What an incredible city. Our guest made it sound close to heaven. I am ready to move there today!! It seems like the one amazing thing this city has going for it is balance! They are BBA!
Des Moines is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. The five-county metropolitan area is ranked 92nd in terms of population in the United States according to 2006 estimates with 534,230 residents according to United States Census Bureau. The population was 198,682 at the 2000 census.
Des Moines is a major center for the insurance industry and also has a sizeable financial services and publishing business base. The city is the headquarters for the Principal Financial Group, the Meredith Corporation, and Ruan Transportation. Other major corporations such as Wells Fargo, ING Group, Marsh, and Pioneer Hi-Bred have large operations in or near the metro area. Forbes Magazine ranked Des Moines as the fourth "Best Place for Business" in 2007. Des Moines was named the 'hippest city in the USA' in a 2003 article in Fast Company Magazine.
Recently, Des Moines has been experiencing rapid growth in the western and northern suburbs. Downtown Des Moines has been undergoing many new developments as well.
Des Moines is an important city in presidential politics as the capital of Iowa, which is home to the Iowa Caucus. The Iowa Caucus has been the first major electoral event in nominating the President of the United States since 1972; therefore many presidential candidates set up headquarters in Des Moines.
