Would you rather live in Atlanta or Des Moines?

[TDAS04]

Des Moines by far.

[TDAS04]

Reno, NV, used to call itself the "biggest" little town in America. Conversely, Des Moines, after perhaps the Quad Cities, strikes me as one of the "smallest" bigger metro areas in the US. Despite having perhaps a half million folks in the metro area, there really isn't much there, and the downtown is somnolent and drab. Even finding a decent restaurant there has proven to be a bit of a challenge (ended up going to a Russian restaurant, which ended up being something of a disaster). Kind of cruel to say this, but Iowa is just an incredibly frumpy place; it seems most of the folks with energy and creativity, have split the place over the decades. None of my clan is still encamped there for example, not even a measly distant cousin for example. There seems to be more action in Hudson, NY, with a "metro area" of about 15,000 or so - a lot more action. So Atlanta.

Uh, no.  Des Moines is actually more of solid, hip, cultured city than you'd expect from a city its size. It has a decent downtown with some tall buildings.  I like that that the city combines the best of both worlds, in that it has several big city aspects and activities, but still small enough to be friendly and comfortable.

[TDAS04]

Some along the lines that Des Moines has a number of amenities and culture for a city of only 200k, plus good schools and relatively low crime.

That is a good description.

My wife lived and worked in the Atlanta arts community for a number of years before we left. Yes, definite downsides with its sprawl, traffic, crime, but all in all I know we'd probably sooner move there for offering so much more than Des Moines. That said, the older we and the kids get, the less important things like a wide variety of restaurants, museums, band venues, microbreweries, etc. all become. Anymore we rarely make use of the ones we have near us as it is. So long as they kept pro hockey (albeit AHL level) there....

Des Moines has all those. 

[TDAS04]

Des Moines for the weather.

Better than Atlanta, but the weather isn't really one of the positives about Des Moines either.  Neither is cold enough. 

[TDAS04]

Des Moines. Though Iowa seems to be a right-wing hell,

Iowa is one of only a handful of states where a majority of whites voted for Obama both times.  Romney edged Obama among whites even in California.