Everything about Des Moines Iowa totally explained
|leader_title2 =
House
|leader_name2 =
|leader_title3 =
U.S. Congress
|leader_name3 =
Leonard Boswell (
D)
|established_title1 = Founded
|established_date1 = 1843
|established_date =
|established_title2 =
Incorporated
|established_date2 =
September 22 1851
|area_magnitude = 1 E8
|area_total_sq_mi = 77.2
|area_total_km2 = 200.1
|area_land_sq_mi = 75.8
|area_land_km2 = 196.3
|area_water_sq_mi = 1.5
|area_water_km2 = 3.8
|population_as_of = 2006
|population_footnotes =
|population_total = 193,886
|population_metro = 534,230
|population_density_km2 = 1012.0
|population_density_sq_mi = 2621.3
|timezone =
CST
|utc_offset = -6
|timezone_DST =
CDT
|utc_offset_DST = -5
|area_code =
515
|latd = 41 |latm = 35 |lats = 27 |latNS = N
|longd = 93 |longm = 37 |longs = 15 |longEW = W
|elevation_m = 291
|elevation_ft = 955
|postal_code_type =
ZIP codes
|postal_code = 50301-50340-50310
|blank_name =
FIPS code
|blank_info = 19-21000
|blank1_name =
GNIS feature ID
|blank1_info = 0465961
|footnotes =
|website = http://www.dmgov.org/
}}
Des Moines (in
English, in
French) is the
capital of and the most populous city in the
U.S. state of
Iowa. It is also the
county seat of
Polk County. It was incorporated on
September 22,
1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. It is named after the
Des Moines River, adapted from the French
Rivière Des Moines, literally meaning "River of the Monks". The five-county
metropolitan area is ranked 92nd in terms of population in the United States according to 2006 estimates with 534,230 residents according to
United States Census Bureau. The city proper population was 198,682 at the
2000 census.
Des Moines is a major center for the insurance industry and also has a sizeable financial services and publishing business base. In fact, Des Moines was credited with the "number one spot for U.S. insurance companies" in a
Business Wire article. The city is the headquarters for the
Principal Financial Group, the
Meredith Corporation, Ruan Transportation, EMC Insurance Companies, and Wellmark
Blue Cross Blue Shield. Other major corporations such as
Wells Fargo,
ING Group, Marsh, and
Pioneer Hi-Bred have large operations in or near the metro area.
Forbes Magazine ranked Des Moines as the fourth "Best Place for Business" in 2007.
Des Moines is an important city in United States presidential politics as the capital of Iowa, which is home to the
Iowa Caucus. The Iowa Caucus has been the first major electoral event in nominating the President of the United States since 1972; therefore many presidential candidates set up headquarters in Des Moines. A 2007 article in the
New York Times stated "if you've any desire to witness presidential candidates in the most close-up and intimate of settings, there's arguably no better place to go than Des Moines."
History
Des Moines was founded in May 1843 when Captain
James Allen built a fort on the site where the
Des Moines and
Raccoon Rivers merge. Allen wanted to use the name Fort Raccoon, however the
U.S. War Department told him to name it
Fort Des Moines. The origin of the name
Des Moines is uncertain. The French "Des Moines" translates literally to "Of The Monks." "Rivière Des Moines" translates to "river of the monks," known today under the anglicized name of Des Moines River. It could have referred to the
river of the Moingonas, named after an Indian tribe that resided in the area and built burial mounds. Others see it as referring to French
Trappist monks while some of whom lived in huts at the mouth of the river. A more recent theory uses a study of Miami-Illinois tribal names to say the word Moingoana, one of the names given to region, comes from word mooyiinkweena, a derogatory name which translates roughly to "the excrement-faces." The name was seemly given to Marquette and Jolliet by a tribal leader in order to dissuade them from doing busy with a neighboring tribe.
Settlers came and lived near the fort, and on
May 25,
1846, Fort Des Moines became the seat of Polk County. On
September 22,
1851, it was incorporated as a city with its own charter approved in a vote on
October 18. In
1857, the name Fort Des Moines was shortened to Des Moines alone and the state capital was moved from
Iowa City. By
1900, Des Moines was Iowa's largest city with a population of 62,139.
In
1907, the city adopted a
city commission government known as the Des Moines Plan, comprising an elected mayor and four commissioners who were responsible for public works, public property, public safety, and finance. This form of government was scrapped in 1950 in favor of a
council-manager government, and tweaked in
1967 so that four of the six city council members were elected by ward rather than at-large. As with many major urban areas, the city core began losing population to the
suburbs in the
1960s (the peak population of 208,982 was recorded in 1960).The population was 198,682 in
2000 but dropped to 193,886 in 2006. However, the growth of the outlying suburbs has been a constant and the overall metro area population is over 534,230 today. During the
Great Flood of 1993, heavy rains throughout June and early July caused the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers to rise above flood stage levels. The Des Moines Water Works was submerged by floodwaters during the early morning hours of
July 11,
1993, leaving an estimated 250,000 people without running water for 12 days and without drinking water for 20 days.
Cityscape
The skyline of downtown Des Moines changed during the
1970s and
1980s as several new
skyscrapers were built. Until then, the 19-story Equitable Building, dating from 1924, was the tallest building in the city and, at that time, the tallest building in Iowa. That changed as the 25-story Financial Center was completed in 1972 and the 36-story Ruan Center was completed in 1974. They were later joined by the 33-story
Marriott hotel (1981), the 25-story Hub Tower and 25-story Plaza Building (1985), Iowa's tallest building,
Principal Financial Group's 45-story tower at
801 Grand (1991), and the 19-story EMC Insurance Building (1997). This time period also saw the opening of the
Civic Center of Greater Des Moines (1979) which hosts Broadway shows and special events, the
Des Moines Botanical Center (1979) which is a large city botanical garden/greenhouse on the east side of the river, the
Polk County Convention Complex (1985), and the State of Iowa Historical Building (1987). The Des Moines
skywalk system also began to take shape during the 1980s. By the beginning of 2006, the skywalk system was more than three miles (5 km) long and connected most main downtown buildings.
The city is in the midst of major construction in the downtown area. The new Science Center of Iowa and the
Iowa Events Center opened in 2005, while the new central branch of the Des Moines Public Library, designed by renowned architect
David Chipperfield of
London, opened on
April 8,
2006. The
World Food Prize Foundation, which is based in Des Moines, announced in 2001 that it'll restore the former Des Moines Public Library building as the Dr
Norman Borlaug/
World Food Prize Hall of Laureates. In 2002 the Principal Financial Group and the city announced plans for the Principal Riverwalk, which will feature trails, pedestrian bridges across the river, a fountain and skating plaza, and a "civic garden" in front of the City Hall. Multiple existing downtown buildings are being converted to
loft apartments and
condominiums. This trend is highlighted by the success of the
East Village district of shops, studios, and housing between the capitol district and the Des Moines River.
Geography
Des Moines is located at (41.590939, -93.620866). According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 77.2
square miles (200.1
km²), of which, 75.8 square miles (196.3 km²) of it's land and 1.5 square miles (3.8 km²) of it (1.88%) is water. In November 2005, Des Moines voters approved a measure that allowed the city to annex certain parcels of land in the northeast, southeast, and southern corners of Des Moines, particularly areas bordering the
Iowa Highway 5/
U.S. 65 bypass.
Metropolitan area
The
Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of five central Iowa counties:
Polk,
Dallas,
Warren,
Madison, and
Guthrie. The area had a 2000 census population of 481,394 and an estimated 2006 population of 534,230. Des Moines's
suburbs include
Altoona,
Ankeny,
Bondurant,
Carlisle,
Clive,
Grimes,
Johnston,
Norwalk,
Pleasant Hill,
Urbandale,
Waukee,
West Des Moines, and
Windsor Heights.
Climate
Being located near the center of
North America, far removed from a large body of water, the Des Moines area has a warm summer type
Humid continental climate, with hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. Summer temperatures can often climb into the 90°F range, occasionally reaching into the triple digits. Humidity can be high in spring and summer, with frequent afternoon
thunderstorms. Fall brings pleasant temperatures and colorful
fall foliage. Winters vary from moderately cold to bitterly cold, with low temperatures venturing below zero F quite often. Annual snowfall averages 33.1 inches, and annual rainfall averages 34.72 inches.
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Rec High °F (°C) | 67 (19.4) |
73 (22.7) |
91 (32.7) |
93 (33.8) |
98 (36.6) |
103 (39.4) |
105 (40.5) |
108 (42.2) |
101 (38.3) |
95 (35) |
81 (27.2) |
69 (20.5)
|
| Norm High °F (°C) | 29.1 (-1.6) |
35.4 (1.8) |
48.2 (9) |
61.3 (16.2) |
72.3 (22.4) |
81.8 (27.6) |
86 (30) |
83.9 (28.8) |
75.9 (24.4) |
63.5 (17.5) |
46.7 (8.2) |
33.1 (0.6)
|
| Norm Low °F (°C) | 11.7 (-11.3) |
17.8 (-7.8) |
28.7 (-1.8) |
39.9 (4.4) |
51.4 (10.7) |
61 (16.1) |
66.1 (18.9) |
63.9 (17.7) |
54.3 (12.4) |
42.2 (5.6) |
29 (-1.6) |
16.7 (-8.5)
|
| Rec Low °F (°C) | -24 (-31.1) |
-26 (-32.2) |
-22 (-30) |
9 (-12.7) |
30 (-1.1) |
38 (3.3) |
47 (8.3) |
40 (4.4) |
26 (-3.3) |
14 (-10) |
-4 (-20) |
-22 (-30)
|
| Precip in (mm) | 1.03 (26.162) |
1.19 (30.226) |
2.21 (56.134) |
3.58 (90.932) |
4.25 (107.95) |
4.57 (116.078) |
4.18 (106.172) |
4.51 (114.554) |
3.15 (80.01) |
2.62 (66.548) |
2.1 (53.34) |
1.33 (33.782)
|
Source: USTravelWeather.com (External Link ) |
Demographics
Further Information
Get more info on 'Des Moines Iowa'.
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