Ames () is a city in
Story County,
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
, United States, located approximately north of
Des Moines in central Iowa. It is best known as the home of
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the ...
(ISU), with leading agriculture, design,
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
, and
veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...
colleges. A
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United Stat ...
national laboratory,
Ames Laboratory
Ames National Laboratory, formerly Ames Laboratory, is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory located in Ames, Iowa, and affiliated with Iowa State University. It is a top-level national laboratory for research on national sec ...
, is located on the ISU campus.
According to the 2020 census, Ames had a population of 66,427, making it the state's ninth largest city.
Iowa State University was home to 33,391 students as of fall 2019,
which make up approximately one half of the city's population.
Ames also hosts
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...
(USDA) sites: the largest federal animal disease center in the United States, the USDA Agricultural Research Service's National Animal Disease Center (NADC), as well as one of two national USDA sites for the
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) based in Riverdale, Maryland responsible for protecting animal health, animal welfare, and plant health. APHIS is the lead ...
(APHIS), which comprises the
National Veterinary Services Laboratory The National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) provides laboratory services for the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). It operates from Ames, Iowa and Plum Island Animal Disease Center at Plum Is ...
and the Center for Veterinary Biologics. Ames also hosts the headquarters for the
Iowa Department of Transportation
The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) is the government organization in the U.S. state of Iowa responsible for the organization, construction, and maintenance of the primary highway system. Located in Ames, Iowa, DOT is also respons ...
.
History
The city was formed in 1864 as a station stop on the
Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad The Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad was a railroad chartered to run from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Council Bluffs, Iowa on the Missouri River. It was the first railroad to reach Council Bluffs, Iowa, the eastern terminus of the First tran ...
and was named after 19th century
U.S. Congressman Oakes Ames of
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, who was influential in the building of the
transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous railroad trackage, that crosses a continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single ...
. Ames was founded by local resident Cynthia Olive Duff (née Kellogg) and railroad magnate John Insley Blair, near a location that was deemed favorable for a railroad crossing of the
Skunk River
The Skunk River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States.
Geography
The Skunk River rises in two branches, the South Skunk ( long) and the North Skunk ( long).U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography ...
.
Geography
Ames is located along the western edge of
Story County, roughly north of the state capital,
Des Moines, near the intersection of
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...
and
U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...
. A smaller highway,
U.S. Route 69, passes through the town. Also passing through Ames is the cross country line of the
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
and two small streams (the South Skunk River and
Ioway Creek).
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 t ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Campustown
Campustown is the neighborhood directly south of Iowa State University Central Campus bordered by
Lincoln Way
The Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 191 ...
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
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Dfa''). On average, the warmest month is July and the coldest is January. The highest recorded temperature was in 1988 and the lowest was in 1996.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census
of 2010, there were 58,965 people, 22,759 households, and 9,959 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 23,876 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.5%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 3.4%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.2%
Native American, 8.8%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 1.1% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 2.0% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 3.4% of the population.
There were 22,759 households, of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 56.2% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.82.
The median age in the city was 23.8 years. 13.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 40.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.9% were from 25 to 44; 15% were from 45 to 64; and 8.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.0% male and 47.0% female.
2000 census
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 . There were 18,757 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.34% White, 7.70% Asian, 2.65% African American, 0.04% Native American, 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.
Age spread: 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
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.
Metropolitan area
The
U.S. 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 the ...
designates the Ames
MSA as encompassing all of Story County. While Ames is the largest city in Story County, the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
is in the nearby city of
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
, east of Ames.
Ames metropolitan statistical area combined with the
Boone, Iowa
Boone ( ) is a city in Des Moines Township, and county seat of Boone County, Iowa, United States.
It is the principal city of the Boone, Iowa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Boone County. This micropolitan statistical ...
micropolitan statistical area (
Boone County, Iowa
Boone County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,715. Its county seat is Boone.
Boone County comprises the Boone, IA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Des Moines-Ames- ...
) make up the larger Ames-Boone
combined statistical area
Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...
. Ames is the larger principal city of the Combined Statistical Area that includes all of Story County, Iowa and Boone County, Iowa. 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
A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
and
space-grant
The space-grant colleges are educational institutions in the United States that comprise a network of fifty-two consortia formed for the purpose of outer space-related research. Each consortium is based in one of the fifty states, the District o ...
research university. 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
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...
's National Animal Disease Center (See
Ames strain
The Ames strain is one of 89 known strains of the anthrax bacterium (''Bacillus anthracis''). It was isolated from a diseased 14-month-old Beefmaster heifer that died in Sarita, Texas in 1981. The strain was isolated at the Texas Veterinary Med ...
), the
U.S. Department of Energy's
Ames Laboratory
Ames National Laboratory, formerly Ames Laboratory, is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory located in Ames, Iowa, and affiliated with Iowa State University. It is a top-level national laboratory for research on national sec ...
(a major materials research and development facility), and the main offices of the
Iowa Department of Transportation
The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) is the government organization in the U.S. state of Iowa responsible for the organization, construction, and maintenance of the primary highway system. Located in Ames, Iowa, DOT is also respons ...
. State and Federal institutions are the largest employers in Ames.
Other area employers include a
3M manufacturing plant; Danfoss Power Solutions, a hydraulics manufacturer;
Barilla
''Barilla'' refers to several species of salt-tolerant (halophyte) plants that, until the 19th century, were the primary source of soda ash and hence of sodium carbonate. The word "barilla" was also used directly to refer to the soda ash obtained ...
, a pasta manufacturer;
Ball, a manufacturer of canning jars and plastic bottles;
Workiva
Workiva, Inc. is a global software-as-a-service (SaaS) company. It provides a cloud-based connected and reporting compliance platform that enables the use of connected data and automation of reporting across finance, accounting, risk, and compli ...
, a global cloud computing company;
Renewable Energy Group
Renewable Energy Group is a biodiesel production company headquartered in Ames, Iowa. The company operates 12 biorefineries and a feedstock processing facility. , the company is a Fortune 1000 corporation.
History
Renewable Energy Group began i ...
, America's largest producer of biomass-based diesel; and the
National Farmers Organization.
The
Iowa State University Research Park
Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...
is a not-for-profit, business development incubator located in Ames, and affiliated with Iowa State University.
In 2015, Ames was ranked in the top 15 "Cities That Have Done the Best Since the Recession" by
Bloomberg Businessweek
''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...
.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked Ames and Boulder, CO as having the lowest unemployment rate (2.5%) of any metropolitan area in the US in 2016. By June 2018, unemployment in Ames had fallen even further, to 1.5%, and wage increases for workers were not keeping pace with rising rents.
Top employers
According t
Ames's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report the top employers in the city are:
Arts and culture
*Ames History Museum - founded in 1980, the museum also operates a historic schoolhouse.
*Brunnier Art Museum (Scheman Building)
*Ames Public Library - located in a
Carnegie library,
it was founded in 1904.
it 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, and hold an annual National Juried Exhibition Clay, Fiber, Paper Glass Metal, Wood.
In the media
*The character of
Kate Austen
Katherine Anne Austen is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Lost'', played by Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly.
Character biography Prior to the crash
Born in 1977 and raised in Iowa, Kate is the daughter of diner worker Dia ...
in the television series ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
*Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
* Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
'' (2004–2010) is from Ames.
*Ames is prominently featured in
Jeffrey Zaslow
Jeffrey Lloyd Zaslow (October 6, 1958 – February 10, 2012) was an American author and journalist and a columnist for ''The Wall Street Journal''.
Zaslow was widely known as a coauthor of books, and was also the sole author of numerous books ...
's 2009 book ''
The Girls from Ames
"The Girls from Ames" is a group of women from Ames, Iowa who were the subject of Jeffrey Zaslow's 2009 nonfiction bestseller about lifelong friendships.
In the book, Zaslow chronicled eleven childhood friends who formed a special bond growing u ...
''.
*Ames is featured in the 2012 ''
Supernatural'' episode "Heartache".
*Ames is mentioned in the music video for
Bo Burnham's 2013 song "
Repeat Stuff", which shows satirical
subliminal message
Subliminal stimuli (; the prefix ' literally means "below" or "less than") are any sensory stimuli below an individual's threshold for conscious perception, in contrast to stimuli (above threshold). A 2012 review of functional magnetic resonanc ...
s quickly flashing up on the screen, one of which states that "
Michael Clarke Duncan
Michael Clarke Duncan (December 10, 1957September 3, 2012) was an American actor. He was best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in '' The Green Mile'' (1999), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor a ...
is alive and living in Ames, Iowa".
Sports
;Iowa Sports Foundation
The
Iowa State Cyclones
The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in Ames. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams (6 men's an ...
play a variety of sports in the Ames area. The
Iowa State Cyclones football
The Iowa State Cyclones football program is the intercollegiate football team at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The team is coached by Matt Campbell. The Cyclones compete in the Big 12 Conference, and are a Division I Football Bowl Subd ...
team plays at
Jack Trice Stadium
Jack Trice Stadium (originally Cyclone Stadium and formerly Jack Trice Field, sometimes referred to as "the Jack") is a stadium located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Primarily used for college football, it is the home field of the Iowa State Cyc ...
in Ames. Also, the Cyclones' Men's and Women's Basketball teams and Volleyball teams play at
Hilton Coliseum
James H. Hilton Coliseum, commonly Hilton Coliseum, is a 14,267-seat multi-purpose arena located in Ames, Iowa. The arena opened in 1971. It is home to the Iowa State University Cyclones men's and women's basketball teams, wrestling, gymnastics ...
just across the street from Jack Trice Stadium. The Iowa State Cyclones are a charter member of the
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
in all sports and compete in
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division I-A. The Iowa State Women's Tennis is also well known and very successful.
The Ames Figure Skating Club provides recreational to professional level skating opportunities. The club sponsors the Learn to Skate Program. Coaches provide on and off ice lessons or workshops. The club hosts the figure skating portion of the Iowa Games competition every summer. In the fall the club hosts Cyclone Country Championships.
The Ames ISU ice arena also hosts the Iowa State Cyclones hockey team. The arena also hosts the Ames Little Cyclones hockey program for high school students and children in elementary or middle school.
Education
Much of the city is served by the
Ames Community School District.
A portion of northern Ames is zoned to the
Gilbert Community School District
Gilbert Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in Gilbert, Iowa.
The district is mostly in Story County but has a portion in Boone County. The district serves Gilbert and sections of northern Ames.
The dis ...
.
;Public high school in Ames:
Ames High School
Ames High School is the sole public high school in Ames, Iowa, United States. It is in the Ames Community School District.
Academics
This school is the only public high school in the city of Ames. In August 2019, Ames High School was named ...
: Grades 9–12
;Public elementary/middle schools in Ames:
*David Edwards Elementary: K-5
*Abbie Sawyer Elementary School: Grades K-5
*Kate Mitchell Elementary School: Grades K-5
*Warren H. Meeker Elementary School: Grades K-5
*Gertrude Fellows Elementary School: Grades K-5
*Ames Middle School: Grades 6–8
Gilbert CSD students are zoned to
Gilbert High School.
;Private schools in Ames:
*Ames Christian School
*Saint Cecilia School (preK – 5th grade)
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...
, more commonly known as Iowa State University (ISU), is a public
land-grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
and
space-grant
The space-grant colleges are educational institutions in the United States that comprise a network of fifty-two consortia formed for the purpose of outer space-related research. Each consortium is based in one of the fifty states, the District o ...
research university located in Ames. Iowa State University is the birthplace of the
Atanasoff–Berry Computer, the world's first electronic digital computer. Iowa State has produced a number of astronauts, scientists,
Nobel laureates, and
Pulitzer Prize winners. 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
The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of American research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. Founded in 1900, it consists of 63 universities in the United States ( ...
and the
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
.
ISU is the nation's first designated
land-grant university[Iowa State University Time Line, 1858–1874](_blank)
Website. In 1856, the
Iowa General Assembly
The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of ...
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
Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...
,
Kossuth,
Marshall
Marshall may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria
Canada
* Marshall, Saskatchewan
* The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia
Liberia
* Marshall, Liberia
Marshall Islands
* Marshall Islands, an i ...
,
Polk
Polk may refer to:
People
* James K. Polk, 11th president of the United States
* Polk (name), other people with the name
Places
* Polk (CTA), a train station in Chicago, Illinois
* Polk, Illinois, an unincorporated community
* Polk, Missou ...
, and
Story
Story or stories may refer to:
Common uses
* Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events)
** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting
* Story (American English), or storey (British ...
counties. When Iowa accepted the provisions of the
Morrill Act of 1862
The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges in U.S. states using the proceeds from sales of federally-owned land, often obtained from indigenous tribes through treaty, cession, or ...
, Iowa State became the first institution in nation designated as a
land-grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
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
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
. Today, Iowa State has over 60 notable buildings, including
Beardshear Hall
Beardshear Hall is an administration building at Iowa State University located on Morrill Road. The building was designed by Proudfoot & Bird Architects and constructed in 1906. Today, Beardshear Hall holds the following offices:
*President
...
,
Morrill Hall Morrill Hall may refer to (all are buildings named for Justin Smith Morrill):
*Morrill Hall (Cornell University), the building at Cornell University
*Morrill Hall, a campus building located at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
*Morri ...
,
Memorial Union,
Catt Hall
Carrie Chapman Catt Hall is an administrative building completed in 1892, at Iowa State University which currently houses the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, and the Carrie Chapman Center ...
, Curtiss Hall,
Carver Hall, Parks Library, the
Campanile,
Hilton Coliseum
James H. Hilton Coliseum, commonly Hilton Coliseum, is a 14,267-seat multi-purpose arena located in Ames, Iowa. The arena opened in 1971. It is home to the Iowa State University Cyclones men's and women's basketball teams, wrestling, gymnastics ...
, C.Y. Stephens Auditorium,
Fisher Theater,
Jack Trice Stadium
Jack Trice Stadium (originally Cyclone Stadium and formerly Jack Trice Field, sometimes referred to as "the Jack") is a stadium located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Primarily used for college football, it is the home field of the Iowa State Cyc ...
, Lied Recreation Center, numerous residence halls, and many buildings specific to ISU's many different majors and colleges.
The official mascot for ISU is
Cy the Cardinal
Cy the Cardinal is the mascot of Iowa State University's sports teams.
Because a cyclone was difficult to depict in costume, a cardinal was selected from the cardinal and gold of the official school colors. A cardinal-like bird was introduced ...
. The official school colors are
cardinal and gold. The
Iowa State Cyclones
The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in Ames. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams (6 men's an ...
play in the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
's Division I-A as a member of the
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
.
Media
;Online and newsprint
*
Ames Tribune
''The Ames Tribune'' is a newspaper published Tuesday through Sunday based in Ames, Iowa. The newspaper is owned by Gannett.
In 1986, the ''Tribune'' was bought by Michael Gartner and Gary Gerlach, two former executives at ''The Des Moines Regis ...
, Tuesday-Sunday paper produced in Ames.
*
Iowa State Daily
The ''Iowa State Daily'' is an independent student newspaper serving Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, that is published in print and online. It was founded in 1890, and is largely funded by advertising revenues. The Iowa State University ...
, independent student newspaper produced at Iowa State University.
*
The Des Moines Register
''The Des Moines Register'' is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa.
History Early period
The first newspaper in Des Moines was the ''Iowa Star''. In July 1849, Barlow Granger began the paper in an abandoned log cabin by the junction ...
also provides extensive coverage of Iowa news and sports to Ames.
*Story County Sun, weekly newspaper that covers the entire county published in Ames.
;Radio stations licensed to Ames
*
KURE
is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan ...
, student radio operated at Iowa State University.
*
WOI-FM
WOI-FM (90.1 FM) is a radio station licensed to Ames, Iowa, serving the greater Ames/Des Moines area. The station is owned by Iowa State University. WOI-FM is an affiliate of Iowa Public Radio, and carries IPR's "News and Studio One" service—a ...
,
Iowa Public Radio's flagship "Studio One" station, broadcasting an
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
news format during the day and a music format in the evening, owned and operated at Iowa State University.
*
WOI (AM)
WOI (640 AM) – branded ''Iowa Public Radio'' – is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to serve Ames, Iowa. Owned by Iowa State University, the station covers the Des Moines metropolitan area. Broadcasting a mix of public rad ...
, Iowa Public Radio's flagship station delivering a 24-hour news format consisting mainly of NPR programming, owned and operated at Iowa State University.
*
KOEZ,
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
station licensed to Ames, but operated in Des Moines.
*
KCYZ
KCYZ (105.1 FM branded as "Now 105.1") is a commercial radio station located in Ames, Iowa, broadcasting to the Des Moines, Iowa area. KCYZ airs a hot adult contemporary music format branded as "Now 105.1". KCYZ is owned by iHeartMedia and li ...
,
Hot Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...
station owned and operated by Clear Channel in Ames.
*
KASI
KASI (1430 AM, "News Talk 1430") is a radio station licensed to serve Ames, Iowa. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and licensed to iHM Licenses, LLC. It airs a News/Talk radio format.
The station was assigned the KASI call letters b ...
, news/talk station owned and operated by Clear Channel in Ames.
*
KNWM-FM,
Contemporary Christian
Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
/Ames station owned and operated by the University of Northwestern – St. Paul - simulcast with
KNWI-FM Osceola
Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Asi-yahola in Muscogee language, Creek), named Billy Powell at birth in Alabama, became an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfather was a S ...
/
Des Moines
*
KHOI
Khoekhoen (singular Khoekhoe) (or Khoikhoi in the former orthography; formerly also '' Hottentots''"Hottentot, n. and adj." ''OED Online'', Oxford University Press, March 2018, www.oed.com/view/Entry/88829. Accessed 13 May 2018. Citing G. S. ...
,
Community Radio
Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popula ...
station licensed to
Story City with studios in Ames. KHOI broadcasts music and local public affairs programs and is affiliated with the
Pacifica Radio network.
Ames is also served by stations in the Des Moines media market, which includes
Clear Channel's 50,000-watt talk station
WHO
Who or WHO may refer to:
* Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun
* Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism
* World Health Organization
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book '' Horton He ...
, music stations
KAZR
KAZR (103.3 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Pella, Iowa, and serving the Des Moines metropolitan area. It is owned by the Des Moines Radio Group subsidiary of Saga Communications, with studios located on Locust Street in Des ...
,
KDRB
KDRB (100.3 MHz "100.3 The Bus") is a commercial FM radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. It airs an adult hits radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia. Its slogan is "We Play Everything." KDRB is the flagship station for Iowa State University ...
,
KGGO
KGGO (94.9 FM) is a commercial radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a classic rock radio format. The station's studios and offices are in Urbandale, Iowa, with Cumulus Media's other Des Moines stations: KJJY, ...
,
KKDM
KKDM (107.5 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. The station airs a Top 40 (CHR) radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. KKDM uses the KISS-FM branding used by many iHeart CHR/Top 40 stations. It carries the ...
,
KHKI
KHKI (97.3 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a country music radio format known as "97.3 Nash FM." On weekdays, local DJs are heard during the day, while in the evening ...
,
KIOA
KIOA (93.3 FM) is a commercial radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. It is owned by the Des Moines Radio Group subsidiary of Saga Communications and airs a Classic Hits radio format. The station's studios are located at 1416 Locust Street along w ...
,
KJJY
KJJY (92.5 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to West Des Moines and serving Central Iowa. Cumulus Media owns two country music outlets in the Des Moines radio market, KJJY and 97.3 KHKI. KHKI plays mostly current and recent count ...
,
KRNT
KRNT (1350 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a sports format. Serving the Des Moines, Iowa, United States, area, the station is owned by the Des Moines Radio Group subsidiary of Saga Communications through licensee Saga Communications of Iowa ...
,
KSPZ
KSPZ (980 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a sports talk format. Licensed to Ammon, Idaho, United States, the station serves the Idaho Falls/Ammon area. The station is currently owned by Sandhill Media Group, LLC and features programming f ...
and
KSTZ
KSTZ (102.5 FM, "Star 102.5") is a commercial FM radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. The station airs a hot adult contemporary radio format. KSTZ is part of Saga Communications' Des Moines Radio Group, with studios located on Locust Street in Des ...
, talk station
KWQW
KWQW (98.3 FM, "The Vibe") is a contemporary hit radio radio station licensed to Boone, Iowa and serving the Des Moines area. The station is currently owned by Cumulus Media. KWQW's studios are in Urbandale, along with Cumulus' other stations: ...
, and sports stations
KXNO and
KXNO-FM
KXNO-FM (106.3 MHz, "106.3 / 1460 KXnO") is a commercial radio station licensed to Ankeny, Iowa, and serving the Des Moines radio market. It airs a sports radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia. The station's studios are located on Grand Av ...
.
;Television
Like radio, Ames is served by the Des Moines media market.
WOI-DT
WOI-DT (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Ames, Iowa, United States, serving the Des Moines area as an affiliate of ABC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside CW affiliate KCWI-TV (channel 23), also licensed to Ames. Both statio ...
, the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
affiliate in central Iowa, was originally owned and operated by Iowa State University until the 1990s. The station is still licensed to Ames, but studio's are located in
West Des Moines
West Des Moines is a city in Polk, Dallas, Warren, and Madison counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. A majority of the city is located in Polk County, a minority of the city is located in Dallas County, and small portions extend into Warren and Ma ...
. Other stations serving Ames include
KCCI
KCCI (channel 8) is a television station in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, affiliated with CBS. Owned by Hearst Television, the station maintains studios on Ninth Street in downtown Des Moines and a transmitter in Alleman.
History
KCCI start ...
,
KDIN-TV,
WHO-DT
WHO-DT (channel 13) is a television station in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located on Grand Avenue in downtown Des Moines, and its transmitter is located in A ...
,
KCWI-TV
KCWI-TV (channel 23) is a television station licensed to Ames, Iowa, United States, serving as the CW affiliate for the Des Moines area. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside ABC affiliate WOI-DT (channel 5), also licensed to Ames. Both stations ...
,
KDMI,
KDSM-TV
KDSM-TV (channel 17) is a television station in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. The station is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, and has studios on Fleur Drive in Des Moines; its transmitter is located in Alle ...
and
KFPX-TV
KFPX-TV (channel 39) is a television station licensed to Newton, Iowa, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to the Des Moines area. Owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, the station mainta ...
.
Channel 12 is owned by the City of Ames and overseen by the City Manager's Office. The channel broadcasts meetings for city council as well as other city government councils and boards. Channel 12 also produces its own original content focused on news and other happenings in Ames. Channel 12 has won various regional and national awards including a NATOA Government Programming Award and a Telly Award. Channel 12's goals are "To provide quality programming to the citizens of Ames that educates and informs about city government issues" and "To provide live coverage and rebroadcasts of council and commission meetings."
Channel 16 serves as Ames' public access TV channel. "The purpose of Ames Public Access TV (Channel 16) is to provide residents the opportunity to broadcast locally produced programs on cable television. APATV provides cablecasting of non-commercial, public access programming independently produced by professionals or non-professionals in either a VHS or DVD format. This service is provided on a first-come-first-served, non-discriminatory, non monopolistic basis. Other services include video messaging to serve as a community calendar."
Infrastructure
Transportation
The town is served by
U.S. Highways 30 and
69 and
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...
. 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 currently has three roundabouts constructed on University Avenue/530th Avenue. The first is at the intersection of Airport Road (Oakwood Rd.) and University Avenue, the second at the intersection of Cottonwood Road and 530th Avenue and the third at Collaboration Place and 530th Avenue.
Ames was serviced by the Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Southern Railroad via a branch from
Kelley
Kelley may refer to:
* Kelley (name), a given name and surname
Places
;United States
* Kelley, Iowa
* Kelley Hill in Fort Benning, Georgia
* Kelley Park, in San Jose, California
* Kelley Square, in Worcester, Massachusetts
* Kelley Township, ...
to
Iowa State and to downtown Ames. The tracks were removed in the 1960s. The
Chicago and North Western Transportation Company
The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befo ...
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 the nearby city of
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
was purchased from the
Rock Island Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.
At the end ...
after its bankruptcy. The
Union Pacific
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...
, 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 Municipal Airport is located southeast of the city. The current (and only)
fixed-base operator
A fixed-base operator (FBO) is an organization granted the right by an airport to operate at the airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction, ...
is Central Iowa Air Service. The airport has two runways – 01/19, which is , and 13/31, which is .
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 free for children under five, while students pay a set cost as part of their tuition. In addition to local transit, Ames is served by intercity buses from
Jefferson Lines
Jefferson Lines (JL or JLI) is a regional intercity bus company operating in the United States. Their current operations expands over 14 states throughout the Midwest.
Background
The company is operated by Jefferson Partners L.P., located in Mi ...
, which stop at the
Ames Intermodal Facility.
In 2009, the Ames metropolitan statistical area (MSA) ranked as the third highest in the United States for percentage of commuters who walked to work (10.4 percent).
Ames has the headquarters of the
Iowa Department of Transportation
The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) is the government organization in the U.S. state of Iowa responsible for the organization, construction, and maintenance of the primary highway system. Located in Ames, Iowa, DOT is also respons ...
.
Health care
Ames is served by
Mary Greeley Medical Center
Mary Greeley Medical Center is a 220-bed regional medical center in Ames, Iowa. The medical center services residents of a 14-county region in central Iowa, including a six-county primary market of Story County, Iowa, Story, Boone County, Iowa, Bo ...
, 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.
Parks and recreation
On September 10, 2019 the City of Ames proposed a $29,000,000 bond for building a fitness center called the Healthy Life Center. It failed to pass. Iowa State University owns the land it was to be built on.
Notable people
This is a list of notable people associated with Ames, Iowa arranged by career and in alphabetical order.
Acting
*
Evan Helmuth, actor (''
Fever Pitch
''Fever Pitch: A Fan's Life'' is a 1992 autobiographical essay by British author Nick Hornby. The book is the basis for two films: '' Fever Pitch'' (1997, UK) and '' Fever Pitch'' (2005, U.S.). The first edition was subtitled "A Fan's Life", bu ...
'', ''
The Devil Inside'')
*
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King Nolte (born February 8, 1941) is an American actor. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1991 film ''The Prince of Tides''. He received ...
, actor, lived in Ames, 1945-1950
Artists and photographers
*
John E. Buck
John Buck (born 1946) is an American sculptor and printmaker who was born in Ames, Iowa.
Background and education
He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kansas City Art Institute in 1968, and in 1971, he studied at Skowhegan School o ...
, sculptor
*
Robert Crumb
Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...
, cartoonist and musician, the Crumb family moved to Ames in August 1950, for two years.
*
Margaret Lloyd, opera singer
*
Laurel Nakadate, American video artist, filmmaker and photographer
*
Velma Wallace Rayness (1896–1977), "V.W. Rayness," author, painter and artist
*
Brian Smith, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, born July 16, 1959
Aviation
*
Mary Anita (née Snook) Southern, pioneer aviator, taught
Amelia Earhart to fly.
Musicians
*
John Darnielle
John Darnielle (; born March 16, 1967) is an American musician and novelist best known as the primary, and originally sole, member of the American band the Mountain Goats, for which he is the writer, composer, guitarist, pianist, and vocalist. ...
, musician from indie rock band
The Mountain Goats; former Ames resident
*
Envy Corps
The Envy Corps is an American alternative rock band originally from Ames, Iowa. Members include Brandon Darner (guitar), Micah Natera (keyboards, guitar), Luke Pettipoole (vocals, bass, piano), and Scott Yoshimura (drums). Discovered on Myspace ...
, indie rock band
*
Leslie Hall
Leslie Merritt Hall (born November 15, 1981) is an American satirical rap artist and front-woman for the band Leslie and the LY's. She also operates a "gem sweater museum". She is best known for the YouTube hits like "How We Go Out" and "Tight P ...
, electronic rap musician/Gem Sweater collector, born in Ames in 1981
*
Peter Schickele
"Professor" Peter Schickele (; born July 17, 1935) is an American composer, musical educator, and parodist, best known for comedy albums featuring his music, but which he presents as being composed by the fictional P. D. Q. Bach. He also hosted ...
, musician, born in Ames in 1935
*
Richie Hayward
Richard "Richie" Hayward (February 6, 1946 – August 12, 2010) was an American drummer best known as a founding member and drummer in the band Little Feat. He performed with several bands and worked as a session player. Hayward also joined ...
, drummer and founding member of the band
Little Feat; former Ames resident and graduate of Ames High School
Journalists
*
Robert Bartley, editorial page editor of ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' and a
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...
recipient; raised in Ames and ISU graduate
*
Wally Bruner
Wallace Bruner Jr. (March 4, 1931 – November 3, 1997) was an American journalist and television host. He covered Congress and the Lyndon Johnson administration for ABC News in the 1960s. He was the first host of the 1968–1975 syndicat ...
,
ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
journalist and television host
*
Michael Gartner
Michael Gartner (born October 25, 1938, in Des Moines, Iowa) is an American journalist, attorney and businessman. He was president of the Iowa Board of Regents.
Biography
A graduate of Carleton College and the New York University School of Law, ...
, former president of
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...
; retired to own and publish the ''
Ames Tribune
''The Ames Tribune'' is a newspaper published Tuesday through Sunday based in Ames, Iowa. The newspaper is owned by Gannett.
In 1986, the ''Tribune'' was bought by Michael Gartner and Gary Gerlach, two former executives at ''The Des Moines Regis ...
''
Politicians
*
Ruth Bascom
Ruth Ellen Bascom (; February 4, 1926 – August 26, 2010) was an American politician who served as the first female mayor of Eugene, Oregon, from 1993 until 1996.
Early life
Bascom was born Ruth Ellen Fenton in Ames, Iowa, the daughter of tw ...
, Mayor of
Eugene, Oregon
*
Edward Mezvinsky
Edward Maurice Mezvinsky (; born January 17, 1937) is an American politician and lawyer from Iowa. He is a former U.S. Representative and felon. A Democrat, he represented Iowa's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives fo ...
, former U.S. Congressman; father-in-law of
Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Victoria Clinton (born February 27, 1980) is an American writer and global health advocate. She is the only child of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinto ...
; raised in Ames
*
Bee Nguyen,
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee and North Carolina; to the northeast by South Carolina; to the southeast by the Atlantic Ocean; to the south by Florida; and to the west by ...
state representative
*
Bob Walkup
Robert E. Walkup (November 14, 1936 – March 12, 2021) was an American politician who served as the 40th mayor of Tucson from 1999 to 2011.
Early life and career
Walkup was born in Ames, Iowa, on November 14, 1936. His father was a professo ...
, Mayor of
Tucson, Arizona
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
*
Lee Teng-hui,
President of the Republic of China, ISU graduate
*
Henry A. Wallace, 11th
United States Secretary of Agriculture
The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments.
The department includes several organi ...
, 10th
United States Secretary of Commerce
The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...
, and 33rd
Vice President of the United States
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...
, ISU graduate; lived in Ames from 1892 - 1896
Sports
*
Harrison Barnes
Harrison Bryce Jordan Barnes (born May 30, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels before being sele ...
,
NBA player, 2015 NBA champion, 2016 U.S. Olympic gold medalist, Ames HS graduate
*
Joe Burrow
Joseph Lee Burrow (born December 10, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint with Ohio State, Burrow played college football at LSU, where he won the Heisma ...
,
NFL player, 2019
Heisman Trophy Award Winner,
2020 CFP National Championship Winner. Born in Ames, but grew up in
The Plains, Ohio
The Plains is a census-designated place (CDP) in Athens County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,080 at the 2010 census.
History
"The Plains" originally referred to the local region where the Mound Builders lived and built their signatu ...
*
Juan Sebastián Botero, soccer player
*
Doug McDermott
Douglas Richard McDermott (born January 3, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). While playing college basketball for Creighton University, he led the nation i ...
, basketball player, Ames HS graduate
*
Kip Corrington,
NFL player
*
Dick Gibbs,
NBA player, Ames HS graduate
*
Terry Hoage
Terrell Lee "Terry" Hoage (born April 11, 1962) is a former American college and professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. Hoage played college football f ...
,
NFL player
*
Fred Hoiberg
Fredrick Kristian Hoiberg (born October 15, 1972) is an American college basketball coach and former player. He has served as the men's head basketball coach at the University of Nebraska since 2019. Hoiberg grew up in Ames, Iowa, and played coll ...
, retired
NBA basketball player; raised in Ames, ISU graduate, former ISU basketball coach, former coach of the Chicago Bulls and current
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
men’s basketball coach.
*
Cael Sanderson
Cael Norman Sanderson ( ; born June 20, 1979) is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler who is the current head coach of Penn State University's wrestling team. As a wrestler, he won an Olympic Gold medal and was undefeated in four ...
, U.S. Olympic gold medalist; undefeated, four-time
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
wrestling champion; former ISU wrestling coach and alumnus
*
Herb Sies
Dale Hubert Sies (January 2, 1893 – October 17, 1954) was an American football player and coach. He was born on January 2, 1893, in Ames, Iowa and attended Davenport High School. He enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, , pro football player and coach
*
Billy Sunday
William Ashley "Billy" Sunday (November 19, 1862 – November 6, 1935) was an American outfielder in baseball's National League and widely considered the most influential American evangelist during the first two decades of the 20th century.
Bo ...
, evangelist and
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
player; born in Ames in 1863
*
Fred Tisue, Olympian
water polo
Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...
player
Scientists
*
George Washington Carver, inventor, Iowa State University alumnus and professor
*
Laurel Blair Salton Clark,
astronaut, died on
STS-107
STS-107 was the 113th flight of the Space Shuttle program, and the 28th and final flight of Space Shuttle ''Columbia''. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16, 2003, and during its 15 days, 22 hours, 20 minutes ...
*
Charles W. "Chuck" Durham, civil engineer, philanthropist, civic leader, former CEO and chairman Emeritus of
HDR, Inc.; raised in Ames
*
Lyle Goodhue
Lyle D. Goodhue (September 30, 1903 – September 18, 1981) was an internationally known inventor, research chemist and entomologist, with 105 U. S. and 25 foreign patents. He invented the “ aerosol bomb” (also known as the “bug bomb”), ...
, scientist, lived and studied here 1925–1934
*
Dan Shechtman
Dan Shechtman ( he, דן שכטמן; born January 24, 1941)[Dan Shechtman](_blank)
. (PDF). Retri ...
, awarded 2011
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...
for "the discovery of quasicrystals"; Professor of Materials Science at Iowa State University (2004–present) and Associate at the Department of Energy's
Ames Laboratory
Ames National Laboratory, formerly Ames Laboratory, is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory located in Ames, Iowa, and affiliated with Iowa State University. It is a top-level national laboratory for research on national sec ...
*
George W. Snedecor
George Waddel Snedecor (October 20, 1881 – February 15, 1974) was an American mathematician and statistician. He contributed to the foundations of analysis of variance, data analysis, experimental design, and statistical methodology. Snedecor ...
, statistician, founder of first academic department of statistics in the United States at Iowa State University
Writers and poets
*
Ann Cotten
Ann Cotten (born 1982 in Ames, Iowa) is an American-born Austrian writer.
Life and work
At the age of five, Cotten moved to Vienna with her parents, who are both biochemists who worked in Vienna.
She finished university there in 2006 with a work ...
, poet, born in Ames, grew up in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
*
Brian Evenson
Brian Evenson (born August 12, 1966) is an American academic and writer of both literary fiction and popular fiction, some of the latter being published under B. K. Evenson. His fiction is often described as literary minimalism, but also draws ...
, author
*
Jane Espenson
Jane Espenson (born July 14, 1964) is an American television writer and producer.
Espenson has worked on both situation comedies and serial dramas. She had a five-year stint as a writer and producer on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and shared a ...
, writer and producer for television, including ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''
Star Trek: The Next Generation'', grew up in Ames
*
Michelle Hoover
Michelle Hoover is an American writer and college instructor. She is the author of ''The Quickening'', a 2010 novel.
Biography
She was born in Ames, Iowa, but currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She was selected as the Philip Roth Writer ...
, author, born in Ames
*
Meg Johnson, poet and dancer
*
Fern Kupfer
Fern Lee Kupfer is an American author and retired professor of creative writing at Iowa State University. She has written several novels and as well as memoirs reflecting on her life experiences, the discovery that she is a carrier of the BRCA mut ...
, author
*
Joseph Geha
Joseph Geha (born 1944, Zahle, Lebanon), professor-emeritus at Iowa State University, is the author of two books, ''Through and Through: Toledo Stories,'' one of the first books of modern Arab-American fiction, and ''Lebanese Blonde,'' a novel. H ...
, author
*
Ted Kooser
Theodore J. Kooser (born 25 April 1939) is an American poet. He won the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 2005. He served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004 to 2006. Kooser was one of the first poets laureate selec ...
, U.S.
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...
; raised in Ames and ISU graduate
*
John Madson
John Madson (1923 in Ames, Iowa – April 19, 1995 in Alton, Illinois) was a naturalist, conservationist, journalist, and freelancer who worked in the field of outdoor writing. Over time his work concentrated on the celebration of the vanish ...
, freelance naturalist of
tallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Historically, natural and anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals (primarily bison) provided periodic disturbances to these ecosystems, limiting the encroachm ...
ecosystems
*
Sara Paretsky
Sara Paretsky (born June 8, 1947) is an American author of detective fiction, best known for her novels focused on the protagonist V. I. Warshawski.
Life and career
Paretsky was born in Ames, Iowa. Her father was a microbiologist and moved the ...
, author of the ''
V.I. Warshawski
Victoria Iphigenia "Vic" "V. I." Warshawski is a fictional character, fictional private investigator from Chicago who is the protagonist featured in a series of Detective fiction, detective novels and short story, short stories written by Chicag ...
'' mysteries; born in Ames in 1947
*
Jane Smiley
Jane Smiley (born September 26, 1949) is an American novelist. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992 for her novel ''A Thousand Acres'' (1991).
Biography
Born in Los Angeles, California, Smiley grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri, a s ...
,
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist; former instructor at ISU (1981–1996); used ISU as the basis for her novel ''Moo (novel), Moo''
* Neal Stephenson, author, grew up in Ames
* Hugh D. Young, Hugh Young, coauthor of ''University Physics'' textbook
* Lincoln Peirce, cartoonist/writer of the Big Nate comics and books
Other
* 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
* Nate Staniforth, magician
Politics
Iowa is a political "battleground state" that has trended slightly Republican in recent years, and Ames, like Iowa City, trends Democratic. 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.
From 1979 through 2011, Ames was the location of the Ames Straw Poll, which was held every August prior to a presidential election year in which the Republican presidential nomination was undecided (meaning there was no Republican president running for re-election—as in 2011, 2007, 1999, 1995, 1987, and 1979). The poll would gauge support for the various Republican candidates amongst attendees of a fundraising dinner benefiting the Republican Party of Iowa, Iowa Republican Party. The straw poll was frequently seen by national media and party insiders as a first test of organizational strength in Iowa. In 2015, the straw poll was to be moved to nearby Boone before the Iowa Republican Party eventually decided to cancel it altogether.
See also
* Ames process
* North Grand Mall
* Reiman Gardens
References
External links
Official Ames City WebsiteAmes Campustown official siteThe Main Street Cultural DistrictDetailed Statistical Data and more about Ames
{{authority control
Ames, Iowa,
Cities in Iowa
Cities in Story County, Iowa
Populated places established in 1864
1864 establishments in Iowa