Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends 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 83rd in terms of population in the United States with 699,292 residents according to the 2019 estimate by the United States Census Bureau, and is the largest metropolitan area fully located within the state.
Polk County is located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 492,401. It is Iowa's most populous county, and home to over 15% of the state's residents. The county seat is Des Moines, which is also the capital city of Iowa. Polk County is included in the Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
West Des Moines is a city in Polk, Dallas, Warren, and Madison counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. A majority of the city is located in Polk County, a minority of the city is located in Dallas County, and small portions extend into Warren and Madison counties.
Ankeny is a city in Polk County, Iowa, United States and a suburb of the state capital of Des Moines, as part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, the population of Ankeny was 67,887, making it the seventh largest city in the state. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in Iowa. Currently, the city's incorporated area totals 29.14 square miles.
James H. Hilton Coliseum, commonly Hilton Coliseum, is a 14,267-seat multi-purpose arena located in Ames, Iowa. The arena opened in 1971. It is home to the Iowa State University Cyclones men's and women's basketball teams, wrestling, gymnastics and volleyball teams.
John Michael Orr was an American basketball player and coach, best known as the head coach of men's basketball at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Michigan, and at Iowa State University. In the 1975–76 season, Orr was named National Coach of the Year.
The Iowa Straw Poll was a presidential straw poll and fundraising event for the Republican Party of Iowa. It was held six times, traditionally in late summer approximately six months in advance of contested presidential Iowa caucuses, from 1979 until 2011, on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames.
Ralph Edward Parcaut was an American professional wrestler in the early part of the 20th century. He served in the U.S. Marines in World War I and won gold medals at the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.) Games in Germany following the War and at the Inter-Allied Games held near Paris in 1919. He also won the title of "Middleweight Champion of the World" in 1920 and held the title until at least 1923. He was injured in a plane crash while barnstorming around 1932, ending his pro wrestling career. He later became a promoter, trainer, author, and showman for early body building.
The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, to elect the four U.S. representatives from the state of Iowa, one from each of the state's four congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including Governor of Iowa and United States Senate. Primary elections were held on June 4, 2014. As no candidate won more than 35% of the vote in the 3rd district Republican primary, that nomination was decided at a party convention on June 21.
Des Moines Golf and Country Club is a private country club in West Des Moines, Iowa, located few minutes west of Des Moines. Its golf courses have consistently been ranked in the top ten golf courses in the state of Iowa.
The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa were held on November 8, 2016, to elect the four U.S. representatives from the state of Iowa, one from each of the state's four congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on June 7.
The 2016 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses took place on February 1 in the U.S. state of Iowa, traditionally marking the Republican Party's first nominating contest in their series of presidential primaries ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
The 2003–04 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represents Iowa State University during the 2003–04 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cyclones were coached by Wayne Morgan, who was in his 1st season. They played their home games at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, and competed in the Big 12 Conference.
Cynthia Lynne Axne is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative from Iowa's 3rd congressional district from 2019 until 2023. She is currently a senior adviser to the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Biden Administration.
The 2022 United States Senate election in Iowa was held on November 8, 2022 to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Iowa. Incumbent Republican Senator Chuck Grassley faced Democratic nominee Michael Franken.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Iowa in March 2020. The first known cases were three individuals who had traveled on a cruise in Egypt before returning home to Johnson County on March 3. Initially, case clusters were focused at meatpacking plants and congregate care facilities. By late October, community spread had become a concern, and some areas of the state had reported over 20% test positivity. A headline stated that "Iowa hospitals fear overwhelming patient surge if coronavirus cases continue to climb."
The 1987–88 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represented Iowa State University during the 1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cyclones were coached by Johnny Orr, who was in his 8th season. They played their home games at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
The 1986–87 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represented Iowa State University during the 1986–87 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cyclones were coached by Johnny Orr, who was in his 7th season. They played their home games at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
The 2022 Iowa gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Iowa. Incumbent Republican Governor Kim Reynolds won re-election to a second full term in a landslide, defeating Democratic nominee Deidre DeJear.
On December 15, a rapidly-deepening low-pressure area contributed to a historic expanse of inclement weather across the Great Plains and Midwestern United States, resulting in an unprecedented December derecho and tornado outbreak across portions of the Northern United States, a region normally affected by snow and cold weather during this time of year. Non-thunderstorm winds spurred the formation of rapidly-moving fires across Colorado and western Kansas, with attendant dust and debris spreading eastward. From central Kansas northeastward into eastern Wisconsin, the powerful derecho led to hundreds of damaging wind reports. At least 57 hurricane-force wind reports were received by the National Weather Service, signaling the most prolific wind event in the United States dating back to at least 2004. Numerous embedded circulations within this rapidly-progressing derecho produced dozens of tornadoes, including 33 that were rated EF2. The culmination of non-thunderstorm, thunderstorm, and tornadic winds caused widespread damage to structures, trees, power lines, and vehicles across the Plains and Midwest. At least 600,000 people lost power on December 15, and temperatures dropped significantly across the affected region following the event, causing accumulating snow, which hindered cleanup and recovery efforts. The storm killed at least 5 people directly, as well as 2 people indirectly through wildfires partly spawned by the storm, and caused at least $1.8 billion in damages. The number of tornadoes in this event broke a record for largest outbreak in the month of December that had been set less than a week prior. The event also became one of the largest single-day outbreaks in recorded history, with 120 tornadoes occurring over an eight-hour period.
