Profile for Ames, Iowa, IA

Ames is on the Squaw and Skunk rivers.

The college suffered a severe fire in 1900. When trustees announced that dormitories would not be rebuilt, townspeople built large rooming houses.

Public transportation: CyRide (See the transit and travel sections below.)

Crime: The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 279. The number of murders and homicides was 0. The violent crime rate was 5.5 per 1,000 people.

Ranked No. 20 on 50 Best Places to Live list by Men's Journal magazine, 2002

Ranked No. 16 on the Best Places to Live and Work in America list, compiled by BestJobsUsa.com, 2002

Filming location for:
· 1996 movie, "Twister"

Well-known residents have included:
· Billy Sunday, evangelist
· Sara Paretsky, author

Coffee: National and regional coffee companies with outlets here include Panera Bread, Starbucks

Local festivals include:

• Partners Fall Festival - Oct. 7, 2007
• Octagon Art Festival - Sept. 23, 2007

Performing arts: Central Iowa Symphony

Nearby parks & recreation: Ledges State Park, Big Creek State Park, Reiman Gardens, Story County Conservation Center

Ames attractions: Iowa Arboretum

Historic sites and museums: Brunnier Art Museum, Carrie Chapman Catt Center, Farm House Museum

Colleges and universities: Iowa State University

Support for libraries: Local government funding for the local library system, in fiscal years 2001-2002, was above the national average. (See library links below.)

Gays & lesbians
National index: 100
Local index: 74

Listed places near Ames

Cemeteries (10)

Colleges (1)

Communities (2)

Hotels (10)

Libraries (1)

Museums (2)

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• Ames population
• Ancestry of people in Ames
• Housing in Ames
• Income in Ames
• Marital status of adults in Ames
• Place of birth of people in Ames
• Residence in 1995, of people in Ames
• School enrollment & education levels in Ames
• Transportation & commute times in Ames
• Story County data
• Fastest-growing counties in Iowa
• State data - Iowa
• Data by street address
• Historical census records (Ancestry.com)

Sections below provide additional information and links about Ames demographics, travel and tourism, nearby airports, cemeteries, the Story County economy, education, environment, genealogy, government, historic sites, Ames area jobs, libraries, maps, museums, newspapers and other media, nonprofit groups, real estate, recreation, religion, transportation, and weather in the 50014 ZIP code.

(Also see local map below.)

• Ames city government
• Ames Chamber of Commerce
• Ames tourism

30% of Ames residents report German ancestry, and 10% report Irish. For more info on local ancestry groups, see the Ames ancestry & family history guide.

• Cemeteries in or near Ames
• Cemeteries in Story County
• Libraries in or near Ames

Post a query on a message board:

• Story County Ancestry forum
• GenForum

Records & databases:

• Ancestry.com - IA data
• Birth, marriage & death records
• Cemetery records
• County history catalog
• Census records (historic)
• Court, land & probate records
• Death index
• Family & local history
• Immigration records
• Military records (historic)
• Newspaper articles

Music

• Central Iowa Symphony

• Ames area attractions
• Ames museums
• Ames historic sites
• Ames area parks
• Wineries near Ames

• Ames: A Ride Through Town on the "Dinkey"

• Add a local cemetery to our listings
• Ames area cemeteries
• Cemeteries in Story County
• Cemetery record compendium
• Iowa cemetery message boards
• National database of cemetery records
• Veteran grave locator

• Communities near Ames
• Nearby cities of 10,000 or more
• Nearby cities of 50,000 or more
• Communities in Story County

• Ames business guide
• Ames Chamber of Commerce
• Better Business Bureau
• Business licenses
• Corporate records search

• Courts in Iowa
• Local ordinances in Iowa (Partial selection)

• Crime in Story County
• Arrests in Story County

• Obituaries - search nearby newspapers
• Obituary database - Ancestry.com
• Charitable donations

• Local information on disability access
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Independent living centers in Iowa
• National Council on Independent Living

At the time of the 2000 census, the per capita income in Ames was $18,881, compared with $21,587 nationally.

• Banks
• Building permits
• Current labor force
• Wage estimates
• Story County economic census
• Story County economic summary
• Story County employment growth
• Story County unemployment rate
• Iowa economic data

59% of Ames residents age 25 and older have a bachelor's or advanced college degree.

• Colleges in or near Ames
• Colleges in Iowa
• Learning Disabilities Association in Iowa
• Schools in or near Ames
• School districts in or near Ames
• Yearbooks (old) of Iowa high schools

• Movies & TV shows filmed in Ames
• Movies playing in or near Ames
• YouTube videos about Ames

• Air pollution in Story County
• Diesel soot in Story County
• Land contamination in Story County
• Nature Conservancy projects in Iowa
• Ozone status & air pollution - American Lung Association
• Toxic chemical releases in Story County
• Water levels & streamflow conditions in Iowa

Ames festival dates:

• Partners Fall Festival - Oct. 7, 2007
• Octagon Art Festival - Sept. 23, 2007

Dates often change. Check with local tourism officials to be sure.

• ePodunk festival listings
• Iowa county fairs
• Iowa festivals (Iowa tourism department)
• Send us festival info for Ames

• Confluence of latitude & longitude near Ames
• Geocaches in Iowa

• Ames items now on sale

• Ames local government Web site
• Story County government
• Iowa state government
• Driver's licenses
• Motor vehicles
• Passports
• Social Security
• Veterans affairs
• Where to write for birth, death, marriage or divorce records

• Ancestry & family history
• Business
• Demographics
• Health
• Moving
• Nonprofit resources
• Sports & rec
• Travel

• Ames medical services & health statistics

• Local historical society
• State historical society

• Historic sites in or near Ames
• Historic sites in Iowa
• Museums in or near Ames
• Museums in Iowa
• National Historic Landmark search
• Search the Library of Congress
• Search the National Register for historic properties
• Post history questions in Story County genealogy forum

Median rent in Ames, at the time of the 2000 Census, was $532.   Monthly homeowner costs, for people with mortgages, were $1,089.

• Find Foreclosure in Ames
• Homes for sale in Ames
• Find a Ames Realtor
• Get free moving quotes
• Free home valuation
• Check Iowa mortgage rates
• Property and neighborhood reports
• Mortgage calculator

• Help wanted ads - newspapers
• Job services in Iowa
• Minimum wage laws by state

Libraries in Ames include Ames Public Library ... View libraries

• Iowa library

• Get directions from Ames
• Get directions to Ames
• Census map of Ames area
• Historic maps of IA cities - Library of Congress
• Historic maps of Iowa
• Topographic map of Ames

Newspapers in Ames include Ames Tribune

TV stations in Ames include KPWB, WOI.

National Public Radio programming is carried locally by WOI-FM., WOI-AM.

• Daily newspapers in or near Ames
• AM radio stations in or near Ames
• Commercial FM radio stations in or near Ames
• Public & educational radio stations in or near Ames
• TV stations in or near Ames
• Media ownership in the Ames area
• Search historic newspaper articles
• Search recent news archives in Iowa

• American Legion post locator
• Veterans of Foreign Wars post locator

• Check daily newspapers in or near Ames
• Search obituaries in Iowa
• Recent death notices - selected IA newspapers

• Ames Chamber of Commerce
• Community foundations (by state)
• Foundations (by name)
• Kiwanis clubs in Iowa
• Lions clubs in Iowa
• Nonprofit groups
• Nonprofit guide for Ames
• Rotary club search
• Volunteer opportunities in or near Ames

• Parks near Ames
• National forests in Iowa
• State parks in Iowa

• Find friends & family
• Photos of people from Ames

• Find a local animal shelter
• Report animal cruelty

• Aerial photo of Ames
• Historic photos of U.S. cities
• Panoramic photos of Iowa communities
• Photos of Iowa places
• Post cards of Iowa communities

Story County supported John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election. For more information, see our Ames political report.

• Iowa Democratic party
• Iowa Republican party
• Iowa elections board

• ZIP codes (by street address)
• ZIP codes (by city)
• ZIP code reverse lookup (find cities in a ZIP code)

• Churches, other places of worship in or near Ames
• Total membership by faith, in Story County

• Chowhound message boards for IA

The average commute time for Ames workers is 15 minutes, compared with 26 minutes nationwide.

A total of 4 fatal motor vehicle accidents occurred in Ames between 2001 and 2003, according to reports gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This is a rate of .8 fatal crashes per 10,000 population, which was lower than the national norm.

• Ames travel guide
• Airports near Ames
• Hotels near Ames
• Iowa tourism bureau

• Monthly averages & records
• Major storms (searchable by county)
• National weather map

• Audubon centers
• Birding spots in Iowa
• Wildlife refuges in Iowa

Browse list of Iowa community profiles