Des Moines (French for 'Of the Monks') is the capital city of the U.S. state of Iowa. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, until it was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. It is also the county seat of Polk County. According to the 2000 census, the population of the city is 198,682.
Des Moines is located in the south central part of the state. The Des Moines River and the Raccoon River meet just south of the downtown and serve as the city's primary water supply.
Many insurance companies are headquartered in Des Moines, including the Principal Financial Group, Equitable of Iowa, Allied Insurance, ARAG Legal Insurance, and American Republic Insurance Company. Long known as the "Hartford of the West," Des Moines replaced Hartford, Connecticut, as the number one city for insurance in the United States in 2004. As a center of financial and insurance services, the metro area appears to be well poised for continued growth.
Des Moines is located at 41°35'27" North, 93°37'15" West (41.590939, -93.620866).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 200.1 km2 (77.2 mi2). 196.3 km2 (75.8 mi2) of it is land and 3.8 km2 (1.5 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 1.88% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 198,682 people, 80,504 households, and 48,704 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,012.0/km2 (2,621.3/mi2). There are 85,067 housing units at an average density of 433.3/km2 (1,122.3/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 82.29% White, 8.07% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 3.50% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.52% from other races, and 2.23% from two or more races. 6.61% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 80,504 households out of which 29.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% are married couples living together, 12.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% are non-families. 31.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the average family size is 3.04.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $38,408, and the median income for a family is $46,590. Males have a median income of $31,712 versus $25,832 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,467. 11.4% of the population and 7.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.9% of those under the age of 18 and 7.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Des Moines was founded in May 1843 when Captain James Allen built a garrison (fort) on the site where the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers merge. Allen wanted to use the name Fort Raccoon, but the American War Department told him to name it Fort Des Moines. The original origin of the name Des Moines is uncertain. 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 Trappist monks, some of whom lived in huts at the mouth of the river, or connected to the phrase de moyen in French, meaning middle, because of its location between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.
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, and its town charter was approved in a vote on October 18. In 1857, the name Fort Des Moines was shortened to Des Moines alone and it was made the capital of Iowa. (The capital was in Iowa City before that.) 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," consisting of 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.
Like many cities, Des Moines began losing people to its suburbs after reaching a peak population of 208,982 in 1960. Construction of the Interstate Highway System during the late 1950s and 1960s, capped off with the completion of Interstate 235 in 1968, made access to the suburbs easier.
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 back to 1924, was the tallest building in the city. 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 30-story Marriott hotel (1981), the 18-story Hub Tower (1985), and Iowa's tallest building, Principal Financial Group's 44-story tower at 801 Grand (1990). This time period also saw the opening of the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines (1979), the Des Moines Botanical Center (1979), 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 over three miles (5 km) long and connected most major downtown buildings.
Des Moines made national headlines 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.
The extensive redevelopment of the downtown area has continued in recent years. 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 David Chipperfield, is scheduled to open April 8, 2006. In 2002 the Principal Financial Group and the city of Des Moines announced plans for the Principal Riverwalk, which will run along both sides of the Des Moines and feature new trails, pedestrian bridges across the river, a fountain and skating plaza, and a "civic garden" in front of the Des Moines City Hall. Several existing downtown buildings have either been converted or are being converted to loft apartments and condominiums in an effort to attract more residents to the downtown area. 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.
Fueled in part by recent development in Des Moines, the suburbs are growing at a faster pace than the city. West Des Moines, in particular, now has over 50,000 people and is home to the Jordan Creek Town Center, the largest shopping center in Iowa, as well as several Wells Fargo office complexes, including a new corporate campus that is scheduled for completion in 2007.
Source:
DesMoinesIowa.com
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