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Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines Iowa
Administration
Full nameCity of Des Moines
Official nameCity of Des Moines
Settlement typeCity
CountryUnited States
StateIowa
CountiesPolk, Warren, Dallas
Founded1843
IncorporatedSeptember 22, 1851
Government
TypeCouncil � manager government
MayorFrank Cownie
SenateSenate list
Matt McCoy (D)
Brad Zaun (R)
Jack Hatch (D)
Dick Dearden (D)
Larry Noble (R)
HouseHouse list
Jo Oldson (D)
Bruce Hunter (D)
Janet Petersen (D)
Wayne Ford (D)
Ako Abdul-Samad (D)
Kevin McCarthy (D)
Rick Olson (D)
Walt Tomenga (R)
U.S. CongressLeonard Boswell (D)
Geography
Total Area77.2 sq mi (199.9 km2)
Land Area75.8 sq mi (196.3 km2)
Water Area1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2)
Elevation955 ft (291.1 m)
Demography
Total Population203,433 (US: 106th) (2010)
Density (pop.)1011.8/km2 (2621.3/sq mi)
Metro (pop.)562906
Other information
Time zoneCST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes50301-50340-50310
Area code515
FIPS code19-21000
GNIS feature ID0465961

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Des Moines c-enaudio=DesMoines.oggdɨˈmɔɪn is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. It is named after the Des Moines River, which may have been adapted from the French Rivière des Moines, literally meaning "River of the Monks." The five-county metropolitan area is ranked 88th in terms of population in the United States with 569,633 residents according to the 2010 count by the United States Census Bureau. The city proper population was 203,433 at the 2010 census.

Des Moines is a major center for the insurance industry and also has a sizable financial services and publishing business base. In fact, Des Moines was credited with the "number one spot for U.S. insurance companies" in a Business Wire article. The city is the headquarters for the Principal Financial Group, the Meredith Corporation, Ruan Transportation, EMC Insurance Companies, and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Other major corporations such as Wells Fargo, ING Group, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, Marsh, Monsanto and Pioneer Hi-Bred have large operations in or near the metro area. Forbes magazine ranked Des Moines as the "Best Place for Business" in 2010. Kiplinger's Personal Finance 2008 Best Cities List featured Des Moines as #9.

Des Moines is an important city in United States presidential politics as the capital of Iowa, which is home to the Iowa caucuses. The Iowa caucuses have been the first major electoral event in nominating the President of the United States since 1972. Hence, many presidential candidates set up campaign headquarters in Des Moines. A 2007 article in The New York Times stated "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."


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