Des Moines is the beating heart of Central Iowa — the state capital, the largest city in Iowa, and the place every suburb commutes into. It got that way because of specific things: jobs, character neighborhoods, affordability, and a downtown that keeps reinventing itself. If you're considering a move to the city itself, here's the honest assessment from someone who works this market daily.
You'll love living in Des Moines if you...
Most of the city is served by Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS), the largest district in Iowa and the first in the state to offer the International Baccalaureate program. DMPS runs five comprehensive high schools — East, Hoover, Lincoln, North, and Roosevelt.
Because the city is large, its edges touch other districts, including Southeast Polk, Johnston, West Des Moines Community, Saydel, and Carlisle. Attendance boundaries don't follow city limits, so always verify the district for a specific address. For school-level performance metrics, the Iowa Department of Education's School Performance Profiles tool is the most current objective source. I also keep a separate deep-dive on Des Moines schools if you want every detail.
Des Moines is a collection of distinct neighborhoods, each with its own character and price band: East Village, Sherman Hill, South of Grand / Ingersoll–Woodland Heights, Beaverdale, the Drake area, Highland Park, and the downtown/Gray's Lake corridor. Each has different pricing, housing stock, and target buyer. For specific neighborhood guidance, I work through this individually during the buyer consultation — see my Des Moines area guide for the full breakdown.
Des Moines sits at the crossroads of the metro. I-235 runs straight through downtown and ties into the I-35/I-80 beltway on the north and east, putting West Des Moines, Urbandale, Clive, Johnston, Ankeny, and Altoona within roughly 15–25 minutes. Downtown itself sits where the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers meet.
Downtown Des Moines is the region's cultural and employment anchor — home to Principal Financial Group, Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, and EMC Insurance headquarters, major operations for Wells Fargo, Nationwide, and Voya, and Iowa state government. On the lifestyle side, the East Village, Gray's Lake Park, the Downtown Farmers' Market, Principal Park (Iowa Cubs), and the Pappajohn Sculpture Park are what residents talk about and visitors come for. If proximity to jobs, dining, parks, and culture matters to you, the city delivers a density of it that the outer suburbs can't match.
Des Moines is a stable, affordable market. The median sale price has run near $200,000, roughly flat year over year (up about half a percent), with well-priced homes going to pending in about 26 days. Because much of the housing stock is older, condition and inspections matter more here than in a new-build suburb — that's where both the character and the value sit. Higher-end pockets like South of Grand and parts of Beaverdale reach well beyond the citywide median.
For a current snapshot of Des Moines inventory + pricing, I send a free monthly Central Iowa market report. Subscribe at Jackson's Hub.
The city's older, duplex-heavy neighborhoods — Drake, Highland Park, Sherman Hill, and areas near downtown — make Des Moines one of the better metro markets for house hacking. Buy a duplex or a large older home, live in one part, and rent the rest to help cover the payment. Demand from downtown employers, Drake University, and Des Moines University keeps well-located rentals moving. If that's interesting, start with the Des Moines house hacking guide or the House Hack Score quiz.
Whether you're a first-time buyer, a house hacker, a move-up family, or a relocation buyer evaluating the city for the first time, I can walk through what your specific budget gets you here vs. competing communities. No pressure, no sales pitch — just the numbers and the honest reality of the market.
Jackson Krile is a REALTOR® on the Flanders Team at RE/MAX Real Estate Center. Licensed in Iowa #S66867000. DMAAR + CIBR member. Serving Central Iowa.
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