Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines | |
|---|---|
State capital city | |
Downtown Des Moines and Des Moines River Iowa State Fairgrounds Des Moines Art Center Basilica of St. John | |
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Flag Seal Logo | |
| Nickname(s): | |
Interactive map of Des Moines | |
Des Moines Location in Iowa Des Moines Location in the United States Des Moines Des Moines (North America) | |
| Coordinates: 41°35′27″N 93°37′15″W / 41.59083°N 93.62083°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Iowa |
| Counties | Polk and Warren |
| Founded | 1843 |
| Incorporated | September 22, 1851 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager[3] |
| • Body | Des Moines City Council |
| • Mayor | Connie Boesen (D) |
| • Senate | Senate list |
| • House | House list |
| • U.S. Congress | Zach Nunn (R) |
| Area | |
• State capital city | 90.70 sq mi (234.92 km2) |
| • Land | 88.18 sq mi (228.38 km2) |
| • Water | 2.52 sq mi (6.54 km2) |
| Elevation | 794 ft (242 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• State capital city | 214,133 |
| • Rank | US: 114th IA: 1st |
| • Density | 2,428.39/sq mi (937.60/km2) |
| • Urban | 542,486 (US: 78th) |
| • Urban density | 2,413.8/sq mi (932.0/km2) |
| • Metro | 709,466 (US: 81st) |
| • CSA | 890,322 (US: 65th) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 50111, 50263, 50301–50336, 50339–50340, 50359–50364, 50367–50369, 50380–50381, 50391–50396, 50936, 50940, 50947, 50980–50983 |
| Area code | 515 |
| FIPS code | 19-21000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2394522[5] |
| Website | www |
Des Moines[a] is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County with parts extending into Warren County. It is named after the Des Moines River, likely derived from the French Rivière des Moines meaning 'River of the Monks'. The city was incorporated in 1851 as Fort Des Moines and shortened to Des Moines in 1857.[6] Its population was 214,133 at the 2020 census,[7] while the six-county Des Moines metropolitan area has an estimated 750,000 residents, the largest metropolitan area located entirely in Iowa.[8]
Des Moines is a major center of the United States insurance industry and has a sizable financial services and publishing business base. The city is the headquarters for the Principal Financial Group and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Other major corporations such as Wells Fargo, Cognizant, Voya Financial, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, ACE Limited, Bayer, and Corteva have large operations in or near the metropolitan area. In recent years, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, and Facebook[9][10] have built data-processing and logistical facilities in the Des Moines area.
Des Moines is an important city in U.S. presidential politics; as the state's capital, it is the site of the first caucuses of the presidential primary cycle. Many presidential candidates set up campaign headquarters in Des Moines. A 2007 article in The New York Times said, "If you have any desire to witness presidential candidates in the most close-up and intimate of settings, there is arguably no better place to go than Des Moines."[11]
- ^ Shankle, George Earlie (1955). American nicknames; their origin and significance. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company. pp. 123. ISBN 978-0-82420-004-6.
Des Moines was nicknamed the Hartford of the West because like Hartford, Conn., it is an insurance center.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - ^ Neal R. Peirce (1973), The Great Plains States of America: People, Politics, and Power in the Nine Great Plains States Archived May 1, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, W. W. Norton & Company, ISBN 0-393-05349-0, page 106
- ^ "City Manager's Office". City of Des Moines – City Manager's Office. Archived from the original on November 4, 2009. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Des Moines, Iowa
- ^ City of Des Moines. "City of Des Moines Action Center: City History". Archived from the original on December 7, 2006. Retrieved December 20, 2006.
- ^ "2020 Census State Redistricting Data". census.gov. United states Census Bureau. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
- ^ United States Census Bureau. "Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals: 2010-2018". Archived from the original on June 2, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
- ^ "Microsoft behind nearly $700 million data center investment in West Des Moines". Des Moines Register. June 21, 2013. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013.
- ^ "Facebook to build data center near Des Moines, Iowa". Reuters. April 23, 2013. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
- ^ Nagourney, Adam (December 2, 2007). "In the Spotlight, Ready for Its Close-Up". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 29, 2009. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
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