- US map
- State capitals
- Des Moines
Capital of Iowa · Polk County · capital since 1857 · 41.6°N 93.6°W
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines has been the capital of Iowa since 1857, when the government moved west from Iowa City to a more central point on the Des Moines River. It is the largest city in the state.
Where Des Moines is
Des Moines is the seat of Polk County, at 41.59°N, 93.63°W, near the center of Iowa. The city grew from Fort Des Moines, built in 1843 at the point where the Raccoon River enters the Des Moines River, which then flows southeast to the Mississippi at Keokuk. The surrounding land is rolling prairie about 800 ft above sea level. Interstates 35 and 80 cross on the north side of the city, making it the main crossroads between Minneapolis, Kansas City, Omaha and Chicago. Des Moines is on Central Time.
How it became the capital
Burlington, on the Mississippi, was the first territorial capital in 1838. Iowa City, purpose-built as a capital, took over in 1841 and was the capital when Iowa became a state in 1846. But settlement spread west quickly, and the 1857 constitution moved the capital to Des Moines, then a town of a few thousand. The state records arrived by ox-drawn sled that winter. Iowa City kept the state university as compensation.
Population
Des Moines had 214,133 residents in 2020, the largest city in Iowa; Cedar Rapids, at about 137,000, is second. The six-county Des Moines–West Des Moines metropolitan area has about 710,000 people, a little over a fifth of Iowa's 3,190,369, and it is the fastest-growing part of the state.
The capitol
The Iowa State Capitol stands on a hill on the east side of the river, overlooking downtown. It was designed by John C. Cochrane and Alfred Piquenard, begun in 1871 and completed in 1886. It is the only US state capitol with five domes: a central dome 275 ft high covered in 23-karat gold leaf, and four smaller corner domes. The interior includes a law library with spiral staircases and a scale model of the battleship USS Iowa.
Distances to other cities
| City | Direction | Road distance |
|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE | west | about 135 mi |
| Kansas City, MO | south | about 195 mi |
| Minneapolis, MN | north | about 245 mi |
Chicago is about 335 miles east on Interstate 80.
Related maps
- Iowa map — the whole state with borders, cities and counties.
- Iowa county map · blank Iowa map · printable Iowa map.
- All 50 state capitals on one map, and the state capitals quiz.
- Midwest region · West North Central division · Central Time Zone.