Des Moines is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County with parts extending into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. It is located on, and named after, the Des Moines River, which likely was adapted from the early French name, Rivière des Moines, meaning "River of the Monks". The city's population was 214,133 as of the 2020 census. The six-county metropolitan area is ranked 81st in terms of population in the United States, with 709,466 residents according to the 2020 census by the United States Census Bureau, and is the largest metropolitan area fully located within the state.
Image: Morning Skyline Des Moines, Iowa Winter on the Des Moines River (24805016620)
Image: Fowl Scene at the Iowa Capitol (50850152211)
Image: A Beautiful Day at the Fair (48536435447)
Image: Des Moines Botanical Center
Iowa is a landlocked state in the upper Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the east and southeast, Missouri to the south, Nebraska to the west, South Dakota to the northwest, and Minnesota to the north.
Excavation of the 3,800-year-old Edgewater Park Site
Iowa in 1718 with the modern state area highlighted
Iowa Territorial Seal
Topography of Iowa, with counties and major streams