Ames is a city in Story County, United States 30 miles north of Des Moines in central Iowa. It is best known as the home of Iowa State University, with leading Agriculture, Design and Veterinary Medicine colleges. A United States Department of Energy national laboratory, Ames Laboratory, is located on the ISU campus. In 2017, Ames had a population of 66,498. Iowa State University is home to 36,321 students, which make up one half of the city's population. Ames hosts United States Department of Agriculture sites: the largest federal animal disease center in the United States, USDA's Agricultural Research Service's National Animal Disease Center; as well as, one of two national USDA sites for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which comprises the National Veterinary Services Laboratory and the Center for Veterinary Biologics. Ames has the headquarters for the Iowa Department of Transportation. In 2010, Ames was ranked ninth on CNNMoney's "Best Places to Live" list; the city was founded in 1864 as a station stop on the Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad and was named after 19th century U.

S. Congressman Oakes Ames of Massachusetts, influential in the building of the transcontinental railroad. Ames was founded by local resident Cynthia Olive Duff and railroad magnate John Insley Blair, near a location, deemed favorable for a railroad crossing of the Skunk River. Ames is located along the western edge of Story County, United States, it is located 30 miles north of the state capital Des Moines, near the intersection of Interstate 35 and U. S. Route 30. A smaller highway, U. S. Route runs through the town. Passing through Ames is the cross country line of the Union Pacific Railroad & two small streams. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.27 square miles, of which 24.21 square miles is land and 0.06 square miles is water. Campustown is the neighborhood directly south of Iowa State University Central Campus bordered by Lincoln Way on the north. Campustown is a high-density mixed-use neighborhood, home to many student apartments, nightlife venues and numerous other establishments, most of which are unique to Ames.

Ames has a humid continental climate. On average, the warmest month is July and the coldest is January; the highest recorded temperature was 102 °F in 1988 and the lowest was −28 °F in 1996. As of the census of 2010, there were 58,965 people, 22,759 households, 9,959 families residing in the city; the population density was 2,435.6 inhabitants per square mile. There were 23,876 housing units at an average density of 986.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 84.5% White, 3.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 8.8% Asian, 1.1% from other races, 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.4% of the population. There were 22,759 households of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7% had a male householder with no wife present, 56.2% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older.

The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age in the city was 23.8 years. 13.4% of residents were under the age of 18. The gender makeup of the city was 47.0 % female. As of the census of 2000, there were 50,731 people, 18,085 households, 8,970 families residing in the city; the population density was 2,352.3 people per square mile. There were 18,757 housing units at an average density of 869.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 87.34% White, 7.70% Asian, 2.65% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.76% Pacific Islander and other races, 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.98% of the population. There were 18,085 households out of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 50.4% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older.

The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.85. Age spread: 14.6% under the age of 18, 40.0% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 13.9% from 45 to 64, 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,042, the median income for a family was $56,439. Males had a median income of $37,877 versus $28,198 for females; the per capita income for the city was $18,881. About 7.6% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over. The U. S. Census Bureau designates the Ames metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County. While Ames is the largest city in Story County, the county seat is in the nearby city of Nevada 8 miles east of Ames. Ames metropolitan statistical area combined with the Boone, Iowa micropolitan statistical area make up the larger Ames-Boone combined statistical area.

Ames is the larger principal city of the Combined Stati

Dan Dries is an American former professional ice hockey player who most notably played in the American Hockey League and Finnish Liiga. Undrafted and having played collegiate hockey with the University of New Hampshire of the Hockey East and the Ohio State University in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, Dries made his professional debut at the tail end of the 2011–12 season, signing an amateur try-out with the St. John's IceCaps of the AHL. On October 17, 2012, Dries signed a try-out agreement with Ilves of the SM-liiga, he played 13 games and registered 1 assist and 10 penalty minutes with the European team before returning to North America where he completed the 2012–13 season with the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL. Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database

"Tipitina" is a song written and made famous by Professor Longhair. The song has been covered, the Professor Longhair version was recorded in 1953 for Atlantic Records. "Tipitina" was first released in 1953 and re-released on the album New Orleans Piano in 1972. Although the nature of his contributions are unknown, recording engineer Cosimo Matassa is listed as the song's co-writer along with Roy Byrd, Professor Longhair's legal name; the song, considered a New Orleans music standard, was added to the US National Recording Registry in 2011 because of its cultural significance. The subject of "Tipitina" is unknown; the New Orleans music venue, Tipitina's, was named for the song, Tipitina's Foundation bears the Tipitina name. Pianist Henry Roeland "Roy" Byrd, known as Professor Longhair, was a prominent New Orleans musician, he played syncopated music that combined blues, zydeco, rhumba and calypso. His singing was characterized as hoarse, his peripatetic recording career began in 1949 with "Mardi Gras In New Orleans" and "She's Got No Hair" with a group credited as "Longhair and his Shuffling Hungarians."

A year at Mercury Records and Roy Byrd & his Blues Jumpers rerecorded "She's Got No Hair" as "Bald Head", which broke through as his only national R&B hit. In 1953, at Atlantic Records, he recorded "Tipitina", now regarded as his "signature song"; the melody is derived from Champion Jack Dupree's "Junker's Blues". Rolling Stone described the song as a "rhumba-style track" that has become a quintessential New Orleans standard. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted Longhair in 1992, "The hum-along nonsense syllables and stutter stepping left-hand rhythm of'Tiptina' is both a symbol and staple of New Orleans music."Allen Toussaint described learning the song as a "rite of passage". The subject of the song is unknown. Among the speculated subjects are a person. Hugh Laurie recorded a cover of the song around the time of its selection to the National Recording Registry, he commented about the mystery. It adds to its mystique and its power to make me laugh and cry all in one go."The song became a hit in New Orleans after its initial release, but was not as successful in the rest of the United States..

The 1953 Professor Longhair version and the 1972 Dr. John version are both considered "Classic non Hot 100 songs". In 2011, the song was included in the National Recording Registry. Byrd received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award for this song; the song was listed among the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock in 1994 by the Roll Hall of Fame. The song was listed in the 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists and Secrets Behind Them by Toby Creswell as well as the Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era by Bruce Pollock; the National Recording Registry announcement for this song said the song is "a signature distillation of the musical ideas and personality that inspired and influenced such New Orleans pianists as Fats Domino, Huey "Piano" Smith, James Booker, Dr. John and Allen Toussaint". According to Creswell, "Tipitina" "marshalled New Orleans rhythm into a sparkling package"; the song has been covered. Professor Longhair: from New Orleans Piano Dr. John: from Dr. John's Gumbo James Booker: from Live from Belle Vue Hugh Laurie: from his debut album, Let Them Talk The Professor Longhair version was recorded in New Orleans in November 1953 under the name Professor Longhair & His Blues Scholars.

According to John Crosby's Professor Longhair: a bio-discography, performers included Roy Byrd, Lee Allen, Frank Fields, Earl Palmer, Alvin "Red" Tyler. However, the Atlantic Records Discography credits Edgar Blanchard as the bassist, it was released as a single in 1953 and re-released in 1972. It is included on several albums including the New Orleans Piano. Other albums that include this version are Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: Piano Blues and Doctors, Kings & Queens. A version by Bo Dollis & The Wild Magnolias is in the Bones season 1 episode "The Man in the Morgue". "Tipitina", the November 25, 2012 season 3 finale of Treme, used the song twice. Whitburn, Joel. Top Pop Singles. Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-180-2. Discography of albums containing Longhair version at Allmusic