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Des Moines is the capital of and the most populous city in the State of Iowa, United States. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, owing its name to the Des Moines River (French: Rivière Des Moines, meaning "River of the Monks"), until it was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. It is also the county seat of Polk County. The five-county metropolitan area is ranked 92nd in terms of population in the United States according to 2006 estimates with 534,230 residents according to United States Census Bureau.
Des Moines is a major center for the insurance industry and also has a sizeable financial services and publishing business base. The city is the headquarters for the Principal Financial Group, the Meredith Corporation, and Ruan Transportation. Other major corporations such as Wells Fargo, ING Group, Marsh, and Pioneer Hi-Bred have large operations in or near the metro area. Forbes Magazine ranked Des Moines as the fourth "Best Place for Business" in 2007.
Recently, Des Moines has been experiencing rapid growth in the western and southern suburbs and is quickly becoming a large metropolitan area and national center for financial business.

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News from The Des Moines Register

Glass: Aug. 20 school start date would be a reasonable' compromise

Jun 19, 2013 6:29 pm

SCHOOL START DATE DEBATE: Moving the state's school start date to Aug. 20 could be the compromise needed to satisfy both educators and the tourism industry, according to Jason Glass, outgoing director...

Grassley: IRS to pay $70M in employee bonuses

Jun 19, 2013 6:00 pm

IRS SCANDALS: The Internal Revenue Service is about to pay $70 million in employee bonuses despite an Obama administration directive to cancel discretionary bonuses.

Polk County: Property tax reform will leave $11.6M hole by 2023

Jun 19, 2013 5:46 pm

PROPERTY TAX REFORM: Commercial property tax reform and already-planned wage increases mean Polk County will face an $11.6 annual budget shortfall by 2023 unless the economy improves or expenses are r...

Boone police investigating eight cases of vandalism

Jun 19, 2013 5:42 pm

BOONE VANDALISM: Police in Boone are investigating eight cases of vandalism, including several where someone spray painted KKK on homes or cars, that took place Tuesday, officials said.

World Food Prize goes to researchers' work on biotech crops

Jun 19, 2013 5:15 pm

WORLD FOOD PRIZE: The World Food Prize on Wednesday announced Marc Van Montagu of Belgium, and Mary-Dell Chilton and Robert Fraley of the United States, as winners of the prestigious award in 2013 for...

Heavy rain blamed for partial washout of northern Iowa dam

Jun 19, 2013 4:43 pm

Heavy rain has been blamed for the partial washout of the Nora Springs dam in northern Iowa.

Regents shouldn't allow public comments at meetings, task force says

Jun 19, 2013 4:17 pm

BOARD OF REGENTS: A task force charged with increasing transparency at Iowa's public universities today recommended public comment periods several times a year.

KCCI makes gains in May ratings

Jun 19, 2013 4:04 pm

TV RATINGS: KCCI swept the May ratings, gaining viewers in every time slot when compared with a year ago, Nielsen ratings show

Report: Iowa's bridges rank third worst nationally

Jun 19, 2013 3:24 pm

IOWA BRIDGES: Iowa's bridges rank as third worst in the nation with 21.2 percent of the state's 24,465 bridges rated as deficient, according to a report issued Wednesday by a transportation lobby grou...

Northern Iowa town's police chief put on leave

Jun 19, 2013 2:25 pm

A northern Iowa police chief has been placed on paid leave pending a city investigation.

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