Des Moines, Iowa (Expansion Office)

Des Moines is the capital of Iowa, the seat of Polk County, and the center of a metropolitan area consisting of West Des Moines, Urbandale, Ankeny, Johnston, Clive, Windsor Heights, Altoona, and Pleasant Hill. Des Moines is fixed in the national consciousness as the place where the Presidential race begins every four years. It is also acquiring a new identity as a "post-industrial urban center," a term used by experts to describe midwestern communities that, like Des Moines, have acquired the characteristics of East and West Coast cities—impressive skylines, bustling commercial centers, suburban growth—but have at the same time retained their rural, agrarian roots.