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Why More Iowa Families Are Building in Smaller Communities Around Des Moines
Grimes, Norwalk, Altoona, Polk City, Story City. Families who looked past the obvious suburbs found more lot, more house, and often a stronger sense of community than they expected.
Happe Homes builds across Grimes, Norwalk, Altoona, Polk City, and Story City. This guide gives you an honest picture of each community so you can decide which one fits your family before you start making phone calls.
Most people searching for a new home around Des Moines start with Ankeny. That makes sense. Ankeny has excellent schools, a walkable town center, good I-35 access, and a well-earned reputation as one of Iowa’s best places to raise a family. But Ankeny’s popularity has pushed land prices and home prices up, and the competition for lots in good communities is real.
What many buyers find, once they widen the search, is that the communities just outside the obvious radius have a lot to offer. Not as a compromise. As a genuine choice that fits some families better than the larger suburb ever would have.
This is not a pitch for any one community. It is an honest look at what families are finding when they build in Grimes, Norwalk, Altoona, Polk City, and Story City, and what you need to know about each before you decide.
Why the search is widening
What Is Actually Pushing Buyers to Look Beyond Ankeny and Johnston
Two things are driving the trend. The first is price. Lot costs in Ankeny’s most desirable communities have risen significantly in the past five years. When lot prices climb, builders pass that cost through to the finished home, and buyers feel it in every price comparison they run.
The second is something harder to quantify. A number of families tell us they looked at the pace of growth in Ankeny and Johnston and decided they wanted something that felt more settled. They wanted to know their neighbors. They wanted their kids to go to a school where they would not be one of 800 students in a graduating class.
Neither of those feelings is wrong. And for the families who have them, the smaller communities around Des Moines deliver something the larger suburbs genuinely cannot.
The price differences between communities are real but they come with real tradeoffs too. This guide treats both honestly. If a community has a longer commute or a smaller school district, we say so. The goal is for you to have the information to decide, not to steer you toward any specific zip code. See all communities where Happe builds.
Side by side
How the Communities Compare Before We Go Deeper
| Community | County | New Build Price Range | School District | Drive to Des Moines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ankeny | Polk | $315K – $650K+ | Ankeny CSD | 20 min |
| Johnston | Polk | $380K – $750K+ | Johnston CSD | 18 min |
| Grimes | Polk | $295K – $530K | Dallas Center-Grimes | 22 min |
| Altoona | Polk | $285K – $480K | Southeast Polk | 18 min |
| Norwalk | Warren | $290K – $520K | Norwalk CSD | 20 min |
| Polk City | Polk | $300K – $510K | North Polk CSD | 28 min |
| Story City | Story | $265K – $440K | Roland-Story CSD | 45 min |
Price ranges above represent typical new construction all-in costs including lot in each community. Commute times are estimates to downtown Des Moines during non-peak hours. All figures are approximations based on 2025 market conditions.
Grimes
Grimes Iowa — Value and Community Without the Trade-Off Feeling
Grimes
Grimes sits just northwest of Urbandale along I-35 and NW 86th Street, making it one of the better-positioned smaller communities for families who work in the northwest Des Moines corridor or need quick access to the interstate. The drive to downtown Des Moines runs about 22 minutes in normal traffic.
What surprises most buyers about Grimes is how established it already feels. This is not a raw development carved out of farmland. The community has parks, trails, a growing commercial strip, and neighborhoods where people have already lived for 10 to 15 years. New developments are expanding the east and north sides of Grimes, which is where most current lot inventory sits.
The Dallas Center-Grimes school district is smaller than Ankeny or Johnston but has a solid academic reputation and the student-to-teacher ratios that come with a smaller system. Families who moved from larger urban school districts often find the transition easier than expected.
Lot pricing in Grimes currently runs below comparable lots in Ankeny, which translates directly to the finished home price. A buyer who would spend $420,000 in Ankeny can often build a comparable home in Grimes for $360,000 to $375,000. That $50,000 difference either stays in your pocket or goes into a larger floor plan. See available homes and lots in Grimes.
Families who work in the Urbandale, Clive, or northwest Des Moines corridor and want the feel of a smaller community without giving up commute convenience. Also strong for buyers who want a neighborhood that feels settled rather than still under construction on every other lot.
Altoona
Altoona Iowa — The Metro's Best-Kept Value and a Community Growing Fast
Altoona
Polk County · East of Des Moines | New Build Range $285K – $480K
Altoona sits east of Des Moines along I-80, about 18 minutes from downtown. It has long been one of the most affordable communities in the Polk County metro, and that remains true today. New construction here starts meaningfully below the metro average, and lot sizes tend to be competitive with what you would find at much higher prices in Ankeny.
The community has changed considerably in the last decade. Prairie Meadows, the Iowa Events Center hotel, Bass Pro Shops, and a growing commercial district have brought amenities to Altoona that it did not have 15 years ago. The city is still growing, and the east-side growth corridor means there is active lot inventory with genuine selection.
The Southeast Polk Community School District has been a strong point for Altoona families. Southeast Polk High School consistently performs well and has a range of extracurricular programs that attract families who want activities beyond the basics. The district covers a wide geographic area, so confirm which specific school your address falls in before making a decision.
Families relocating from higher-cost states often land in Altoona because the numbers make sense in a way that is harder to achieve in the pricier western suburbs. A family moving from Colorado or Illinois can sometimes build the home they actually want in Altoona for less than they spent on a much smaller resale home back home. See available homes and lots in Altoona, including properties in the Tuscany development that gets regular search interest from buyers who have already heard about it.
First-time buyers who want new construction quality without the price pressure of the western suburbs. Also strong for families relocating from other states who are running the numbers and want the best finished home their budget will produce.
Norwalk
Norwalk Iowa — The South Side Community That Families Are Quietly Discovering
Norwalk
Warren County · South of Des Moines | New Build Range $290K – $520K
Norwalk is Warren County’s fastest-growing community and sits just south of the Des Moines city limits along Highway 28. It has its own school district, its own city services, and a character that feels genuinely distinct from the northern suburbs. The drive to downtown Des Moines runs about 20 minutes, which keeps it well within reasonable commute range for most employers.
One thing families notice about Norwalk is the topography. Unlike the flat northern suburbs, Norwalk has rolling terrain, which means lots vary significantly in character. A lot in Blooming Heights might have a wooded backdrop or a gentle slope that a flat Ankeny lot simply cannot offer. If you have always wanted a home that feels placed in its landscape rather than stamped onto it, Norwalk’s geography is worth paying attention to.
The Norwalk Community School District is well-regarded and has grown alongside the community. Norwalk High School has been expanding its programs as enrollment grows, and families who have moved from larger districts appreciate the community cohesion that comes with a smaller system. Because Norwalk is in Warren County, buyers should confirm tax rates separately from Polk County properties.
New developments including Blooming Heights have brought significant lot inventory to Norwalk in recent years. These are true new construction communities, not infill projects, with consistent quality and real choice in lot position. See what is building in Norwalk right now.
Families who work in southern Des Moines, Warren County, or Indianola and want to reduce their commute while staying in a strong school district. Also a good fit for buyers who want natural variation in lot character rather than uniform suburban terrain.
Polk City
Polk City Iowa — What Families Are Finding When They Look Past the Distance
Polk City
Polk County · North of Ankeny | New Build Range $300K – $510K
Polk City sits about 12 miles north of Ankeny, just south of Saylorville Lake. The drive to downtown Des Moines is 28 minutes on a normal day, which puts it at the outer edge of practical daily commuting for most people. Families who choose Polk City know this going in, and they choose it anyway. The reason is almost always the same: Saylorville Lake.
If outdoor recreation is a real part of your family’s life, not a nice-to-have, Polk City is worth a serious look. Saylorville Lake and the Neal Smith Trail give Polk City residents direct access to boating, fishing, kayaking, mountain biking, and hiking that no suburb closer to Des Moines can match. Families with kids who grew up on the water often cannot replicate that lifestyle anywhere in the metro except here.
The community itself has a genuine small-town feel. Polk City has a main street, local businesses, and a pace of life that is noticeably different from the high-growth suburbs to the south. People know each other. The North Polk Community School District is smaller but tight-knit, and families who prioritize that culture often find it delivers in ways that a larger district cannot.
Lot pricing in Polk City reflects the distance factor. You get more lot for your money here than in Ankeny, and because the community is growing more slowly, there is less pressure on inventory. Families who work remotely or have flexible schedules find that the commute concern dissolves quickly. See what is available in Polk City, including homes in the Antler Ridge development that buyers regularly ask us about.
Remote workers and families who prioritize an outdoor lifestyle over commute convenience. If your family spends weekends on the water or on trails and you work from home two or more days a week, Polk City offers something genuinely unique in central Iowa.
Story City
Story City Iowa — The Buyers Who Go Further North and What They Find
Story County · North along I-35 | New Build Range $265K – $440K
Story City is 45 minutes north of Des Moines on I-35, which puts it outside the normal metropolitan commute range. Buyers who choose Story City are not commuting to Des Moines regularly. They are either working in Ames, working remotely, or making a conscious choice to live in a small Iowa town and accept the travel that comes with it.
For the families who fit that profile, Story City offers something that no metro suburb can: the genuine texture of small-town Iowa. A carousel in the park. A Fourth of July that the whole community actually shows up for. A grocery store where the owner knows your name. These are not things you can manufacture in a master-planned suburb, and for certain buyers they are exactly what they moved to Iowa to find.
Story City is also the most affordable new construction market in this guide. A family that builds here gets meaningfully more home for their money than anywhere closer to Des Moines. That math matters most for buyers who are maximizing square footage on a fixed budget or want a larger lot for agriculture, animals, or privacy.
The Roland-Story Community School District is small, well-regarded within Story County, and has the relationship-based culture that comes with knowing your teachers and classmates across multiple grades. Iowa State University is about 12 miles south in Ames, which brings some economic stability and cultural programming to the broader area. See what Happe Homes is building in Story City.
Remote workers, retirees building their last home, families with ties to Iowa State University or Ames, and anyone who specifically wants the small-town Iowa experience rather than suburban Iowa. If the commute to Des Moines is not a weekly reality, the value here is hard to match anywhere else in central Iowa.
The honest tradeoffs
What You Actually Give Up When You Build Outside Ankeny and Johnston
Most guides about smaller communities lead with the positives and bury the tradeoffs. This one will not do that. Here is what is genuinely different about building in these communities versus the larger suburbs.
School district size and variety
Ankeny and Johnston school districts offer more course variety, more extracurricular options, and more specialized programming than the smaller districts in this guide. If your child has specific academic or athletic needs that require a large program, or if you are comparing IB programs or specialized STEM tracks, the larger districts hold a genuine advantage. Research the specific district before deciding, and visit if you can.
Established amenities
Ankeny’s Prairie Trail has a farmers market, restaurants, a concert venue, and retail all within walking distance. Most smaller communities are still building their commercial base. If walkable retail and dining within your neighborhood is important to your daily life, that is a real difference that will affect how you feel about where you live.
Resale market depth
The resale markets in Ankeny and Johnston have more buyers competing for homes, which has historically supported strong appreciation. Smaller markets have fewer buyers, which means resale can take longer and price appreciation is less predictable. If you are thinking about this home as a 5-year investment before moving again, the larger markets carry less risk. If you are building the home you plan to live in for 15 years, this matters less.
Drive time reality
Commute estimates in this guide are for non-peak hours. Adding Ankeny to Story City and driving it daily at 7:30 AM and 5:30 PM is a different experience than the 45-minute number suggests. If you are commuting to Des Moines daily, run the real route at real times before you commit to a community that feels further than you expected.
Drive the commute at commute time. Walk the neighborhood on a Saturday morning. Look at the school’s most recent Iowa Assessment data. Check the Warren County or Story County tax rates if you are looking outside Polk County. None of this takes more than a Saturday, and all of it is information worth having before you sign a build contract.
What to ask yourself
Four Questions That Will Tell You Which Community Is Right for Your Family
After working with families across all of these communities, the same four questions reliably separate the buyers who are happy with their choice from the ones who wish they had thought harder before deciding.
- Where do you actually work, and will that change? The community that makes sense for someone working remotely is different from the one that makes sense for someone commuting to Iowa Methodist Medical Center every day. If your work situation might change in the next three years, factor that uncertainty into how much commute flexibility you need.
- What does your family do on weekends? If you are at a lake, on trails, or in your own yard, Polk City and Norwalk have things the closer suburbs cannot match. If you are at sporting events, restaurants, and retail, proximity to the metro matters more. Be honest about which one describes your actual life, not your aspirational one
- What does your child need from a school district? A student who wants AP Chemistry, robotics, and a 200-person marching band needs Ankeny or Johnston. A student who wants a coach who knows their name, a drama program where they actually get the lead role, and a graduating class of 120 people might be better served by a smaller district. Think about your specific child, not the district ranking in the abstract
- How long are you planning to stay? If you are building a home to grow into for 20 years, the community character matters more than resale dynamics. If you are building knowing you will move in five to seven years, the resale depth of a larger market is a real consideration. Both approaches are valid. They just lead to different conclusions
The new construction factor
Why New Construction Makes Even More Sense in Smaller Communities
In Ankeny and Johnston, new construction competes directly with a healthy resale market. There are enough resale options that buyers have real alternatives, and the price premium for new is visible.
In Grimes, Altoona, Norwalk, Polk City, and Story City, the resale market is thinner. There are fewer homes trading hands, fewer options in any given price range, and less selection. That makes new construction the default path rather than the premium option for families who want to live in these communities.
It also means that the advantages of new construction, the warranty, the energy efficiency, the absence of deferred maintenance, and the ability to choose a floor plan that fits your life, come without having to pay a significant premium over the resale market. See Happe Homes’ available inventory across these communities, and learn about building a custom home if you have a specific vision that an available home might not meet.
In smaller communities, neighbors tend to know each other faster. New construction neighborhoods in Grimes, Norwalk, and Polk City fill in with young families who are all going through the same first-home experience at the same time. The social fabric forms quickly. Buyers who moved to Ankeny from a smaller town sometimes find that dynamic easier to recreate in a smaller suburb than in a larger one.
Common questions
Questions Families Ask When They Start Looking at Smaller Communities
Grimes, Altoona, and Norwalk have all posted real, verified population growth in the 2020 census and subsequent estimates. Grimes in particular has been one of the faster-growing communities in Polk County over the past decade. Polk City’s growth is slower but steady. Story City is genuinely small and growing at a slower pace. These are real trends, not marketing. You can verify the numbers through the Iowa Data Center or the US Census Bureau for any community you are considering.
Iowa’s smaller communities have generally maintained home values well, particularly those within Polk County. Grimes and Altoona sit inside Polk County’s tax and service structure, which provides stability. Norwalk, in Warren County, has also appreciated consistently as the community grows. The greater risk of value softening applies more to very small or very remote communities with no growth trajectory. The communities in this guide are all actively developing, which typically supports value over time. If you are concerned about resale, discuss it specifically with your Happe advisor who knows current lot and resale activity in each area.
Yes. Iowa Finance Authority programs including the FirstHome program apply statewide, not just in Des Moines. Income limits and purchase price limits apply and vary by county, so a purchase in Warren County (Norwalk) or Story County (Story City) may have different eligibility parameters than a Polk County purchase. Your lender can run the numbers for the specific community you are considering. Our first-time buyer guide covers all available programs in detail.
It depends on the loan type. FHA requires 3.5 percent with a 580+ credit score. USDA and VA loans have no down payment requirement for qualifying buyers and properties. Conventional loans typically require 5 to 20 percent. With Iowa Finance Authority down payment assistance, your effective out-of-pocket on an IFA loan can be significantly reduced. Talk to a lender who specifically handles Iowa first-time buyer programs to understand the full picture for your income and credit situation.
The Iowa Department of Education publishes district boundary maps, and most individual school districts have attendance boundary maps on their websites. For any specific lot you are considering, confirm the assigned school directly with the district rather than relying on general descriptions. District boundaries sometimes run through communities in ways that are not obvious from the address alone. Your Happe advisor can also help you identify the school assignment for any specific community we build in.
Yes. Happe Homes builds across Grimes, Altoona, Norwalk, Polk City, and Story City, as well as Ankeny, Des Moines, and Johnston. Lot availability varies by community and changes as developments progress. The best way to see what is currently available in a specific community is to contact us directly. We can tell you exactly what lots are available, what timelines look like, and what the current price range is for each community based on live inventory rather than published estimates.
An available home is a new home Happe has already started or completed, with finishes professionally selected and a move-in timeline of 30 to 90 days. A custom home starts from a lot and a floor plan you choose, with finishes you select, and a build timeline of 10 to 14 months. In smaller communities like Story City and Polk City, available homes are often the fastest path to ownership because lot inventory is more limited. In communities like Grimes and Altoona where active development is happening, both options are typically available
Yes. Iowa Finance Authority programs, FHA loans, and VA loans can all be used to purchase new construction homes including available homes from Happe Homes. USDA loans can also be used for new construction in eligible areas. The key is working with a lender who has experience with new construction financing in Iowa, since the process is slightly different from a standard resale purchase. Contact us and we can connect you with lenders who regularly work with first-time buyers building or buying new in the Des Moines area. Reach out here.
Invest DSM is a City of Des Moines program that provides forgivable loans to buyers purchasing homes in targeted Des Moines neighborhoods. A forgivable loan means you do not repay the funds if you stay in the home for the required period, typically five to ten years depending on the specific program. The goal is to support homeownership and neighborhood investment in areas the city is prioritizing. Income limits and geographic eligibility requirements apply. Visit investdsm.com or contact the city directly for current program details and eligible neighborhoods.