Welcome to West Des Moines ...
The city of West Des Moines is primarily located in Polk County<1>. A portion of West Des Moines extends into Dallas County and Warren County.
The location of West Des Moines has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
West Des Moines was established in 1893.
A typical abbreviation for West Des Moines: W. Des Moines
From the Census Estimates for 2019, West Des Moines has a population of 67,911 people<3> (see below for details).
The community of West Des Moines is 950 feet [290 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: West Des Moines lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
West Des Moines is located in the (515) area code.
The ZIP codes for West Des Moines: 50265-50266, 50398<5>
Websites for West Des Moines ...
Official Website: www.city.west-des-moines.ia.us/
Chamber of Commerce: www.iadg.com/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, West Des Moines had an population of 67,911 people. This is an increase of 19.97% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 46.35% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, West Des Moines had a population of 56,609 people (which is 13.15% of the total population of Polk County). This makes West Des Moines the county's 2nd most populous community.
The population of West Des Moines represents 1.86% of the population of Iowa (which has 3,046,355 people), making it the state's 10th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 56,609 people, the population of West Des Moines increased 21.99% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 46,403 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for West Des Moines.
Communities near West Des Moines ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near West Des Moines.
- Des Moines
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Des Moines
- Des Moines is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 212,312 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Des Moines <6>
- Ankeny
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ankeny have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ankeny
- Ankeny is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 70,068 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ankeny <6>
- Waukee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waukee
- Waukee is located in Dallas County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 26,166 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waukee <6>
- Johnston
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johnston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnston
- Johnston is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23,092 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Johnston <6>
- Altoona
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altoona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoona
- Altoona is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 19,503 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Altoona <6>
- Indianola
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indianola
- Indianola is located in Warren County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 16,072 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Indianola <6>
- Grimes
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grimes
- Grimes is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,831 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grimes <6>
- Norwalk
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norwalk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwalk
- Norwalk is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,449 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norwalk <6>
- Pleasant Hill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Pleasant Hill is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,025 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pleasant Hill <6>
- Bondurant
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bondurant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondurant
- Bondurant is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,293 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bondurant <6>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around West Des Moines. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for West Des Moines.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of West Des Moines. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Des Moines.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around West Des Moines. See our Newspapers Page for West Des Moines.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for West Des Moines ...
Looking for more information about West Des Moines? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for West Des Moines, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for West Des Moines.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for West Des Moines: www.city.west-des-moines.ia.us/
The official website for Polk County: www.co.polk.ia.us/
The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Iowa's counties, including Polk, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for West Des Moines. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around West Des Moines - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as West Des Moines). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether West Des Moines or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Our list of ZIP Codes for West Des Moines includes: 50265 & 50266. |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |