West Des Moines is a city located in Polk County, and partially in Dallas and Warren counties, in the state of Iowa. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 46,403; a special census taken in the spring of 2005 counted 51,744 residents . West Des Moines is the largest of Des Moines' suburbs and the tenth-largest city in Iowa.
West Des Moines is located at 41°34'25" North, 93°45'1" West (41.573739, -93.750359).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 71.4 km2 (27.6 mi2). 69.4 km2 (26.8 mi2) of it is land and 2.0 km2 (0.8 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 2.87% water.
West Des Moines' location in the Raccoon River valley has left parts of the city, particularly the Valley Junction area, prone to flooding. After the Great Flood of 1993, a floodwall was constructed along Walnut Creek (near the boundary with Des Moines) to protect that area.
As of the census of 2000, there are 46,403 people, 19,826 households, and 11,915 families residing in the city. The population density is 669.0/km2 (1,732.5/mi2). There are 20,815 housing units at an average density of 300.1/km2 (777.1/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 92.66% White, 1.87% African American, 0.13% Native American, 2.76% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.26% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. 3.03% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 19,826 households out of which 30.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% are married couples living together, 7.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% are non-families. 30.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.33 and the average family size is 2.98.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 35.5% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $54,139, and the median income for a family is $70,600. Males have a median income of $45,185 versus $31,555 for females. The per capita income for the city is $31,405. 4.5% of the population and 2.8% of families are below the poverty line. These families are mostly concentrated in recently annexed parts of rural Warren county and along the border of the city and Des Moines, near the historic Valley Junction area. Out of the total population, 4.7% of those under the age of 18 and 3.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Farm Bureau Financial Services, Hy-Vee, and the Krause Gentle Corporation (parent company of the Kum & Go convenience store chain) are headquartered in West Des Moines. Other large employers include Citigroup's Citi Cards division, Iowa Foundation for Medical Care, and Wells Fargo's Card Services and Home Mortgage divisions. Wells Fargo is currently building a corporate campus south of Jordan Creek Town Center that will become home of their Home Mortgage and Consumer Finance divisions; completion is scheduled for 2007.
West Des Moines incorporated as the city of Valley Junction on October 9, 1893. The area's first settler was a cattle farmer named James Cunningham Jordan, who later became a state senator. His residence, the Jordan House, has been restored and is now home to the West Des Moines Historical Society.
In its early days Valley Junction was home to the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad's switching facilities and repair shops due to its location at the junction of several railroad lines. The Rock Island's facilities moved out of Valley Junction and back into Des Moines in 1936. On January 1, 1938, Valley Junction was renamed West Des Moines. Today the original business district of West Des Moines has been preserved as Historic Valley Junction. It features many locally-owned specialty shops and restaurants as well as a weekly farmers' market during the summer months.
In 1950 West Des Moines had a population of 5,615, but the city began to grow as many new housing subdivisions were built in the decades ahead. West Des Moines annexed the town of Ashawa, a former Rock Island railroad stop, in 1957, and Commerce, a town along the Raccoon River, in 1960. The construction of Interstate 35, Interstate 80, and Interstate 235 in the 1960s brought more people and businesses to West Des Moines. Several retail and office complexes opened along the I-235 corridor after the freeway's completion, including Valley West Mall, which opened in 1975. West Des Moines' population jumped from 11,964 in 1960 to 31,702 in 1990.
West Des Moines expanded into Dallas County during the 1990s and 2000s, punctuated by the opening of the Jordan Creek Town Center shopping mall in 2004. Major commercial construction is underway around the area, including the opening of many additional hotels, shopping centers, and office buildings, including a new Wells Fargo corporate campus. In 2005 West Des Moines annexed land in Warren County for the first time. Seeing the land to the south of Des Moines as extremely valuable, especially with the completion of a major "South-Belt Freeway" system, the cities of Norwalk and West Des Moines are actively competing for land in the northern part of Warren County. West Des Moines is the fastest growing city in Iowa according to land mass.
During the 1990s a new city/school campus emerged near the intersection of South 35th Street and Mills Civic Parkway. West Des Moines' new police station opened in 1992. This was followed by the opening of a new public library in 1996; the library served as temporary home for West Des Moines' city hall until a new building was dedicated in late 2002. The campus also features a new stadium for Valley High School that also opened in 2002. On the same property, the West Des Moines School district operates Valley Southwoods, a freshman high school with over 600 students that opened in 2000. Currently, Valley High School, although only grades 10-12, is the largest and fastest growing high school in the state. Major renovation and additions are slated to be completed to the high school in 2007.
Source:
WestDesMoinesIA.com
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