Des Moines Population 2010: 203,433, #106 in U.S., #1 in Iowa 1950: 177,965, #53 in U.S. 2010
Metropolitan Area: 569,633, #88 in U.S. 1950 Metropolitan Area: 226,010, #86 in U.S. Setting Des Moines was founded in 1843 as Fort Des Moines, along the Des Moines River. There is a Riverwalk on both sides of the river in the downtown area. The Pappajohn Sculpture Park opened in 2009 on the west side of downtown. Downtown has almost four miles of skyways between the second floors of buildings. Buildings Tallest building: 801 Grand (1991), 630 feet List of tallest buildings The domed State Capitol (1884), 274 feet tall, overlooks downtown from a hill on the east side of the river. Stores The Kaleidoscope at the Hub is a small indoor shopping mall. The flagship Younkers department store
closed in 2005. Trains Amtrak has no service to Des Moines. |  Downtown Des Moines (Photo by Tim Kiser) Museums The Iowa Historical Museum and the Science Center of Iowa are downtown, and the Des Moines Art Center is west of downtown. Theaters Des
Moines has no downtown movie theaters. The Civic Center theater (1979) hosts the Des Moines Symphony, touring Broadway shows, the StageWest Theatre Company, and a variety of other events. The
Iowa Cubs, Triple-A Pacific Coast League affiliate of the Chicago
Cubs,
play at Principal Park (1992), on the south side of downtown. The Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League play at the Wells Fargo Arena (2005). Convention and Visitors Bureau
|