Day 24

Where I live ~

I live in Des Moines Iowa - what I feel is one of the most misunderstood places of America. We are not potato farmers, that is Idaho. In fact I'm not a farmer at all, nor have I or any of my family ever been anything remotely close. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against farming, it's just that in my travels and living in larger places such as LA I've heard people say the most incorrect and stereo typical things about my home state. And those who do the hard work of farming here are commonly into corn, dairy, and pork, although we have probably every type of agriculture throughout the state. We also have an increasingly large number of vineyards...that's right, Iowans make wine too. The population here (the capital) is a little over 500,000. Des Moines is the place for the insurance and finance industries. During the two years surrounding an election this is the place to meet any presidential candidate of your choosing as we hold the caucuses, a major event in nominating the president. This place is literally crawling with campaign offices, flyers and signage galore. We are becoming more and more diverse every day, which I love! In the 7 years since I moved back I've seen this place grow tremendously in every way. We have a few cool areas with great boutique shopping and awesome restaurants. There are many hidden talents here such as phenomenal, salon &spas, photographers, tattoo artists and clothing designers. We have art galleries, a great music scene and awesome events. And yes we rank pretty high for our annual art festival and our downtown farmers market (rightfully so, seeing how we are a farming state). There immigrants from many different countries coming to our area as well, which I love to see. That was my favorite part of living in a major metropolis- meeting people from all over the world and learning about their cultures. Oh, yes and then there is education...our public school system leaves a lot to be desired, not unlike the rest of America, but we have some pretty great colleges throughout our state. So annnnyyyway, my immediate neighborhood consists of mostly Caucasian middle- aged families and our block is mostly retired folks. So, needless to say it's pretty peaceful and quiet here. I like it. It's taken me a long time to appreciate it because I miss the ocean SOOOO bad, but the cost of living is much more practical for us here and I've come to accept a slower pace. We won't stay for the rest of our lives though, one day we'll move closer to a coast.
I guess what I'm trying to say is Des Moines is not so bad, there is quite a bit to do here. The state of Iowa has a lot to offer as a whole... with beautiful lakes too- for you nature lovers. I'm trying to convince you that this would be a good place to visit! Heck, this would be a great place to consider moving if you 're looking to re-locate. ;)
Well, this is where I live!