Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines (/dəˈmɔɪn/ ⓘ də-MOYN) 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 was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857.[6] It is located on, and named after, the Des Moines River, which likely was adapted from the early French name, Rivière des Moines, meaning "River of the Monks". The city's population was 214,133 as of the 2020 census.[7] The six-county metropolitan area is ranked 81st in terms of population in the United States, with 709,466 residents according to the 2020 census by the United States Census Bureau, and is the largest metropolitan area fully located within the state.[8]
"Des Moines" redirects here. For other uses, see Des Moines (disambiguation).
Des Moines
1843
September 22, 1851
Connie Boesen (D)
Zach Nunn (R)
90.70 sq mi (234.92 km2)
88.18 sq mi (228.38 km2)
2.52 sq mi (6.54 km2)
873 ft (266 m)
214,133
2,428.39/sq mi (937.60/km2)
542,486 (US: 78th)
2,413.8/sq mi (932.0/km2)
709,466 (US: 81st)
890,322 (US: 65th)
19-21000
Des Moines is a major center of the US insurance industry and has a sizable financial-services and publishing business base. The city was credited as the "number one spot for U.S. insurance companies" in a Business Wire article and named the third-largest "insurance capital" of the world. The city is the headquarters for the Principal Financial Group, Ruan Transportation, TMC Transportation, EMC Insurance Companies, and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Other major corporations such as Wells Fargo, Cognizant, Voya Financial, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, ACE Limited, Marsh, Monsanto, 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]
History[edit]
Etymology[edit]
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 (pronounced [de mwan] ⓘ; formerly [de mwɛn]) translates literally to either "from the monks" or "of the monks".
One popular interpretation of "Des Moines" concludes that it refers to a group of French Trappist monks, who in the 17th century lived in huts built on top of what is now known as the ancient Monks Mound at Cahokia, the major center of Mississippian culture, which developed in what is present-day Illinois, east of the Mississippi River and the city of St. Louis. This was some 200 miles (320 km) from the Des Moines River.[12]
, Japan (1958)
Kōfu
, France (1985)
Saint-Étienne
, China (1985)
Shijiazhuang
, Kosovo (2018) (Kosovo also opened Consulate in downtown Des Moines in 2015 – List of diplomatic missions of Kosovo)[112]
Pristina
, Italy (2006)
Catanzaro
The Greater Des Moines Sister City Commission, with members from the City of Des Moines and the suburbs of Cumming, Norwalk, Windsor Heights, Johnston, Urbandale, and Ankeny, maintains sister city relationships with:[110]