Ankeny soon to be bigger than Dubuque

[BringBackJohnny]

I knew Ankeny was growing fast but had no idea it would soon be bigger than Dubuque. I think the comparison of those two cities is really fascinating. They seem to be very opposite despite being roughly the same size.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/st...4/07/14/ankeny-population-milestone/12614295/

Not being from central IA I think it amazing how fast the DSM suburbs are growing.

 

[JP4CY]

Not being from central IA I think it amazing how fast the DSM are growing.

It won't be more than a couple decades and Adel to Altoona and Norwalk to Alleman will be full.

 

[Gunnerclone]

What surprises me is that Ankeny hasn't been bigger than Dubuque for the past 15 years.

 

[Gunnerclone]

It won't be more than a couple decades and Adel to Altoona and Norwalk to Alleman will be full.

And with this comes Ichibon Cyclone Power.

 

[BeachAve]

I think Ames really missed the boat the last 40 years in development. But that's a tired worn out issue

 

[tm3308]

The metro definitely keeps growing. Eventually it'll level off (there's always going to be a certain percentage of farmers), but it's ridiculous. Waukee was a 2A/3A school like 15 years ago; now it's the fourth-biggest school in the state and still skyrocketing.

 

[Farnsworth]

I think Ames really missed the boat the last 40 years in development. But that's a tired worn out issue

but but but but but SMART growth!!!

 

[00clone]

I think Ames really missed the boat the last 40 years in development. But that's a tired worn out issue

There's hope. Iowa City also was horrible for growth assuming they'd always have the university and the hospital(s), so Coralville stole all the growth. IC got the message when the Iowa River Landing took Von Maur out of the IC mall (even though they were leaving anyway) and the hospital built a big ol' clinic there. Unfortunately, they only partly got the message, because now they have just added a 3rd, so it's the U, the hospital(s) and Marc Moen.

 

[BringBackJohnny]

What surprises me is that Ankeny hasn't been bigger than Dubuque for the past 15 years.

I think what throws me off is you go to Dubuque and you have a city center with tall buildings, bridges, governmental works, etc. Ankeny does not have that city center feel so it is kind of sneaky big.

 

[Clonefan32]

What surprises me is that Ankeny hasn't been bigger than Dubuque for the past 15 years.

This was my first thought as well-- "wait, it isn't already bigger than Dubuque?"

 

[mj4cy]

Yeah, after living in Ames for 20+ years, it was evident they were getting passed by.

Think of all the millions of dollars that went to Ankeny, DSM, and WDSM for shopping that Ames never bothered to provide. For years, my family would head to Des Moines for "real shopping"

 

[dmclone]

I hope Johnston has reached it's peak in population.

 

[mj4cy]

I hope Johnston has reached it's peak in population.

Doubtful. The city owns a ton of land that is farmland right now.

 

[dahliaclone]

Ames has had numerous opps (it seems) to take advantage of growth. With the enrollment continuing to grow, won't Ames by default have to expand in some areas, regardless? They are already with more and more retail and restaurants along Duff.

 

[cybsball20]

I know a lot of people live here, but come 430 I can't wait to get the hell out of Ankeny.

Ames may not be growing faster than Ankeny, but it's not really a commutable city to Des Moines. Ames does have MUCH more character and does seem to think their growth out a little more than Ankeny. The traffic patterns in Ankeny are some of the worst I have ever experienced.

 

[TRZA]

Obligatory size isn't everything post.

 

[Buster28]

I don't think many of the DM burbs have reached their peak, or even come close. Growth has been constant and rapid, especially west, for the last quarter century. It's important to remember that this growth is relative. There is no comparison with the growth seen in California cities, especially in the 80s and 90s, or Texas cities today. But I believe it's possible that either West Des Moines or Ankeny (possibly both) could be approaching 100,000 well within three decades. Iowa's growth (when it's happened) has always been relatively slow and even our fastest growing medium sized cities will take time to double in size. Unless Iowa has some sort of unforeseen economic boom (like North Dakota currently sees), the slower growth rates will continue. This isn't necessarily bad, as I don't think we want here what's been happening in some Texas communities: going from 35,000 to 135,000 or more in 10 years and such.

 

[isufbcurt]

I for one am glad Ames missed the boat. It bothers me that farmers around where I live in North Ames have sold out to developers and there are 2 (possibly 3) large subdivisions going in around us. Luckily we own the wooded area that surrounds our property so we can shield ourselves from them.

 

[cybsball20]

One of the interesting things that I have seen around where I live (Wakonda Club area) is that people are buying some of the older, small houses and demolishing them to build new. With the growth downtown there is also a demand to have NICE housing near downtown. It's been fun to watch the property values grow just in the short time I have been there.

 

[ribsnwhiskey]

Yeah, after living in Ames for 20+ years, it was evident they were getting passed by.

Think of all the millions of dollars that went to Ankeny, DSM, and WDSM for shopping that Ames never bothered to provide. For years, my family would head to Des Moines for "real shopping"

For good measure, Ames just hit the 50K population mark in 2001. Before that, there weren't many options for development. And Ankeny is just a commuter suburb for Des Moines, so it's not really shocking to see it grow. Ames has improved immensely in the last 10 years.