following night for a second shot at chef/owner Steve Logsdon’s spare, unadulterated cooking (a sublime thyme-kissed gnocchi, fall-apart-tender pork shoulder with white polenta and cabbage), which more than matches the chic minimalist surroundings. It’s one of the Midwest’s great restaurants.

That’s what one blogger declared. Check out a couple of excerpts form a post this week on the Saint Louis Urban Workshop blog:

Des Moines, IA has a new bicycle-friendly “Complete Streets” infrastructure policy. From the Complete Streets website: “Instituting a complete streets policy ensures that transportation planners and engineers consistently design and operate the entire roadway with all users in mind – including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.” The implementation of roundabouts, bump-outs and more has not be universally heralded, but Des Moines is moving forward.

At the same time St. Louis is “experimenting” with reduced traffic lanes on South Grand Avenue with the primary goal of “maintaining traffic flow.” St. Louis needs to decide who has the right to use our streets. “Complete Streets” asserts that it’s everyone.

In Des Moines, the goal of changes to 1.5 miles of Beaver Avenue “is to better accommodate all modes of transportation. That includes automobiles, bicycles, pedestrians, the handicapped and parents pushing strollers.” Why does this goal elude St. Louis?

Ok, I just read one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen today. I remember back in my youth when the movie Footloose came out that was about the dumb laws of Elmore City, Oklahoma that banned dancing. Well it came to my surprise, Des Moines has a similar law that goes into effect every night at 2am. I’m not talking about drinking past 2am, I’m talking about dancing past 2am.

According to the AP story, an obscure city ordinance outlaws public dancing after 2am and most residents and bar owners were not even aware of the law until members of the nonprofit Des Moines Social Club sought to hold an after-hours dance at their downtown building and were told no.

The law which dates to at least 1942, bans public dancing between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday. For more check out the full article at: http://www.thestate.com/166/story/862156.html.

This is not the type of recognition Des Moines needs when it’s trying to attract more young people to live here.

A reader of this blog pointed me to a new report published this week by The Brookings Institution, MetroMonitor. The report ranks the nation’s 100 largest metro areas based on economic performance. DesMoines is included in the top 20 strongest-performing metro areas in the United States.

MetroMonitor provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the recession on metropolitan America. The report examines six key indicators – employment, employment change by industry, unemployment rates, wages, gross metropolitan product, housing prices, and foreclosure rates – through the first quarter of 2009.

You can read the report and check out the many maps and tables available here:
http://www.brookings.edu/metro/MetroMonitor.aspx

The 2009 Alice Rodine Volunteer Recognition Awards were announced recently. Each year, neighborhoods are asked to nominate one business, one city staff person, and community volunteer that has demonstrated outstanding leadership in their neighborhood. Every nominee is recognized for all their hard work and dedication to the community. I received one the for Citizen Volunteer for Downtown. Alice Rodine was a well-known neighborhood activist that died in 2000, but the awards are held to remember her tireless works over the years. Here is a list of this year’s winners.

Overall Citizen- Bob & Nelda Mickle
Overall City Employee- Skip Moore

City Employee

Ed Leedom- North of Grand
Tom Vlassis- Cheatom Park
Mary Neiderbach- Sherman Hill
David Dunn- Merle Hay, Riverbend
Greg Cloe- Meredith, Mondamin Presidential
Sgt. Larry Davey- Beaverdale
Skip Moore- Waterbury
Sgt. Laura Pascuzzi- FCCI
Donald Tripp- Gray’s Lake
Sgt. Brent Harris- Capitol East
Sgt. Brian Harris- South Park

Business Award

The Community Housing Development Corporation- King Irving
Bauder’s Pharmacy- North of Grand
John R. Grubb YMCA- Riverbend
Owen Crist- Cheatom Park
Union Park Health Services- Union Park
Glen Echo Christian Church- Lower Beaver
Southside Church of the Nazarene- Magnolia Park
MLK Jr. Parkway Hy-Vee- Meredith
14th Street McDonalds- Capitol East
First American Bank- Beaverdale
14th STreet Mendards- South Park
Iowa State Bank-FCCI
Stone Printing- Sherman Hill
The Cornerstone Credit Union- Waterbury

Citizen

Duane Koethe- North of Grand
Tayla Obumseli- Cheatom Park
“Kids with a Kause”- Waveland Park
Nelda Mickle- Sherman Hill
Steve Addy- Riverbend
Dawn Jorgensen- FCCI
Elizabeth Rush- Magnolia Park
Doug Wheeler- Meredith
Bill Miller- Beaverdale
Larry Bradshaw- Downtown
C.J. Stephens- Waterbury
Whyline Gardner- Gray’s Lake
Jean Schooley- Capitol East
Andy & Janet Clark- South Park
Robin Hamel- Mondamin Presidential
Don Mayberry- King Irving

This week’s Wall Street Journal had an article on cities it described as “youth magnets.” Des Moines was one of the cities listed. According to the graph that they published, only 19 cities in the US have had more net migration of educated adults over the age of 25 (between 05-07).

“The worst recession in a generation is disrupting migration patterns and overturning lives across the country. Yet, cities like Portland, along with Austin, Texas, Seattle and others, continue to be draws for the young, educated workers that communities and employers covet. What these cities share is a hard-to-quantify blend of climate, natural beauty, universities and — more than anything else — a reputation as a cool place to live. For now, an excess of young workers is adding to the ranks of the unemployed. But holding on to these people through the downturn will help cities turn around once the economy recovers.”

The author of the Census report on these “youth magnet” cities, Rachel Franklin, says a critical mass of young professionals means a city has a “sustained attractiveness” for other young people looking for a place to settle down.

You can read the full text of the article here: http://online.wsj.com/article/ SB124242099361525009.html

Even for the size of our population, our own Des Moines Register still is consider the 74th most widely circulated daily newspaper in the country according to Good Magazine.

Forbes Magazine looked at quality-of-life measures to form the list. Here’s how the Des Moines area compared, according to statistics the magazine gathered:

• Income growth: 4.2 percent (No. 91 of 379).

• Cost-of-living index: 90.2 (No. 165 of 379).

• Culture index: 68 (No. 121 of 379).

• Crime per 100,000 people: 3,854 (No. 193 of 379).

• Unemployment: 5 percent (No. 48 of 379).

Forbes Magazine also rated Des Moines seventh among metro areas for best places for business and careers.

Today, MSNBC.com had an article about downsizing your life from a major metro metropolitan city to a mid-size city for a better quality of life.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29723949/

They contain only 20 percent of the U.S. population, but midsize metropolitan areas can be an appealing alternative to life in the big city….The study compared the 124 midsize metros in 20 statistical categories, using the latest U.S. Census Bureau data. The highest scores went to well-rounded places with healthy economies, light traffic, moderate costs of living, impressive housing stocks and strong educational systems.

These are the top 10 midsize metros in terms of quality of life:

1. Provo, Utah
2. Boulder, Colo.
3. Madison, Wis.
4. Bridgeport-Stamford, Conn.
5. Ann Arbor, Mich.
6. Ogden, Utah
7. Fort Collins, Colo.
8. Boise, Idaho
9. Colorado Springs, Colo.
10. Des Moines, Iowa

….Des Moines is a joy for commuters fed up with the hassles of big-city traffic. The typical Des Moines adult takes 19.7 minutes to get from home to his or her workplace, compared to more than half an hour in major metros such as New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Our city just got some great national recognition again. This time, Des Moines was listed as the highest-rated Midwestern market for small business vitality by the American City Business Journals Inc.

Des Moines ranked 22 out of 100 largest metropolitan areas based on a six-factor formula that includes population growth, job growth, small-business growth and small-business concentration.

For more details check out: The Best Places to Start a Small Business at BizJournals.com.