Ames

History

The city was founded in 1864 as a station stop on the Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad and was named after 19th century U.S. Congressman Oakes Ames of Massachusetts, who was influential in the building of the transcontinental railroad. Ames was founded by local resident Cynthia Olive Duff (née Kellogg) and railroad magnate John Insley Blair, near a location that was deemed favorable for a railroad crossing of the Skunk River and Ioway Creek. William West (1821–1919) became the first mayor of Ames in 1870. With his wife Harriet, from 1869 to 1892, he ran Ames's first hotel, known as West House, on Douglas Avenue on the site of the present Octagon Center for the Arts. West was a highly respected pioneer businessman who also served on the Ames School Board in the 1880s when Central School was built on the site of the present Ames City Hall on Clark Avenue and Sixth Street. The Wests raised several daughters and sons. William West spent the last of his life living with his son in northwest Iowa.

Geography

Ames is located along the western edge of Story County, roughly north of the state capital, Des Moines. Passing through Ames is the cross country line of the Union Pacific Railroad and two small streams (the South Skunk River and Ioway Creek). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. *Ames Main Street Historic District * Campustown, south of Iowa State University, is a high-density mixed-use neighborhood with many student apartments, nightlife venues, and restaurants. Ames has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa). On average, the warmest month is July and the coldest is January. The highest recorded temperature was on July 24, 1901, and the lowest was January 25, 1894. }}

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Ames High School
  High · Ames · 1,403 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Ames Middle School
  Middle · Ames · 1,002 students · 13.4:1 ratio
• Central Elementary School
  Elementary · Nevada · 608 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• Ballard High School
  High · Huxley · 545 students · 16.5:1 ratio
• Gilbert High School
  High · Gilbert · 537 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• Fellows Elementary School
  Elementary · Ames · 528 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• Nevada High School
  High · Nevada · 491 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Edwards Elementary School
  Elementary · Ames · 450 students · 14.5:1 ratio