Why Des Moines, Iowa Will Always Feel Like Home to Rebecca Schweitzer

Rebecca Schweitzer is a Des Moines, Iowa based writer covering Iowa politics, public accountability, and issues impacting everyday Iowa families. In this piece she steps away from policy and writes about something more personal: why Des Moines Iowa is home and why that word means something real to her.

Read more from Rebecca Schweitzer, a Des Moines, Iowa writer, here.

I Write About Iowa's Problems Because I Love This Place. Let Me Tell You Why.

I spend a lot of time writing about what is wrong in Iowa. The budget deficit. The healthcare desert. The property tax fight that never seems to end. The policies that make life harder for Iowa families who are already stretched thin.

I write about those things because I care about this state and this city. I write about them because Des Moines Iowa is home and has been home in a way that goes deeper than an address.

But today I want to write about something different. Today I want to write about why Des Moines Iowa feels like home in the first place and why that feeling has never left me even on the days when Iowa politics makes me want to pull my hair out.

I Grew Up on an Iowa Farm and Des Moines Was the City That Opened the World Up

I grew up on an Iowa farm. That upbringing shaped everything about how I see the world. The rhythms of planting and harvest. The way weather is not just small talk in Iowa but a genuine force that shapes everything. The deep connection to land and community that Iowa farm life builds in you whether you realize it at the time or not.

Des Moines was the city I came to when I wanted something bigger. When I wanted to study and think and argue about ideas and understand how the world works. I went to Drake University and studied Ethics and Law Politics and Society. Those words still describe exactly what I care about most. Drake is right in the heart of Des Moines in a neighborhood full of historic charm and the kind of walkable streets that remind you a city can feel like a community if it is built right.

Des Moines gave me that. It gave me a place where an Iowa farm girl could come and find her footing and build something.

Iowa Was the Center of American Politics and That Was Something Extraordinary

For decades Iowa was first in the nation for presidential caucuses. That meant every four years the most powerful people in American politics came here. To Iowa. To Des Moines and tiny towns across the state. And they had to talk to regular Iowa people face to face if they wanted to be president.

I remember walking into a bar in Des Moines and Joe Biden and Chris Dodd were just there. Standing there talking to people. This was 2007 during the lead up to the 2008 Iowa caucuses. You could walk up and shake their hand and look them in the eye and ask them a real question. Where else in the country does that happen. The answer is almost nowhere.

That was the magic of Iowa being first. It forced presidential candidates to earn votes one conversation at a time. No media filter. No staged rally. Just a candidate and a room full of Iowans who were paying attention and ready to push back. You can read more about Des Moines diversity here.

Barack Obama won the 2008 Iowa caucuses and that win proved to the country that a Black candidate could win in a predominantly white Midwestern state. It changed the trajectory of American history and it happened here because Iowa was paying attention.

The lesson I take from that era still drives my writing today. Pay attention. Show up. Ask the hard questions. Your voice matters more than you think it does.

What Des Moines Actually Looks Like If You Live Here

People who have never been to Des Moines sometimes have a picture in their head that does not match reality. Let me tell you what this city actually looks like from the inside.

The Downtown Farmers Market runs Saturday mornings from May through October and draws more than 20,000 people every week according to the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau. You can find everything happening in Des Moines here: catchdesmoines.com It is Iowa's largest open air market with fresh produce local vendors food from every corner of the world and the kind of easy Saturday morning energy that makes you feel good about where you live.

Gray's Lake Park sits just south of downtown with a beautiful lake walking and cycling paths and views of the Des Moines skyline that remind you this is a real city with real beauty. The East Village neighborhood east of the State Capitol has transformed into one of the best small urban neighborhoods in the Midwest. Independent restaurants bars and local businesses in a compact walkable neighborhood where you run into people you know and end up staying longer than you planned.

Des Moines is also genuinely diverse in ways that do not always get recognized. The city has the largest population of African Americans in Iowa with roots going back to World War I. The Asian American community in Greater Des Moines is the second largest and second fastest growing population in the city with roots going back to 1975 when Governor Robert Ray created a refugee resettlement program. The Latino community anchors the east side with incredible food culture and annual celebrations. You can read more about Des Moines diversity here: catchdesmoines.com/plan/diversity/

This is not a monochrome city. It is a city that has been shaped by people from everywhere and it is better for it.

Why Des Moines Still Feels Like Home to Rebecca Schweitzer

Des Moines has 46 neighborhood associations according to the City of Des Moines. That is not a bureaucratic detail. That is a sign of a city where people care enough about where they live to organize around it. Beaverdale with its brick lined streets and neighborhood festivals. Ingersoll Avenue with its independent restaurants and walkable commercial strip. The Drake neighborhood with its historic charm and college energy.

The Des Moines Art Center is a world class contemporary art museum with free general admission. The Pappajohn Sculpture Park sits in the middle of downtown with stunning outdoor works of art. The Iowa State Fair draws people from across the country every August. The 80/35 Music Festival fills Western Gateway Park every July with two days of live music.

Des Moines is also a city building toward something better. The city's new all electric greenhouse just won the 2026 AIA Iowa Impact Award for its environmental design and Des Moines has a formal Climate Action Plan called ADAPT DSM. You can read more about the city's sustainability work here.

The problems I write about are real and they deserve honest coverage. But so is everything else about this place. The farmers market on a Saturday morning. The Drake Relays in April. The East Village on a warm evening. Gray's Lake at sunrise. The 46 neighborhood associations full of people who give a damn about where they live. The memory of walking into a Des Moines bar and finding presidential candidates talking to regular people because Iowa demanded that of them.

That is why Des Moines Iowa will always feel like home. That is why I keep writing.

About Rebecca Schweitzer and Her Work in Iowa

Rebecca Schweitzer is a Des Moines, Iowa writer covering politics, education, and public accountability. Her work analyzes state policy, elections, and issues impacting Iowa families across Des Moines, Polk County, and communities throughout Iowa. Her work has appeared in the Des Moines Register and The Gazette.

Read more at iowaraisedrebeccaschweitzerunfiltered.com and follow along on on Medium, Substack, X, Bluesky, About.me, and Gravatar.