West Des Moines, Iowa
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1905 and the latest in 1984. It stands in Walnut Township. It lies in ZIP code area 50265. It stands on Jordan Creek. The Survey maps it on the Des Moines SW quadrangle. 68,723 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 955 feet above sea level.
On record in West Des Moines
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 6 records
I.O.O.F. (International Order of Odd Fellows) Valley Junction Lodge Hall No. 604listed 2017
Jordan Houselisted 1973
Val-Air Ballroomlisted 2022
Valley Junction Commercial Historic Districtlisted 2017
Valley Junction-West Des Moines City Hall and Engine Houselisted 1983- Valley Auto Co.-Morgan Auto Co. Garagelisted 2021
Population over time
2 figuresWest Des Moines grew from 56,609 to 68,723 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 56,609 | |
| 2020 | 68,723 | +12,114 (+21%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 16 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1905 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:62500
- 1907 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1954 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:62500
- 1956 USGS Des Moines SW quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1957 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1984 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
4 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 4 fires within 5 miles of West Des Moines between 2006 and 2011, burning about 7 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 2 April 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 129 COTTAGE LANE,LAKE PONDEROSA, IA |
| 24 November 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 13 January 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
8 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of West Des Moines: 5 producers, 3 past producers. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marquette Cement Plant | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Penn-Dixie Cement Plant | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| West Des Moines Plant #8 | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Commerce Pit and Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| I-35 and Army Post Road Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| West Des Moines Sand Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 72 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names West Des Moines in 72 storm reports between 1994 and 2022: 34 hail, 24 thunderstorm wind, 5 flash flood, 3 heavy rain. The reports record 2 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2001 | Tornado (F1) | West Des Moines | 1 hurt, $500,000 | Tornado touched down on southwest edge of West Des Moines at the Glen Oaks Golf Club and swept into an apartment complex. Track was intermittent following the destruction of a garage unit there. |
| August 2004 | Lightning | West Des Moines | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | West Des Moines | $9,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $2,000,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | West Des Moines | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | West Des Moines | $200,000 | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Flash Flood | West Des Moines | $100,000 | Public reported that 63rd and Grand near West Des Moines was underwater. Water rescues were performed at this location as well. |
| April 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $100,000 | Most of the roof torn away on a commercial building. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $100,000 | no account filed |
| August 2010 | Flash Flood | West Des Moines | $75,000 | Public Works Department in Des Moines and West Des Moines reports water over the road at Grand and 61st. |
| May 2014 | Hail | West Des Moines | $75,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Flash Flood | West Des Moines | $75,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $75,000 | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Flood | West Des Moines | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Flash Flood | West Des Moines | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Hail | West Des Moines | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | West Des Moines | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Hail | West Des Moines | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Flood | West Des Moines | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $20,000 | no account filed |
| April 2004 | Lightning | West Des Moines | $15,000 | no account filed |
| March 2007 | Hail | West Des Moines | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | West Des Moines | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | West Des Moines | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | West Des Moines | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $10,000 | no account filed |
| September 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2014 | Hail | West Des Moines | $5,000 | Located at the southeast corner of 63rd and Grand. |
| March 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $5,000 | Power poles down along with small tree limbs. |
| March 2007 | Hail | West Des Moines | $5,000 | no account filed |
| March 2007 | Hail | West Des Moines | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | West Des Moines | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | West Des Moines | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | West Des Moines | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | West Des Moines | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | West Des Moines | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | West Des Moines | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | West Des Moines | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | West Des Moines | $3,000 | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | West Des Moines | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $2,000 | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 1995 | Hail | West Des Moines | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Hail | West Des Moines | $1,000 | no account filed |
| April 2022 | Hail | West Des Moines | - | A Mercy Hospital ambulance reported penny to nickel sized hail. |
| August 2022 | Hail | West Des Moines | - | Delayed report of egg sized hail in West Des Moines. Time estimated by radar. |
| June 2021 | Hail | West Des Moines | - | Report via mping of penny sized hail. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | - | Spotter reported wind gusts between 612 pm and 625 pm, estimated between 60 and 70 pm. Also reported large branches down, but exact size unknown. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | - | Public report of damage on Grand between 8th st and 4th st including large trees down, power lines down, and traffic signal blown down. |
| July 2020 | Hail | West Des Moines | - | A trained spotter reported penny sized hail. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | - | Public report via social media of a tree down in the road. Time estimated via radar. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | - | Broadcast media relayed report of a large tree down near 63rd street and Railroad Avenue that also brought down a power line with it. Time estimated via radar. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Junction | 0.6 miles | 16 | |
| Windsor Heights | 1.4 miles | 16 | |
| Clive | 1.9 miles | 16 | |
| Crestwood | 2.0 miles | 16 | |
| Ashawa | 2.4 miles | 11 | |
| Millman | 3.1 miles | 16 | |
| Urbandale | 3.4 miles | 17 | |
| Commerce | 3.9 miles | 11 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on West Des Moines | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q923861 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 462839. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.








