Sister cities of Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines /dɨˈmɔɪn/ is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. It is named after the Des Moines River, which may have been adapted from the French Rivière des Moines, literally meaning "River of the Monks." The city proper population was 203,433 at the 2010 census. The five-county metropolitan area is ranked 88th in terms of population in the United States with 580,255 residents according to the 2011 estimate by the United States Census Bureau.

Des Moines is a major center for the insurance industry and also has a sizable financial services and publishing business base. In fact, Des Moines was credited with the "number one spot for U.S. insurance companies" in a Business Wire article and dubbed the third largest insurance capital of the world. The city is the headquarters for the Principal Financial Group, Aviva USA insurance, the Meredith Corporation, Ruan Transportation, EMC Insurance Companies, and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Other major corporations such as Wells Fargo, ING Group, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, Marsh, Monsanto and Pioneer Hi-Bred have large operations in or near the metro area. In recent years Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Facebook have established data processing and logistical facilities in the Des Moines metro. Forbes magazine ranked Des Moines as the "Best Place for Business" in 2010 and, in 2011, ranked the city #1 among "America's Best Cities for Young Professionals." Kiplinger's Personal Finance 2008 Best Cities List featured Des Moines as #9. In November 2011, the city of Des Moines was listed as the #1 Greenest city for Women by Self Magazine.

Des Moines is an important city in United States presidential politics as the capital of Iowa, which is home to the Iowa caucuses. The caucuses have been the first major electoral event in nominating the President of the United States since 1972. Hence, many presidential candidates set up campaign headquarters in Des Moines. A 2007 article in The New York Times stated "if you have any desire to witness presidential candidates in the most close-up and intimate of settings, there is arguably no better place to go than Des Moines."