Ames, Iowa

Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately 30 mi north of Des Moines. It is the principal city of the Ames, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa Micropolitan Statistical Area, comprises the larger Ames-Boone Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 Census, the city population was 58,965. While Ames is the largest city in Story County, the county seat is in Nevada which is 8 mi east of Ames.

Ames is the home of Iowa State University of Science and Technology (ISU), a public research institution with leading Agriculture, Design, Engineering, and Veterinary Medicine colleges. ISU is the nation's first designated land-grant university, 	and the birthplace of the Atanasoff-Berry Computer, the world's first electronic digital computer. Ames hosts one of two national sites for the USDA's Animal and Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS) which comprises the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) and the Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB). Ames is also the home of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service's National Animal Disease Center (NADC). NADC is the largest federal animal disease center in the U.S., conducting research aimed at solving animal health and food safety problems faced by livestock producers and the public. Ames has the headquarters for the Iowa Department of Transportation.

In 2010 Ames was ranked #9 on CNNMoney.com Best Places to Live list.

It is the site of the Ames Straw Poll, an important straw poll in the Republican party presidential nomination process as well as the first in the nation Democratic and Republican caucuses (see Politics, below).

History
The city was founded in 1864 as a station stop on the Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad and was named after 19th century U.S. Congressman Oakes Ames of Massachusetts, who was influential in the building of the transcontinental railroad. Ames was founded near a location that was deemed favorable for a railroad crossing of the Skunk River.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.6 sqmi, of which 21.6 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi (0.09%) is water.

Ames is located on Interstate 35, U.S. Route 30 & 69, and the cross country line of the Union Pacific Railroad, located roughly 30 mi north of the state capital Des Moines. Two small rivers run through the town, the South Skunk River and Squaw Creek.

Neighborhoods
Ames is made up of several distinct neighborhoods, including Allenview, Bentwood, Bloomington Heights, Broadmoor, Campustown, College Heights, College Park, Country Gables, Dauntless, Dayton Park, East Hickory Park, Gateway Green Hills, Gateway Hills, Hillside, Iowa State University, Little Hollywood, Main Street Cultural District (Downtown Ames), Melrose Park, Northridge Heights, Northridge Parkway, Old Town Historic Preservation District, Ontario Heights, Parkview Heights, Ridgewood, Riggenberg Park, Skycrest, Somerset, South Fork, South Gateway, Spring Valley, Stone Brooke, Sunset Ridge, and West Ames.

Campustown


Campustown is the neighborhood directly south of Iowa State University Central Campus bordered by Lincoln Way on the north. Campustown is a high-density mixed-use neighborhood that is home to many student apartments, nightlife venues, restaurants, and numerous other establishments, most of which are unique to Ames.

Climate
Ames has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa).

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 50,731 people, 18,085 households, and 8,970 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,352.3 people per square mile (908.1/km²). There were 18,757 housing units at an average density of 869.7 per square mile (335.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.34% White, 7.70% Asian, 2.65% African American, 0.04% American Indian, 0.76% Pacific Islander and other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.98% of the population.

There were 18,085 households out of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.4% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the city, the population was spread out with 14.6% under the age of 18, 40.0% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 13.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 109.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,042, and the median income for a family was $56,439. Males had a median income of $37,877 versus $28,198 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,881. About 7.6% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.

Metropolitan area


Ames is the larger principal city of the Ames-Boone CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Ames metropolitan area (Story County) and the Boone micropolitan area (Boone County),  which had a combined population of 106,205 at the 2000 census.

Economy
Ames is home of Iowa State University of Science and Technology, a public land-grant and space-grant research university, and member of the prestigious American Association of Universities. At its founding in 1858, Iowa State was formerly known as the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. Ames is the home of the closely allied U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Animal Disease Center (See Ames strain), the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory (a major materials research and development facility), and the main offices of the Iowa State Department of Transportation. State and Federal institutions are the largest employers in Ames.

Other area employers include a 3M manufacturing plant; Sauer-Danfoss, a hydraulics manufacturer; Barilla, a pasta manufacturer; and Ball, a manufacturer of canning jars and plastic bottles.

Arts and culture

 * Ames Historical Society
 * Brunnier Art Museum (Scheman Building)
 * Ames Public Library
 * The Ames Public Library is a Carnegie library founded on October 20, 1904. It currently has 1,386,273 items in circulations, including 799,349 books, and 586,924 multimedia items.


 * The Octagon Center for the Arts
 * The Center includes galleries, art classes, art studios, and retail shop. They sponsor the local street fair, The Octagon Arts Festival.  Also have the Annual National Juried Exhibition Clay, Fiber, Paper Glass Metal, Wood.


 * The Space for Ames
 * Formally known as the Ames Progressive, The Space For Ames is a community space that serves as an art gallery, music venue and classroom for community workshops.

Popular culture

 * The city is featured in the bestselling book The Girls from Ames written by Wall Street Journal columnist Jeffrey Zaslow. It examines the lives and friendships of several young girls who grew up in Ames and have moved on with their adult lives but still remain close.

Sports

 * Iowa Sports Foundation

Parks and recreation
The Ames area has a large number of parks and arboretums spread throughout the town.

Government
The city of Ames operates with a city council and manager system of government.

Education
Ames High School Grades: 9-12
 * Public high school in Ames:


 * Public elementary/middle schools in Ames:
 * Northwood Elementary School
 * Edwards Elementary
 * Abbie Sawyer Elementary School
 * Kate Mitchell Elementary School
 * Meeker Elementary School
 * Fellows Elementary School
 * Ames Middle School


 * Private schools in Ames:
 * Ames Christian School
 * St Cecilia Elementary School

Iowa State University
The Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University (ISU), is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames. Iowa State has produced a number of astronauts, scientists, Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and a variety of other notable individuals in their respective fields. Until 1945 it was known as the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. The university is a member of the American Association of Universities and the Big 12 Conference.

In 1856, the Iowa General Assembly enacted legislation to establish the State Agricultural College and Model Farm. Story County was chosen as the location on June 21, 1859, from proposals by Johnson, Kossuth, Marshall, Polk, and Story counties. When Iowa accepted the provisions of the Morrill Act of 1862, Iowa State became the first institution in nation designated as a land-grant college. The institution was coeducational from the first preparatory class admitted in 1868. The formal admitting of students began the following year, and the first graduating class of 1872 consisted of 24 men and 2 women.

The first building on the Iowa State campus was Farm House. Built in the 1860s, it currently serves as a museum and National Historic Landmark. Today, Iowa State has over 60 notable buildings, including Beardshear Hall, Morrill Hall, Memorial Union, Petrashek Auditorium, Catt Hall, Curtiss Hall, Carver Hall, Parks Library, the Campanile, Hilton Coliseum, C.Y. Stephens Auditorium, Fisher Theater, Jack Trice Stadium, Lied Recreation Center, numerous residence halls, and many buildings specific to ISU's many different majors and colleges. Iowa State is home to 27,945 students (Fall 2009) and makes up approximately one half of the city's population.

The official mascot for ISU is Cy the Cardinal. The official school colors are cardinal and gold. The Iowa State Cyclones play in the NCAA's Division I-A as a member of the Big 12 Conference.

Media

 * Online and Newsprint
 * Ames Tribune
 * Iowa State Daily


 * Radio


 * Broadcast Television

Transportation
The town is served by U.S. Highways 30 and 69 and Interstate 35. Ames is the only town in Iowa with a population of greater than 50,000 that does not have a state highway serving it.

Ames was serviced by the Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Southern Railroad via a branch from Kelley to Iowa State University and to downtown Ames. The tracks were removed in the 1960s. The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company twin mainline runs east and west bisecting the town and running just south of the downtown business district. The C&NW used to operate a branch to Des Moines. This line was removed in the 1980s when the Spine Line through Nevada was purchased from the Rock Island Railroad after its bankruptcy. The Union Pacific, successor to the C&NW, still runs 60–70 trains a day through Ames on twin mainlines, which leads to some traffic delays. There is also a branch to Eagle Grove that leaves Ames to the north. The Union Pacific maintains a small yard called Ames Yard east of Ames between Ames and Nevada. Ames has been testing automatic train horns at several of its crossings. These directional horns which are focused down the streets are activated when the crossing signals turn on and are shut off after the train crosses the crossing. This system cancels out the need for the trains to blow their horns. Train noise had been a problem in the residential areas to the west and northwest of downtown.

Ames has a municipal airport located 1 mi southeast of the city. The current (and only) FBO is Hap's Air Service, a company which has been based at the airport since 1975. The airport has four runways – 01/19, which is 5700x100 feet, and 13/31, which is 3492x100 feet.

The City of Ames offers a transit system throughout town, called CyRide, that is funded jointly by Iowa State University, the ISU Government of the Student Body, and the City of Ames. Rider fares are subsidized through this funding, and are free to students and youth.

Ames has the headquarters of the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Health care
Ames is served by Mary Greeley Medical Center, a 220-bed regional referral hospital which is adjacent to McFarland Clinic PC, central Iowa's largest physician-owned multi-specialty clinic, and also Iowa Heart Center.

Notable people

 * Razak Al-Hassan, mixed martial arts fighter
 * John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry, inventors of world's first electronic digital computer at Iowa State University from 1937–1942
 * Kate Austen, fictional character from ABC's Lost TV series; lived in Ames
 * Harrison Barnes, #1 ranked high school basketball recruit in the class of 2010; 2010 Ames HS graduate
 * Robert Bartley, editorial page editor of The Wall Street Journal and a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; raised in Ames and ISU graduate
 * Ruth Bascom, mayor of Eugene, Oregon
 * Juan Sebastián Botero, soccer player
 * Wally Bruner, ABC News television host
 * John E. Buck, sculptor
 * George Washington Carver, inventor; Iowa State University alumnus and professor
 * Carrie Chapman Catt, women's rights activist and suffragist; founder of League of Women Voters; ISU graduate
 * Laurel Blair Salton Clark, astronaut; died on STS-107
 * Kip Corrington, NFL player
 * Ann Cotten, poet; born in Ames; grew up in Vienna
 * John Darnielle, musician from indie rock band The Mountain Goats; former Ames resident
 * David M. Dobson, creator of Snood video game; grew up in Ames
 * Charles W. "Chuck" Durham, civil engineer; philanthropist; civic leader; and former CEO and Chairman Emeritus of HDR, Inc.; raised in Ames
 * Envy Corps, indie rock band
 * Jane Espenson, writer and producer for television, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Star Trek: The Next Generation, grew up in Ames
 * Brian Evenson, author
 * Dan Gable, U.S. Olympic gold medalist, NCAA wrestling champion; distinguished coach; and ISU alumnus
 * Michael Gartner, former president of NBC News; retired to own and publish the Ames Tribune
 * Leslie Hall, electronic rap musician/Gem Sweater collector, born in Ames in 1981.
 * Terry Hoage, NFL player
 * Fred Hoiberg, retired NBA basketball player; raised in Ames, ISU graduate and current ISU basketball coach
 * Jake Johannsen, comedian-actor; attended ISU for three years
 * Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate; raised in Ames and ISU graduate
 * Margaret Lloyd, Opera Singer
 * Neva Morris, At her death (2010) second oldest person in the world and oldest American at the age of 114 years, lived in Ames her entire life
 * Yong Chin Pak, ISU martial arts instructor and Pan-Am and Goodwill Games coach
 * Sara Paretsky, author of the V.I. Warshawski mysteries; born in Ames in 1947
 * Christine Romans, CNN business news anchor; 1993 ISU graduate
 * Cael Sanderson, U.S. Olympic gold medalist; undefeated, four-time NCAA wrestling champion; former ISU wrestling coach and alumnus
 * Peter Schickele, musician; born in Ames in 1935
 * Jane Smiley, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist; former instructor at ISU (1981–1996); used ISU as the basis for her novel Moo
 * Brian Smith, photographer; grew up in Ames
 * Ken Smith, architect; ISU graduate in landscape architecture
 * George W. Snedecor, statistician; founder of first academic department of statistics in the United States at Iowa State University
 * Neal Stephenson, author; grew up in Ames
 * Billy Sunday, evangelist and Major League Baseball player; born in Ames in 1863
 * Jamal Tinsley, NBA player for Memphis Grizzlies; former ISU player
 * Fred Tisue, Olympian water polo player
 * Bob Walkup, mayor of Tucson, Arizona
 * David E. Wandling, attorney of Born and raised in Ames Iowa
 * The Girls from Ames, a group of women from Ames who are the subject of Jeffrey Zaslow's 2009 nonfiction bestseller

Politics
Iowa is a "battleground state" that has trended slightly Democratic in recent years, and Ames, like Iowa City, also trends Democratic. Because Iowa is the first caucus state and Ames is a college town, it is the site of many political appearances, debates and events, especially during election years.

During every August in which the Republican presidential nomination is undecided (meaning there is no incumbent Republican president—as in, most recently, 2007, 1999, 1995 and 1987), the town plays host to the Ames Straw Poll, which gauges support for the various Republican candidates amongst attendees of a fundraising dinner benefiting the Iowa Republican Party. The straw poll dates back to 1979, and is frequently seen as a first test of organizational strength in Iowa by the national media and party insiders; as such, it can be very beneficial for a candidate to win the straw poll and thus enhance his aura of inevitability or show off a superior field operation.