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Do the Most Hipster Thing Possible – Move to Des Moines
- badmadrad 12y agoGodspeed Des Moines. Godspeed.
- badmadrad 12y agoI can understand why the city wants to reinvent itself and I admire this campaign. I'm sure the people there are nice to but its is not going to have the draw of the bigger cities. There is also an inherent risk with moving to a smaller city. Cost of of living is directly related to opportunities a certain area provides. If cost of living is lower its because it has to be for many reasons. Not to mention if you are younger and you want to learn from the best in a certain technical field you will be harder pressed to find that in Des Moines. I am not saying that there aren't great people in Des Moines but proportionately that number may be less than larger cities. Either way godspeed.
- jrcii 12y agopass.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- lil_cain 12y agoBest men's (and junior) roller derby team in the world.
- etjossem 12y agoHaving moved from Des Moines to San Francisco, I can say with confidence that Iowa has its upsides. A flourishing community of startup founders, hilariously low rents (my perfectly nice studio ran for < $500/mo.), a culture of honesty and selflessness, and - shockingly - no lack of things to do. Even the music scene isn't half bad. Lack of diversity is a serious problem; most people in Des Moines were born there. From a startup perspective, there's also not much of an investor ecosystem, and some companies struggle to find local funding. It's a smaller and more homogenous city, with everything that entails.
- yitchelle 12y agoIt is interesting that not more satellite areas around SF are rising centres of startups. Even Sacramento, which is quite near, does not seem to much activity. Anyone know why?
- moron4hire 12y agoThis is just a guess, but perhaps there is a perception that, being so close, why not just move the rest of the way to SF?
- lostcolony 12y agoWhile being so far that travel to SF is really inconvenient. Sacramento is not really being compared as "near enough to SF to count", but rather "A city in the US that is not SF", and thus is being compared against every other city that falls into that category. Being close enough that an hour and a half drive (assuming no traffic) and the expensive parking necessary to visit SF may be a point in its favor, but I'd imagine not a tremendous one.
- briandear 12y agoEver looked at the cost difference between Sacramento and San Fran? That's your reason.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- Touche 12y agoIt's more interesting that physical location matters at all in 2014.
- yitchelle 12y agoI don't think we, as humans, will ever work fully remotely. I know companies like 37signals and others have been successful in this working model, but personally, I must have some human contact with the person I have been working with. I would imagine that the majority of humans would also have the same attitude. Humans are social creatures and we have an emotional need to connect. I can clearly see this as I contrast this human need when I compare my wife's needs and my needs. I am borderline Asperger's and my need to connect is not as high as that of my wife. Although this observation is in a family environment, I don't think it is too dissimilar in an office environment. So from the perspective of connection, physical location matters.
- flatestcat 12y agoNice try, Des Moines Jaycees. Nice try.
- moron4hire 12y ago>> ... in the process of building a new Des Moines, a tech hub in Silicon Prairie... Every story that comes out about every city has a statement like this. We've had different cities across the country trying to become "the Silicon Valley of XYZ" for the last 15-20 years. Have any of them done it? Considering we're still calling the effort "the Silicon Valley of blah blah blah", I think not. I used to live in Philadelphia. I now live in Washington D.C. I've spent a lot of time in Baltimore. I wouldn't want any of these places to change from what they are to the "Silicon Valley of the East Coast". They should stay Philadelphia, Baltimore, and DC. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the Valley is awesome. I've personally never been there. I hope it has its own culture that the people there are proud of and it's not trying to become "The NYC of California" or something like that. My complaint is that we get bludgeoned over the head with popular press talking about "diversity is good, we need to increase diversity", but it misses the biggest chunks of it when it's right in their face. There is still a lot of good left in local culture.
- brandnewlow 12y agoWhat's silliest is that these nicknames make no sense. Why call your town "Silicon __________" to refer to a scene where people are making iPhone apps? Where's the Silicon?
- jeffwass 12y agoAgree 100%, and also the Silicon <Tag> theme is getting tired. At least here in London they're now calling the Old Street tech hub 'Tech City' instead of 'Silicon Roundabout'.
- brohoolio 12y agoI thought Detroit was the hip place to move to.
- vital101 12y agoIf looking for a city sized similarly to Des Moines, check out Grand Rapids, MI. Lots of great art, craft brews (Founders Brewing anyone?), and a small startup scene. You're also a 30 minute drive to Lake Michigan in the summer, which is nice when its warm enough to experience it :) http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=grand+rapids%2C+mi+vs+des+moines%2C+iowa http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=grand+rapids%2C+mi+vs+d...
- sneak 12y agoDetroit has basically no city services, so important things like police and emergency services fall by the wayside.
- larrymyers 12y agoI travel from Chicago to Des Moines several times a year to visit my parents, and have seen much of what the city has to offer. Restaurants, music, culture are all fantastic. The local craft beer scene is growing like crazy, and most taprooms have prime spots along popular bike trails throughout the city. I'd consider a fantastic city for biking. And between Ragbrai and the HyVee Tri every year I'm reminded of how awesome the bike scene is there. The tech scene is like many other mid-sized cities in the Midwest: small, growing, but not ever close to the major tech hubs. If you're going to bootstrap a company and want to have a low cost of living it's not a horrible place to do so. Dwolla strikes me as a bit of an anomaly in the city, as most of Des Moines is insurance companies and agribusiness (which is no joke, especially if you like embedded programming and GPS). You absolutely have to own a car, and in the past few years something resembling bad traffic has started to appear as the sprawl north and west of the city accelerates. Des Moines is basically a better alternative to the other mid-sized cities like St. Louis, Indy, Columbus, Milwaukee, etc.
- cushychicken 12y agoMan, I've done RAGBRAI twice, and that is some great fun. I have the century patch from my second go on my messenger bag, and I get people stopping me to chat about RAGBRAI whenever someone recognizes it.
- desas 12y agoAs a Brit, pretty much all I know of Des Moines is what I've learned from Bill Bryson, the first line of his book "Travels in Small-Town America" is "I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to."
- pm 12y agoI do remember that line - Bill Bryson is gold. The other fact I remember is that Slipknot originated there.
- Nexxxeh 12y agoAs a fellow Brit, all I know Slipknot came from Des Moines. But if it's good enough for the 'knot...
- jondthompson 12y agoHere's a couple views that aren't as stale as one written 25 years ago about a childhood that ended 42 years ago. - http://davidbyrne.com/des-moines http://davidbyrne.com/des-moines - http://altonbrown.com/ab-road-eats-des-moines/ http://altonbrown.com/ab-road-eats-des-moines/ -
- klunger 12y agoI am from Chicago, but went to school at Grinnell. We used to drive alternately to Des Moines or Iowa City on weekends for something different. I preferred Iowa City, but Des Moines was great too. Anyway, my point is that the state of Iowa is this beautiful, underrated and amazing place. I have lived in a lot of places since graduating and have lived abroad for the past several years now. But, if I ever did go back State-side, I would probably try to find a job in either Iowa City or Des Moines. They are both lovely cities, for all of the reasons mentioned in this video.
- wyclif 12y agoIf you're interested in alt-startup US cities, here's my list of places I would be interested in if I were a founder or early employee: 1. Boulder 2. Austin 3. Omaha 4. Des Moines 5. Reno (the real sleeper, but just look at the low, low business tax rate and proximity to SF). The above list isn't meant to be chiseled into stone—it's just a thought experiment on my part and I'm interested in what others think the pros/cons of these towns would be. The obvious con would be the lack of proximity to investor and startup networks and that ecosystem.
- rsync 12y agoI think Minneapolis should be on that list. I don't live there anymore, having moved to the SFBA. I don't live in an urban area, but if I did I think it would be MPLS.
- wyclif 12y agoA friend of mine just moved to Minneapolis from the DC area. Incidentally, we were talking about this just yesterday and he told me he was surprised at how good the public spaces are there: lots of nice parks, walking/biking paths, urban infrastructure, bookstores, cafes, libraries, &c. Downside is the winter, but I guess that's what Thinsulate was invented for.
- hockeybias 12y agoWe had 53 days below zero in Minneapolis last year. 53. We're off to a cool start this fall. a lake that usually freezes around Thanksgiving was covered with ice three days ago.
- jondthompson 12y agoDes Moines gets similar comments, and we have less snow. I went up to Minneapolis for a conference last summer. They had 2-3 feet of snow on the ground. I haven't seen more than 6" in central Iowa in a very long time. Oh, and central Iowa has over 600 miles of bicycle trail.
- programminggeek 12y agoI think Lincoln, NE is far more hipster than Des Moines.
- bsenftner 12y agoSo bizarre to read about my hometown like this. My friends and I growing up there in the '80s used to call it "Dead Minds Iowa". I've noticed some moving back, but for the most part a huge portion of my generation left Des Moines as soon as we could.
- sixbit 12y agoIt's great to see people are starting to realize that there are opportunities inland in America, especially if you are bootstrapping and want some extra breathing room cost wise. I spent most of my time in America in NYC and SF (originally from Canada), but recently moved out to Dallas for much of the same reasons. Had started a company so I wasn't tied to SF for work anymore and the cost of living in Dallas where housing was 10x cheaper tempted me to take a risk and come out here, and I have no regrets. More space, lots of things to do tech wise and arts and culture wise, especially if you seek it out and are intentional about it.
- rquantz 12y agoThe Social Club is now lodged in an old firehouse built in 1937, and has a theater, classrooms, bars, art gallery, and adjoining restaurant [...] Mannheimer created something that would have taken the rest his life and $300 million to complete if he'd stayed in New York. It took him seven years and $12 million. Ok, I haven't seen Mannheimer's place, but something that matches this description just opened up across the street from me in Bushwick, Brooklyn. I guarantee that the hipsters who opened it didn't have a budget greater than $12 million, and nobody was thinking about this neighborhood more than a few years ago. In other words, while New York can be a hard place, things still happen here, artists still live here and produce amazing work, and it's hard to imagine there's a better place for performing artists to work anywhere in the US. For some reason, there has been a move recently to declare the big coastal cities impossible to live in, yet they remain great places to live, which is why so many people want to live here. On the other hand, if you're going to start a company and have an extremely limited budget, by all means do it somewhere other than NYC or SV. Artists need an audience. A tech company just needs an internet connection. Edit: also, I want to address this quote: "In the world of hipsters, is there anything more ironic than coming to live in Des Moines, as opposed to living in Brooklyn?" Anyone still talking about irony with regards to hipsters clearly has no idea what the kids in Bushwick are doing. These are the most earnest people you can imagine.
- dr_ 12y agoA newly established startup that just needs an Internet connection maybe could be created anywhere - but a company, which at some point may want to bring in more seasoned talent as it grows, is probably better off near the coastal areas, with a few exceptions.
- arbuge 12y agoThat view is still too limited in my opinion. There are massive companies coast to coast in the USA, and they seem to have no problem finding talent (to the extent that of course they do - who doesn't? - but it's survivable). Dallas for example has a large concentration of Fortune 500 companies, which is about as "grown" as you can get.
- sneak 12y agoYou misspelled Berlin.
- monksy 12y agoThe last thing that Berlin needs/wants is more hipsters from NYC. The amount of resentment by the German people for that group is pretty high. Go to a nightclub, they'll deny you entry if you don't speak German or look American.
- sneak 12y agoI'm an American someone who's been called a hipster who moved from NYC to Berlin. I walk into Berghain whenever I want. Then again, I care about the community, took the time to learn German, and have established connections in my city of residence. If you're obnoxious, you're going to be shunned anywhere you go. Your misconceptions aren't helping Berlin or NYC.
- monksy 12y agoYet there are tons of obnoxious people who didn't. It's not a misconception. It's a reality.
- mcav 12y agoI'm from Des Moines (now in SF); it has really matured in the last twenty years. It's a great place to live: inexpensive, nice people, plenty of space, definitely worth overlooking the stereotypes. Weather? You got it: feet of snow in the winter, hot in the summer, perfect in the fall and spring.
- bigtunacan 12y agoI currently live in Cedar Rapids, which is largely referred to as the "corridor" area; the region joining the "separate" cities of Iowa City, Coralville, Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha which are all sort of converging into one larger metro area as population and grow increases. We are about a 2 hour drive from Des Moines and there is a lot of collaboration happening across the state outside of just Des Moines. There is huge growth happening in the tech sector within Iowa, but also in other areas, education, medical, insurance, agri-business, being a few of the key areas. I've seen mention on here already of RAGBRAI and the bike friendliness of Des Moines; this is more true in the Iowa City/Coralville areas, and equally true in the main Cedar Rapids districts. Here are some things that are more interesting though; the midwest has some of the lowest in the nation, and Iowa sits at an average unemployment rate of 4.5%. In terms of diversity; it may not have been that diverse 20 years ago, but these days Iowa is ranked as the 3rd most progressive state, right behind Massachusetts and California. We have huge incentives for technology, start-up accelerators, local tech conferences, low cost of living, local re-investment. Personally, I hate the "Silicon Prairie" term, because it means that people turn it into a us vs them sort of comparison. In terms of raw numbers, more successful start-ups are going to come out of California; or I would certainly hope so since the population of the state is in excess of 38M whereas as Iowa is just barely over 3M. However in terms of your chances of success; these days I think the odds are probably in your favor in Iowa. I'm just some dude, and I've had beers, dinner, or just visited with CEOs of many of the tech businesses (long established & start-ups) and the thing is these are great people. They still relate to their humble beginnings and they want to give back and grow business right here. They are so approachable, and I think this is in large part due to the fact that the lines aren't as long because we are still small. Right now I seriously have to give a shout-out to Eric Engelmann, founder of the Iowa Startup Accelerator and the CEO of Geonetric. He is an all around great guy, who has done so much for this area and continues to do so, and there are too many more around here to name. Is it Hipster? Some yes, some no. Is it a great place to be right now? Unequivocally; Yes. But you don't have to join us; we'll continue to do just fine on our own. If you do though; you just might fall in love. To end with; here's some links to a few things that are happening in Iowa http://www.iowastartupaccelerator.com/ http://www.iowastartupaccelerator.com/ http://uipartners.uiowa.edu/deviowa http://uipartners.uiowa.edu/deviowa https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6uYhe4TzHsCNjNWVlhDMXAwVFE/edit https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6uYhe4TzHsCNjNWVlhDMXAwVFE... (Mapping Venture Capital In Iowa) http://www.welchavenue.com/ http://www.welchavenue.com/ (Iowa only start-up news) http://siliconprairienews.com/ http://siliconprairienews.com/ (Midwest start-up news)
- msoad 12y agoLack of diversity makes it hard for people from other cultures to live in such city. How can I live without access to Turkish food??!
- yeldarb 12y agoI agree, I would love to see more diversity in Des Moines but I think this is more a function of size; a smaller metro can't have a community of every culture. I have been waiting for a good Cuban place for far too long! But it's not like there is a complete lack of diversity. There are large numbers of Vietnamese and Bosnian immigrants living in the city to name a few.
- Jemaclus 12y agoAlmost everyone commenting here falls into two camps: A) "NYC/SF is great" and B) "I've been to Des Moines, it's great." But nobody here really seems to be comparing the two. If I live in SF/NYC and I want to move to Des Moines, what are the upsides? What are the downsides? Sure, Des Moines is a nice place with fun stuff -- but so are a hundred other cities in the US. What makes Des Moines different or a good enough draw to make me leave SF? Lower rent? I can get that almost anywhere else. Hipsters? There are plenty of those here. Big social clubs, nice restaurants, a music scene? I have that here, too. Bike-friendly? So is the Bay Area (downtown SF notwithstanding) Nice weather most of the year? Same as the Bay Area. What's the big draw to Des Moines? Or Portland? Or Austin? Why would I pick any of those places over SF or NYC or anywhere else? I don't think it's enough to say "NYC/SF is expensive. You should move to Des Moines, because we're great." I think you have to really make a case that life in Des Moines is going to be better than where you live now, or else I have no reason to uproot my life and move, yeah? (Genuinely curious -- I'm not gonna stay in SF forever, but I have no idea where I'd want to go next.)
- couchand 12y agoOne thing that hasn't been mentioned is the quality of the public schools. If you're thinking of starting a family that could be a compelling point. Iowa is widely considered to have some of the best public schools in the country.
- yeldarb 12y agoThere is no one silver bullet but I can tell you why I choose to live in Des Moines. For me it is about the community. I like building things. Here, in addition to building my own startup, I am part of a group of people working to build a great ecosystem. It's exhilarating and inspiring to be surrounded by other people who are working together to make Iowa a great place to live. Being a part of shaping that nascent identity is a good feeling. That's, of course, not the only reason to live in Des Moines. The reasons, priorities, and motivations are different for everyone. I've heard everything from people moving here to raise a family (low crime, great public schools) to cost of living (paired with the low unemployment the standard of living way more than averages out), to the hundreds of miles of public bike trails, to the growing music and arts communities, etc. But really, it is hard to know whether Des Moines is the right place for you since I don't know you. It may not be, but I love it here. It is also always interesting to read outside perspectives. David Byrne (of Talking Heads fame) recently wrote about Des Moines and I think it captured a lot of the small "quality of life" details that are hard to pin down without experiencing them from a fresh perspective. http://davidbyrne.com/des-moines http://davidbyrne.com/des-moines
- percentcer 12y ago"Don't try to do that because it's already been done" is a terrible attitude to have and I'm surprised they open the video with it.