Money's list of America's best small cities


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75. West Des Moines, IA
West Des Moines
Residents can cool off at the Holiday Park Aquatic Center in summer months.
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 75
Population: 55,000
Compare West Des Moines to Top 10 Best Places
Feel like you're always looking for something new to do? Look no further than this affluent suburb 15 minutes from downtown Des Moines.

The community has an impressive roster of activities, including free weekly yoga classes in front of the city's town hall and various events in "Valley Junction," the city's historic downtown.

Whether you're into shopping at farmer's markets, checking out car shows, or combing through antiques, there's something here for almost everyone. --J.S.

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Is West Des Moines a great town, or what?
West Des Moines stats
  City stats Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)		 $89,483 $90,957
Job growth %
(2000-2009)*		 19.31% 15.71%
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Median home price $165,000 $239,391
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Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 21.7% 22.9%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 16.5% 22.9%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 2 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 31 24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 915 2,967
High temp in July ° F 85.9° 86.2°
Low temp in Jan ° F 10.4° 21.3°
Median age 33.2 35.3
Financial City stats Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)		 $89,483 $90,957
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)		 $97,582 $86,860
State sales tax 6.00% 5.45%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)		 8.98%I 7.35%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)		 0.36%I 2.96%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)		 $1,204 $1,707
Job growth %
(2000-2009)*		 19.31% 15.71%
See jobs near West Des Moines
Housing
Median home price $165,000 $239,391
Average property taxes
(2009)		 $3,366 $3,418
See West Des Moines homes for sale
Education
Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)		 6 25
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 21.7% 22.9%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 16.5% 22.9%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)		 77.1/22.9 87.8/12.2
Quality of life
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)		 81.0% 77.8%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 2 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 31 24
Median commute time (in minutes) 16.3 21.4
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer		 3.8% 13.6%
% population walk or bike to work 1.7% 3.6%
Leisure and culture
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)		 17 31
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 915 2,967
Bars
(within 15 miles)		 159 207
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)		 58 162
Libraries
(within 15 miles)		 36 72
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)		 2 10
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 4 12
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 0.8 1.5
Weather
Annual rainfall
(inches)		 34.17 37.40
% clear days in the area 29 29
High temp in July ° F 85.9° 86.2°
Low temp in Jan ° F 10.4° 21.3°
Median age 33.2 35.3
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)		 75.9% 71.5%
Married % 57.9% 56.6%
Divorced % 9.7% 8.4%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)		 45.3 94.9
From the August 2010 issue
Notes: *County data

(I) Income tax notes:
16 states have statutory provision for automatic adjustment of tax brackets, personal exemption or standard deductions to the rate of inflation. Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio index the personal exemption amounts only.
Tax credits.
  • Homes for sale
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Find Your Best Places
Region
Northeast South
Midwest West
Ranking
Top 100 winners only
Population
8.4M
46,000
Home Prices
2009 median sales prices
$1.2M
$36K
Video
How we picked the Best Places
Using statistics from data provider Onboard Informatics, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small cities for families. (Last year, we looked at small towns, with populations between 8,500 and 50,000.) More

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