Moments of Clarity: Des Moines a Top Ranked City for Families

Thanks to Tyler Osby for directing me to this "Kiplinger's 2008 Best Cities" issue. I knew this all along but it's nice to see the nation recognize it. In so many ways...Iowa is the center of the USA. I am so happy I executed my geographic arbitrage to this place. Thanks Iowa!

Des Moines is ranked #9. Here's some key stats they delivered in the piece.

Population: 532,425
Population Growth Since 2000: 9.6%
Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 32.1%
Cost-of-Living Index: 90.6 (100 being national average)
Median Household Income: $53,384
Income Growth Since 2000: 16.3%

Kiplinger went on to say:

“Des Moines’s friendly, hometown atmosphere, top public schooling and affordable cost of living make it an ideal place to raise a family. But it also has big city amenities, including a growing arts scene with galleries, a symphony orchestra, a ballet and opera, trendy shops and an expanding skyscraper cityscape.”

The full story on Des Moines can be found here. The full list can be found here.

So, who else made the cut? Here’s the top 10:

No. 1: Houston
No. 2: Raleigh
No. 3: Omaha
No. 4: Boise
No. 5: Colorado Springs
No. 6: Austin
No. 7: Fayettville
No. 8: Sacramento
No. 9: Des Moines
No. 10: Provo