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DES MOINES, IOWA - USA
Des Moines (pronounced "de Moyne") is the capital city of the U.S. state of
Iowa. Founded in 1846, the population of the city of Des Moines was 198,682
according to the census of 2000. Des Moines 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 3.5 mile-long (5.6 km) skywalk system, allowing people to
travel between buildings without going outside.
Geography
Des Moines is located at 41°35'27" North, 93°37'15" West (41.590939,
-93.620866).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
200.1 km˛ (77.2 mi˛). 196.3 km˛ (75.8 mi˛) of it is land and 3.8 km˛ (1.5
mi˛) 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/km˛
(2,621.3/mi˛). There are 85,067 housing units at an average density of
433.3/km˛ (1,122.3/mi˛). 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 (now in New York)
Iowa Stars hockey
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
Iowa Dance Theatre -- http://www.iowadancetheatre.com
IPA - Iowa Poetry Association
Civic Center of Greater Des Moines -- http://www.civiccenter.org/
Des Moines Symphony -- http://www.dmsymphony.org/
Des Moines Art Center -- http://www.desmoinesartcenter.org/home.html
Art Scene -- http://www.artsceneiowa.com/
Des Moines Art Festival -- http://www.desmoinesartsfestival.org/
Science Center of Iowa -- http://www.sciowa.org/
Living History Farms -- http://www.lhf.org/
Des Moines Metro Opera -- http://www.dmmo.org/
Central Iowa Linux Users Group -- http://www.cialug.org/
Notable Natives
Bill Bryson, author
Thomas M. Disch, author
Simon Estes, opera singer
Cloris Leachman, actress
All of the members of Slipknot, a heavy metal music band
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