Movers Perry
Make Yourself at Home
Movers in Perry, Iowa
Local movers serving Perry — the historic railroad town in northwest Dallas County, along the North Raccoon River. Hourly pricing, real itemized quotes, same crew start to finish.
7,836
Residents (2020)
~25 mi
NW of Des Moines
1869
Year founded
5.49 sq mi
Total area
A railroad town in northwest Dallas County
Perry sits in the northwest corner of Dallas County, along the North Raccoon River, about 25 miles northwest of Des Moines. The 2020 Census counted 7,836 residents across 5.49 square miles. Unlike Ames and Boone, Perry is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area — it’s the farthest northwest city in the metro’s footprint.
The city was founded in 1869 by brothers John and Harvey Willis as a railroad town in the middle of rich agricultural country. Coal mining, railroad division operations, and livestock sales (the historic Perry Sales Pavilion) drove the early economy. By 1913 the city had a second roundhouse servicing locomotives, and from 1940 to 1955 the Midwest Hiawatha passenger train made Perry one of its scheduled stops.
Today Perry has a notably diverse population for an Iowa city its size — roughly 37 percent of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, tied to long-standing food processing and meatpacking industries. The city celebrates that identity through annual events like the Viva Perry Latino Festival, alongside the Art on the Prairie festival, the Fourth of July celebration in Pattee Park, and other community gatherings.
Schools are served by the Perry Community School District — home of the Blue Jays. The city motto “Make Yourself at Home” reflects a small-town hospitality the city has worked to preserve through downtown restoration, new housing tax-abatement programs, and the historic Hotel Pattee.
Midwest Moving Pros now serves Perry as part of our expanded service area. We’re a family-owned local moving company based in Des Moines. The crew that loads in Perry is the crew that unloads at the new place. The price on the quote is the price on the invoice. No brokers, no consolidated shipments.
Hotel Pattee: the building that defines Perry
Hotel Pattee
Construction began in 1912 when David Pattee’s sons Harry and William commissioned a hotel in their father’s honor. The building opened in 1913 as a 72-room steel-and-concrete structure billed as the only fireproof building in Iowa. Today it has 40 uniquely decorated and themed guest rooms, a dining room and lounge, a private library, and an original two-lane automatic bowling alley in the lower level.
The bowling alley is named for Arthur “Oley” Olson, a Perry resident who finished second at the American Bowling Congress national tournament in 1926. Its walls display photos of Dallas County athletes including Bob Feller (the Cleveland Indians pitcher, born in Van Meter) and a photo of Babe Ruth, who once barnstormed through Perry to play exhibition baseball.
The Iowa Lodging Association named Hotel Pattee “Hotel of the Year” after the renovation. Each themed room reflects a piece of local or Iowa history — the soil types of Dallas County, the immigrant communities that settled the area, famous Iowa artists. The hotel is essentially a working museum that you can sleep in.
Beyond Hotel Pattee
Several other Perry landmarks shape daily life in the city and bring visitors here from across central Iowa.
Carnegie Library Museum
Built in 1904 with a grant from Andrew Carnegie, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is still a working library today — part of a downtown that has multiple buildings on the registry.
Forest Park Museum & Arboretum
A 17-acre museum and arboretum near Perry, originally developed in the 1940s by Eugene Hastie, a farmer and local historian. Free admission. Features the last one-room schoolhouse of Dallas County (built 1867, closed 1961), an 1860s cabin, early transportation memorabilia, and over 100 species of trees.
Raccoon River Valley Trail
The major paved trail through Perry, popular for biking and hiking. In 2022, Dallas County Conservation won a grant to connect the Raccoon River Valley Trail to the High Trestle Trail — creating roughly 180 connected miles of bike trail across central Iowa.
Pattee Park & Perry Dog Park
Perry’s largest park, with softball and baseball fields, sand volleyball, a skateboard park, tennis courts, the City Band Shell, and the Perry Dog Park — one of the few dog parks in Iowa at five-plus acres. Host of the Fourth of July celebration each year.
Neighborhoods we move across in Perry
Perry is compact — just 5.49 square miles — so neighborhoods blend into each other, but several distinct areas shape move planning.
Downtown & Willis Avenue corridor
The original Perry downtown, anchored by Hotel Pattee at 1112 Willis Avenue and the Carnegie Library. Multiple buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Walkable blocks with older brick storefronts and the historic homes that surround them.
Pattee Park area
The neighborhoods around Pattee Park, the city’s largest park. Family homes within walking distance of softball fields, the dog park, and the band shell. Solid mid-century construction with mature trees.
Early 1900s residential blocks
Most of Perry’s housing predates 1960. Bungalow, ranch, and traditional architecture from the early 1900s with original-construction details. Narrower stairwells, tighter doorways, smaller lots typical of railroad-town residential design.
Newer construction on the edges
Construction has ramped up over the past five years thanks to the city’s tax-abatement program — townhomes, duplexes, apartment complexes, and single-family homes on the city’s outer ring. Wider doorways and attached garages make these moves quicker to load.
26th Street / east side near Super 8
The eastern residential blocks near 26th Street and US Highway 169, where the highway approaches the city. Quick truck access in and out. Several apartment complexes plus single-family homes.
Wiese Park area
Neighborhoods near Wiese Park, which features a 9-hole disc golf course, lighted recreation trail, basketball court, and soccer fields. Family-oriented blocks with quick park access.
What moves look like in Perry
A few things about Perry specifically shape how the work runs.
The drive from Des Moines is about 35 minutes
Our trucks come from Des Moines, and the route to Perry runs roughly 25 miles via I-235 and Highway 141. The hourly rate covers that drive time — truck-on-road counts the same as truck-on-job. No trip charges, no distance surcharges.
Older construction in the historic core
Most Perry homes predate 1960. Bungalow, ranch, and early-1900s traditional houses in the historic downtown core have the design details of their era — narrow stairwells, original doorways, plaster walls, finished basements with steeper stair angles. We bring disassembly tools to every move.
Newer construction on the city’s edges
The newer subdivisions, townhomes, and apartment complexes built in the last five years (thanks to the tax-abatement program) load much faster than older downtown homes. Wide doorways, modern floor plans, attached garages.
Bilingual support
About 37 percent of Perry residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, and many households are bilingual. We can communicate in Spanish for move planning if that helps. Just let us know during the walkthrough.
Event weekends
The Art on the Prairie festival, Viva Perry Latino Festival, and the July 4th celebration at Pattee Park bring extra downtown traffic on event days. If your move falls on one, let us know and we’ll plan the truck approach to avoid downtown congestion.
What a Perry move costs
Our pricing is the same for Perry as for the rest of our service area. Hourly rate. No trip charges, no stair surcharges, no weekend or end-of-month surge pricing.
Hourly rate Crew, truck, fuel, pads, dollies, and basic moving insurance — the standard rate for every move.
$160/hr
Heavy-item add Flat charge for items too heavy for the standard crew (large gun safes, heavy pianos). The only possible surcharge.
+$100
Local move deposit Holds your move date. Applies to the final invoice.
$50
Long-distance deposit For cross-country and out-of-state moves only.
$300
Most Perry moves end up slightly higher than metro-only totals because of the drive time, but the hourly rate doesn’t change.
Moving in or out of Perry?
Itemized written quote within 24 hours. Same crew start to finish. The price on the quote matches the price on the invoice.
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