Des Moines ( ) is a city in

King County King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, also the st ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, United States. The population was 32,888 as of the 2020 census. The city is located on the east shore of

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected m ...

, near the center of the

Seattle metropolitan area The Seattle metropolitan area is an urban conglomeration in the U.S. state of Washington that comprises Seattle, its surrounding satellites and suburbs. It contains the three most populous counties in the state—King, Snohomish, and Pierce ...

. It is bordered by the suburbs of

Federal Way Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States. One of the most recently incorporated cities in the county, its population was 101,030 at the 2020 census. Federal Way is the tenth-largest city in Washington and the fifth-larg ...

to the south,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

to the east, SeaTac to the northeast,

Burien Burien ( ) is a suburban city in King County, Washington, United States, located south of Seattle on Puget Sound. As of the 2020 census, Burien's population was 52,066, which is a 56.3% increase since incorporation in 1993. An annexation in 201 ...

to the north, and Normandy Park to the northwest. Des Moines is one of the few points along this shoreline where the topography facilitates access to the water, and a recreational marina operated by the city, with moorage, boat launching and pier fishing facilities, is located there. Forested Saltwater State Park on a steep ravine between the Zenith and Woodmont neighborhoods is the most-used

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

on the Sound. Near the border of Federal Way, Redondo has a board-walk complete with a Salty's restaurant and a pay parking lot.

History

There is no evidence that Native American tribes had permanent settlements in Des Moines. However, there is ample evidence that the Duwamish and

Muckleshoot The Muckleshoot ( lut, bəqəlšuł ) are a Lushootseed-speaking Native American tribe, part of the Coast Salish peoples of the Pacific Northwest. They are descendants of the Duwamish and Puyallup peoples whose traditional territory was located a ...

Indian tribes came to Des Moines for fishing and clamming. What was to become Des Moines was first explored by Europeans on May 26, 1792, during the exploration of British naval Captain

George Vancouver Captain George Vancouver (22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a British Royal Navy officer best known for his 1791–1795 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of what are ...

on his flagship HMS ''Discovery''. The first Americans to visit the area were part of

Charles Wilkes Charles Wilkes (April 3, 1798 – February 8, 1877) was an American naval officer, ship's captain, and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–1842). During the American Civil War (1861–1865), he commanded ' during the ...

' Expedition. The first known settler was John Moore, who probably arrived about 1867. His homestead claim certificate (#285) was granted on July 2, 1872. In 1887 F.A. Blasher persuaded some friends in his home city of

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () 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 part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moine ...

, to help finance the development of a town on Puget Sound. The work was done by the Des Moines Improvement Company. In 1889 the area was platted into lots and sold by the Des Moines Improvement Company, which had been incorporated by F. A. Blasher, Orin Watts Barlow, Charles M. Johnson, and John W. Kleeb. Lumber mills provided the community with its primary employment. Early transportation to Des Moines was by water. The

mosquito fleet The term Mosquito Fleet has had a variety of naval and commercial uses around the world. United States In U.S. naval and maritime history, the term has had ten main meanings: #The United States Navy's fleet of small gunboats, leading up to and ...

provided access to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

, Tacoma, and

Vashon Island Vashon is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon–Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. The population was 10, ...

. The first road, the Brick Highway, was completed in May 1916. The first cross-

automobile ferry started service from Des Moines to

Portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

on November 13, 1916. This ferry service continued until September 1921. Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

farming fueled the local economy. Following the war, suburbanization of the community occurred. With increased population, the county government was unable to supply the level of service and local control desired by Des Moines residents. In response to this, Des Moines was officially incorporated on June 17, 1959. On December 12, 1969, an F3 tornado injured one person near Saltwater State Park. The city's most visible asset is its 838-berth small boat marina that was opened on May 10, 1970. In 1980, a concrete and aluminum fishing pier was built at the north end of the marina.One Hundred Years of the "Waterland" Community: A History of Des Moines, Washington, 1989 Property within the city has been the subject of land buyouts because of noise from aircraft landing or taking off from the

Seattle–Tacoma International Airport Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , branded as SEA Airport and also referred to as Sea–Tac (), is the primary commercial airport serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is in the city of SeaTac, which ...

, which is located north of Des Moines. On November 22, 1982, Des Moines

annexed Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...

the nearby community of Zenith, a farming community founded in 1906 that later became a bedroom community for Boeing workers.

Geography

Des Moines is located at (47.394120, −122.317983). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , all of it land. Most of the city rolls gently down to the waters of

from an elevation of about along the eastern city boundary on Pacific Highway, allowing many homes to enjoy an unobstructed view of the sound and

. The ravines of Des Moines Creek and Massey Creek deeply incise this broad slope.

Surrounding cities

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 29,673 people, 11,664 households, and 7,249 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 12,588 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 63.5% White, 9.1% African American, 1.1% Native American, 10.7% Asian, 2.4% Pacific Islander, 7.8% from other races, and 5.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.2% of the population. There were 11,664 households, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.9% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.10. The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.4% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 29,267 people, 11,337 households, and 7,289 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,616.5 people per square mile (1,782.3/km²). There were 11,777 housing units at an average density of 1,857.7 per square mile (717.2/km²). The

of the city was 74.15% White, 7.20% African American, 0.96% Native American, 8.28% Asian, 1.34% Pacific Islander, 3.32% from other races, and 4.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.61% of the population. There were 11,337 households, out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.02. In the city the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $48,971, and the median income for a family was $57,003. Males had a median income of $40,007 versus $30,553 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,127. About 5.6% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Most of Des Moines is within the

Highline Public Schools Highline Public Schools (HPS) is a public school district in King County, headquartered in Burien, Washington. As of October 2007, it served 17,331 students and had 997 teachers, and served the cities of Burien, much of Des Moines, Normandy Park ...

district; the neighborhoods of Woodmont and Redondo are within the Federal Way School District. Elementary schools within Des Moines include Des Moines Elementary School, Midway Elementary School, North Hill Elementary School, Olympic Hill Elementary School, Parkside Elementary School, and Woodmont Elementary School (Woodmont is a part of the Federal Way School District).Federal Way Public School District
" Retrieved on May 31, 2010.Detailed Street Map
." City of Des Moines. Retrieved on February 28, 2010. Pacific Middle School and

Mount Rainier High School Mount Rainier High School is a secondary school in Des Moines, Washington, United States; named for Mount Rainier which can be seen quite well from the school on a clear day. Mount Rainier serves approximately 1700 students and has been active si ...

are the secondary schools of Des Moines. Des Moines students, pre-K through 8th grade, are also served by St. Philomena Catholic School and Holy Trinity Lutheran School.

Colleges

Highline College is in Des Moines. CWU-Des Moines, a branch of

Central Washington University Central Washington University (CWU) is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington. Founded in 1891, the university consists of four divisions: the President's Division, Business and Financial Affairs, Operations, and Academic and Student Lif ...

, is co-located on the Highline College campus and offers several bachelor and graduate degrees.

Parks and recreation

Saltwater State Park is in Des Moines.

Government

Des Moines has as a council–manager form of government. The Des Moines Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency for the city of Des Moines, Washington. It employs 30 sworn officers. The police chief is Ken Thomas.

Transportation

Des Moines is served by several regional highways:

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Californi ...

to the east, which connects to Seattle and Tacoma; State Route 99, which runs along the east side; State Route 509 through downtown; and State Route 516 to Kent.

King County Metro King County Metro, officially the King County Metro Transit Department and often shortened to Metro, is the public transit authority of King County, Washington, which includes the city of Seattle. It is the eighth-largest transit bus agency in t ...

provides bus service from Des Moines to surrounding areas, including Burien Transit Center and Kent station. A

park-and-ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system (rap ...

lot at the Kent-Des Moines Road interchange has express buses to Seattle and Tacoma operated by Metro and

Sound Transit Express Sound Transit Express (ST Express) is a network of regional express buses, operated by the multi-county transit agency, Sound Transit. The routes connect major regional hubs throughout 53 cities in three counties (King, Pierce, and Snohomish) i ...

. The nearest

Link light rail Link light rail is a light rail rapid transit system serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is managed by Sound Transit in partnership with local transit providers, and consists of two non-connected lines ...

station is Angle Lake, which is connected to downtown Des Moines by a shuttle bus that debuted in 2018. Sound Transit plans to open the Kent Des Moines light rail station near Highline College in 2024 or 2025 as part of a Link light rail extension to Federal Way. The city government launched a

passenger ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...

service in August 2022 to connect Bell Harbor Marina in

Downtown Seattle Downtown is the central business district of Seattle, Washington. It is fairly compact compared with other city centers on the U.S. West Coast due to its geographical situation, being hemmed in on the north and east by hills, on the west by ...

to Des Moines Marina. The two-month pilot was operated by Puget Sound Express using MV '' Chilkat Express'', a 60-passenger

catamaran A Formula 16 beachable catamaran Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-sta ...

City landmarks

The City of Des Moines has designated the following landmark:

Notable residents

* Gregory Carroll, operatic tenor * Darwin Jones, professional soccer player * Peter H. Gregory, information security advisor and writer. * Mary Kay Letourneau, convicted sex offender *

Green River Killer Gary Leon Ridgway (born February 18, 1949), also known as the Green River Killer, is an American serial killer and sex offender. He was initially convicted of 48 separate murders. As part of his plea bargain, another conviction was added, brin ...

, convicted serial killer,

Gary Ridgway Gary Leon Ridgway (born February 18, 1949), also known as the Green River Killer, is an American serial killer and sex offender. He was initially convicted of 48 separate murders. As part of his plea bargain, another conviction was added, brin ...

, lived and murdered here

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in King County, Washington Populated places established in 1889 Populated places on Puget Sound Cities in Washington (state) 1889 establishments in Washington (state)