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[appleaddict]

Just curious about the school and also the city. Thanks.

[history_grrrl]

appleaddict, I'm going to PM you.

[history_grrrl]

But before I do: could you be more specific: Is there a position you're considering applying for, or have you already gotten an interview? Are you in the humanities, or some other area? And what kind of information are you looking for? Teaching load, campus culture, local amenities, etc.?

[paul_robeson]

Depending on where you're coming from, Des Moines as a whole might not be the most appealing place in the world.  But I lived there for a couple of years and found it tolerable.  It is a place where you can afford to buy a house and send your kids to decent schools (if that's part of the equation for you).

A big downside, obviously, is that you're stuck plumb in the middle of Iowa.  It's a looooong way to certifiable major city. 

[philonthemarket]

Depending on where you're coming from, Des Moines as a whole might not be the most appealing place in the world.  But I lived there for a couple of years and found it tolerable.  It is a place where you can afford to buy a house and send your kids to decent schools (if that's part of the equation for you).

A big downside, obviously, is that you're stuck plumb in the middle of Iowa.  It's a looooong way to certifiable major city. 

Out of curiosity, is there a "major" city in IA.

[yellowtractor]

Depending on where you're coming from, Des Moines as a whole might not be the most appealing place in the world.  But I lived there for a couple of years and found it tolerable.  It is a place where you can afford to buy a house and send your kids to decent schools (if that's part of the equation for you).

A big downside, obviously, is that you're stuck plumb in the middle of Iowa.  It's a looooong way to certifiable major city. 

Out of curiosity, is there a "major" city in IA.

Depends on how you slice it.  Omaha/Council Bluffs is partly in Iowa, as is half of the Quad Cities (Davenport/Rock Island/etc.).  Des Moines, of course.  Cedar Rapids is certainly a city, if not a "major" one.  Iowans think of Sioux City as a city, but then, as flatlanders, they have this tropism toward the literal.

The major airports are Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, which is actually halfway between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.  And Omaha.

But you were snarking, weren't you?  (Shucks.)  The point is that Des Moines feels significantly less cosmopolitan than most cities its size.  Iowa City (where the University of Iowa is) is much more interesting, even though it's smaller in terms of population.  I've had friends who chose to live in Iowa City and commute to academic jobs in Cedar Rapids and even Des Moines.

[namazu]

Des Moines is about as "big city" as it gets in Iowa (about 200,000 people). 

There are also the "Quad Cities" on the Iowa-Illinois border of (about 400,000 people altogether in) Davenport, IA, Bettendorf, IA, Moline, IL, and Rock Island, IL.

Des Moines is about 3 hrs. from Kansas City, 4 hrs. from Minneapolis-St. Paul, and 5hrs. from Chicago.

I know a couple people who live there and seem to like it well enough, but have never been there myself, so don't have much to offer in the way of suggestions for local flavor.  I get the sense that it's a pretty typical Midwestern small-medium city. 

Drake is a good U, most of whose population is drawn from the Midwest region.  Again, I have a couple of friends/acquaintances who went there, but it was a long time ago.  One of these friends is autistic (and bright, obviously), so perhaps it speaks in part to the school's commitment to student support that he had a reasonably good (if challenging) experience there.

(Also, on the off-chance you've never heard the name of the city pronounced - it's "De Moyn", accent on the second word.  Just in case.)

[schoolmarm]

I've lived there.  Nice suburbs.

And Des Moines IS the "only" city in Iowa as in "Des Moines and the rest of Iowa".  I've also lived in the rest of Iowa, and if you are coming from a rural area or a smallish city, Des Moines is great.  If you think that St. Louis or Kansas City are "cow towns" you will be disappointed in Des Moines.

The school systems in Des Moines are very good, not just the suburban district but Des Moines Public as well. 

Drake is on the edge of the inner city with many older homes and funky little shops nearby.  There is a strong Drake Neighborhood association.  It's been too long since I've been there to update you on Drake.  The Music School has always been strong for undergrads.  Law and Journalism are, I believe, also strong.

Rush hour in Des Moines exists but doesn't last long.

You could certainly do worse!

[innyc]

I can't imagine commuting from Iowa City to Des Moines any time of the year but especially in the winter.  It's about 120 miles.  Commuting from Iowa City to Cedar Rapids, though, is no big deal, 20-25 miles depending where you are.

[schoolmarm]

I commuted a couple of days per week one summer from Des Moines to Iowa City to finish some grad classes and it was NOT a nice commute.  I wouldn't do it daily.  I think I stayed overnight a couple of times per week as well.  It is all interstate, but in the winter it would be a killer.

I also commuted from near Iowa City to the south side of Cedar Rapids on a daily basis.  Again, it was all interstate, but killer in the winter.  Took about an hour on a good day.  I used to play a game of counting the number of vehicles in the ditch in the winter.....

If you are from the midwest or like the midwest or are from a rural or mid-sized town you will be fine in Des Moines.  Most New Yorkers and Californians would find Iowa quite an adjustment. 

Des Moines gets a lot of ice when the rest of the state gets snow or rain.  Snow removal, in general, is very good.  Lots of bike riders in Des Moines, recycling is good, local festivals are fun, and at the grocery stores you take the number of your cart out to the car with you and drive up so that they load your groceries in the trunk.

Now that might not be a reason to MOVE to Des Moines, but drive-up grocery loading is something that I MISS.

[postmodern]

Depending on where you're coming from, Des Moines as a whole might not be the most appealing place in the world.  But I lived there for a couple of years and found it tolerable.  It is a place where you can afford to buy a house and send your kids to decent schools (if that's part of the equation for you).

A big downside, obviously, is that you're stuck plumb in the middle of Iowa.  It's a looooong way to certifiable major city. 

Out of curiosity, is there a "major" city in IA.

No.

[profxfiles]

I think, to some degree, it depends on the field. if you are in my field (American politics), Des Moines would be an AWESOME place to be--Iowa is ground zero for presidential camapigns. When I did my grad work in the state, I got to see ALL the big names and a couple of dark horses that did much better than expected.

[paul_robeson]

I thought I would revive this dormant thread about Drake.  Anyone have any new/special insights about the university?  (I know Des Moines pretty well already.)

[alleyoxenfree]

In my field, Drake has been one of the worst offenders of asking for dossiers that include not only the kitchen sink but sample syllabi for their courses, intended courses, suggested courses, etc.  When you look at the people they hire, it looks suspiciously like they use the hiring process for curriculum development at the expense of the job seekers' time and professional work.  Your department experience may vary.

[bana_bana]

while other universities were giving furloughs and cutting jobs, Drake gave salary increases and increased the professional development money for all faculty. financially stable university, at this economy what else would you want?