Mercy Medical Center - Des Moines Hospital Page

Des Moines

Des Moines (in French) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Iowa. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, until it was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857.* It is also the county seat of Polk County. According to the 2000 census, the population of the city was 198,682. The 2005 census estimate for the city of Des Moines indicates the population of the city proper has fallen slightly to 194,163. * Like many other major U.S. cities, Des Moines has been steadily losing citizens to its suburbs since the 1950's.

Des Moines is a very prosperous, rapidly growing, metropolitan area. Des Moines has grown considerably in recent years, and can now be compared to cities such as, Boise, Madison, Tacoma, and Hartford to name a few. U.S. Interstates 35 and 80 pass through the city of Des Moines. Des Moines was in the running to host the 2006 Special Olympics along with Omaha, Nebraska and St. Louis, Missouri, but was trumped by the neighboring city of Ames, Iowa. Located just north of Des Moines, Ames is a college town and home to Iowa State University. The city earned a local nickname as DSM after its airport's IATA code.