I live near Des Moines. Like any city there are the poor, higher crime areas and the nicer wealthy areas. Iowa in general is not terribly liberal. Most people are going to be moderate conservative Christians. But, people are also pretty polite and aren t going to bother you much if you think otherwise. The suburbs are where the nicer homes are, if you go waaaay out into the country there are even some really high end mansions. The worst crime in those parts of town is burglary. You probably won t meet with violence unless you are into drugs. It s a growing city, so for some industries the job outlook is pretty good. It depends what you are looking for.
I lived there for two years. It is cold in the Winter, hot in the Summer and boring all year round. It is a pretty nice city besides the boring part. It has a fairly low crime rate and unemployment rate and a low cost of living, but wages are not as high as bigger cities on the east and West Coasts.It would be easier to give you an answer if you gave us an idea about where you are now. Big city, medium city small town and geographical location. Also do you like corn? Because there are actual corn fields within the city limits of Des Moines......I am not kidding!It is a nice city, just not that exciting.