By Sammi Linebach

“I cannot wait to get the heck out of here! Des Moines is so boring!” How many times have you heard this or something like it? How many times have you said it? Many people don’t realize how diverse Des Moines is and the many things that there are to do.

It’s funny how those same people don’t even go out of their own neighborhoods for something to do. No duh will life be boring if you don’t try new stuff and stay within your hood.

With over 206 thousand people and 81 sq miles, there’s a lot to do. Places such as the IA state fair, Blank Park Zoo, Wells Fargo Arena, Prairie Meadows, and more, don’t even start to describe the events in Des Moines. Don’t even try to tell me there’s nothing to do when the farthest you’ve gone is within the 15 mile radius around your house.

Dust off the potato chips, get up off your reclining couch, and look at that butt imprint. Although it’s a nice butt, I bet it’d look nicer downtown at the many sights.

Des Moines is one of the most diverse places in Iowa, if not the most diverse. Both people-wise, and attraction-wise. There are events that include all ages groups and ethnicities. The Asian festival, the summertime concerts, the many, many parks and recreational areas, the restaurants and nightclubs.

If money’s a issue, get a job. Don’t be a deadbeat. Get a job, make that good-good, get up and get out. Or you could be one of those moochers that walks everywhere asking for a dollar.

Whatever your situation, get out of your neighborhood and go do something worth doing. Go take pictures and post them. Show the world we are not a bunch of hay-eating, overalls-wearing, straw-hatted hillbillies.

After all, Des Moines is the wealthiest place in America. In its special series, “Healthy, Wealthy, Wise,” TODAY reveals Iowa’s capital city, Des Moines, is the wealthiest U.S. city.

In recent years, it’s has been declared the best place for business by Forbes, the best city for families by Kiplinger, and one of America’s most productive cities by the Martin Prosperity Institute. TODAY also reports that the cost of living in Des Moines is actually 10 percent lower than the national average.