Des monies iowa drivers#

The roads are in good shape and most drivers would not be classified as aggressive. The majority of area residents get around by use of their automobiles, so bringing or renting one is a good idea. Once in the area, those wishing to enter the city will use I-235 to get into Des Moines proper. Travelers will not have to worry about encountering any tollways or major traffic jams. Most travelers to Des Moines are likely to come via interstate, on either I-80 (from the east or west) or I-35 (from the north or south). Fall is pleasantly cool, and typically more dry than wet. Iowa is no stranger to heavy snowfall and frigid temperatures in this season either, which can be just as much of a concern to those unaccustomed as the summer heat. Rain and thunderstorms are common in the spring and summer occasionally severe, with tornadoes of varying intensities (though rarely very destructive) sometimes a possibility.ĭuring the winter, it is not at all unusual to have road closures due to snowfall or ice. This can make outdoor life very uncomfortable (and sometimes dangerous) for those unaccustomed to such conditions, even visitors from hot climates, such as the Southwest, where the heat lacks the coupling of humidity. Coupled with heat, this can result in a very high heat index. The city's population was just under 215,000 in the 2020 Census, and the metro area had about 700,000 residents.ĭue in part to the moist and rich soils that make Iowa an agricultural powerhouse, summers are filled with very humid air. In 1846, the fort was dissolved and the city was created. Allen was going to name the area Fort Raccoon, but was instructed by the War Department to use the name Fort Des Moines. 'Des Moines,' today pronounced 'duh MOIN,' is at the junction of the Des Moines River and the Raccoon River.įort Des Moines was settled in 1843 by a group of dragoons from the Sac and Fox Agency (Fort Sanford) led by Captain James Allen. French Trappist Monks (Moines de la Trappe) called their settlement areas at the mouth of the Des Moines River 'La Rivière des Moines' which, in English, translates to 'the river of the monks.' 'De Moyn,' which means 'middle,' may have been used on the map of explorer Jacques Marquette to help others locate the Des Moines River-area (equidistant between the larger Mississippi and Missouri rivers). The meaning of 'Des Moines' is not clear as local Native Americans, the Moingona, had already been using a term (which meant 'river of the mounds') due to the number of burial mounds which were popular in the area. Des Moines is the largest city in Iowa and the annual site of the Iowa State Fair.īecause of Iowa's early presidential caucus date, the city is also a hotbed of political dreams and discourse every four years when presidential candidates tour the state and have multiple debates within the city. Des Moines, capital of Iowa, is in the western region of the American Midwest.