Des Moines

Sister cities

• Shijiazhuang
• Saint-Étienne
• Province of Catanzaro
• Stavropol
• Naucalpan
• Kofu
• Gatineau
• Paspébiac

History

Des Moines takes its name from Fort Des Moines (1843–46), which was named for the Des Moines River. This was adopted from the name given by French colonists. Des Moines (; formerly ) translates literally to either "from the monks" or "of the monks" from French. Moines is an abbreviation used by the French for Moingouena, an Algonquian subgroup. The Native American term is mooyiinkweena, and it was a derogatory name applied to the Moingouenas by the Peorias, another subgroup, meaning shit-face. Based on archaeological evidence, the junction of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers has attracted humans for at least 7,000 years. Several prehistoric occupation areas have been identified by archaeologists in downtown Des Moines. Discovered in December 2010, the "Palace" is an expansive 7,000-year-old site found during excavations before construction of the new wastewater treatment plant in southeast Des Moines. It contains well-preserved house deposits and numerous graves. More than 6,000 artifacts were found at this site. State of Iowa archaeologist John Doershuk was assisted by University of Iowa archaeologists at this dig. At least three villages, dating from about AD 1300 to 1700, stood in or near what developed later as downtown Des Moines. In addition, 15 to 18 prehistoric Native American mounds were observed in the area by early settlers. All have been destroyed during development of the city. Des Moines traces its origins to May 1843, when Captain James Allen supervised the construction of 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 preferred Fort Des Moines. The fort was built to control the Sauk and Meskwaki peoples, whom the government had moved to the area from…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and is covered by water. It is above sea level at the confluence of the Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers. In November 2005, Des Moines voters approved a measure that allowed the city to annex parcels of land in the northeast, southeast, and southern corners of Des Moines without agreement by local residents, particularly areas bordering the Iowa Highway 5/U.S. 65 bypass. The annexations became official on June 26, 2009, as and around 868 new residents were added to the city of Des Moines. An additional were voluntarily annexed to the city over that same period. Des Moines is the principal city, with other major cities being West Des Moines and Ankeny. As of 2024, the population is 779,048, being the 78th highest metropolitan area based on population in the United States. The skyline of Des Moines changed in the 1970s and the 1980s, when several new skyscrapers were built. Additional skyscrapers were built in the 1990s, including Iowa's tallest. Before then, the 19-story Equitable Building, from 1924, was the tallest building in the city and the tallest building in Iowa. The 25-story Financial Center was completed in 1973 and the 36-story Ruan Center was completed in 1974. They were later joined by the 33-story Des Moines 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 was built in 1991, and the 19-story EMC Insurance Building was erected in 1997. During this time period, the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines (1979) was developed; it hosts Broadway shows and special events. Also constructed were the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden (1979), a large city…

Largest nearby schools

• Lincoln High School
  High · Des Moines · 2,403 students · 26.7:1 ratio
• Southeast Polk High School
  High · Pleasant Hill · 2,353 students · 19:1 ratio
• Valley High School
  High · West Des Moines · 2,152 students · 17.9:1 ratio
• East High School
  High · Des Moines · 2,040 students · 21.7:1 ratio
• Roosevelt High School
  High · Des Moines · 1,986 students · 30.1:1 ratio
• North High School
  High · Des Moines · 1,458 students · 22.1:1 ratio
• Urbandale High School
  High · Urbandale · 1,347 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• Johnston Middle School
  Other · Johnston · 1,166 students · 18.2:1 ratio