Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines (pronounced "de Moyne") is the capital city of the U.S. state of Iowa. Founded in 1846, the census of 2000 showed that Des Moines now has a population 198,682. It is the county seat of Polk County.

It is in the south central part of the state. The Des Moines River[?] and Raccoon River[?] meet south of downtown and serve as the city's primary water supply.

Many insurance companies have their headquarters there.

The capitol building is one of only a few U.S. state capitol buildings with a genuine gold-plated dome.

The major interstates going to Des Moines are I-35 and I-80.

Its downtown has a 5 km long skywalk system.

Table of contents 1 Geography 2 Demographics 3 Sports Franchises 4 Colleges and Universities 5 Civic and Cultural Organizations 6 Notable Natives 7 External link

Geography Des Moines is located at 41°35'27" North, 93°37'15" West (41.590939, -93.620866)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 200.1 km² (77.2 mi²). 196.3 km² (75.8 mi²) of it is land and 3.8 km² (1.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.88% water.

Demographics As of the census² of 2000, there are 198,682 people, 80,504 households, and 48,704 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,012.0/km² (2,621.3/mi²). There are 85,067 housing units at an average density of 433.3/km² (1,122.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 82.29% White, 8.07% African American, 0.35% Native American, 3.50% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.52% from other races, and 2.23% from two or more races. 6.61% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 80,504 households out of which 29.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% are married couples living together, 12.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% are non-families. 31.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the average family size is 3.04.

In the city the population is spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $38,408, and the median income for a family is $46,590. Males have a median income of $31,712 versus $25,832 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,467. 11.4% of the population and 7.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.9% are under the age of 18 and 7.6% are 65 or older.

Sports Franchises

• Iowa Cubs baseball team (AAA affiliate of the major-league Chicago Cubs); 2001 Pacific Coast League Central Division champs.)
• Des Moines Menace soccer team
• Iowa Barnstormers Arena Football League

Colleges and Universities

• College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery
• Des Moines Area Community College
• Drake University[?]
• Grand View College[?]
• Hamilton College[?]
• Simpson College[?]
• Des Moines University and College of Osteopathic Medicine

Civic and Cultural Organizations

• DAWN - Des Moines Area Writers Network -- http://www.desmoineswriters.org

contact webmaster: eahagglun@yahoo.com contact editor: ecrivain01@yahoo.com

• IPA - Iowa Poetry Association

contact: Lucille Morgan Wilson, 2325 - 61st Street, Des Moines, IA 50322

Notable Natives

• Bill Bryson, author
• Thomas M. Disch, author
• Simon Estes[?], opera singer
• Cloris Leachman[?], actress

External link

3D map: http://www.downtowndsm.info/pdfs/downtown_map.pdf (also showing skywalks, in blue)

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Des Moines is also the name of a city in the state of Washington: see Des Moines, Washington

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