West Des Moines

West Des Moines, city and suburb of Des Moines (which lies immediately to the east), Polk county, central Iowa, U.S. The area was settled in the 1840s and became an important rail junction in the 1850s called Valley Junction. James Cunningham Jordan, the town’s first settler, operated a station on the Underground Railroad assisting fugitive slaves; his Victorian-style house (c. 1850) is preserved and is open for tours. The city was renamed in 1938, after which its economy began to diversify.

Industry includes the manufacture of tires and agricultural implements. Services (notably finance and insurance) are also important. The Raccoon River flows northeastward through the southern part of the city and is surrounded with many recreational areas, including Walnut Woods State Park. Living History Farms is just to the north in Urbandale. Inc. 1893. Pop. (2000) 46,403; Des Moines–West Des Moines Metro Area, 481,394; (2010) 56,609; Des Moines–West Des Moines Metro Area, 569,633.