Des Moines, Washington

Des Moines ( ) (Lushootseed: baqʷab) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 32,888 as of the 2020 census. The city is located on the east shore of Puget Sound, near the center of the Seattle metropolitan area. It is bordered by the suburbs of Federal Way to the south, Kent to the east, SeaTac to the northeast, Burien 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. Saltwater State Park, located on a steep ravine between the Zenith and Woodmont neighborhoods, is the most used state park on Puget Sound. Near the border of Federal Way, the Redondo neighborhood has a boardwalk and aquarium.

History

What was to become Des Moines was first explored by Europeans on May 26, 1792, during the exploration of British naval Captain George Vancouver on his flagship HMS Discovery. The first Americans to visit the area were part of Charles Wilkes' Expedition.

The first known settler was John Moore, who probably arrived circa 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, 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 provided access to Seattle, Tacoma, and Vashon. The first road, the Brick Highway, was completed in May 1916. The first cross-Puget Sound automobile ferry started service from Des Moines to Portage on November 13, 1916. This ferry service continued until September 1921. Before World War II farming fueled the local economy.

Following the war, suburbanization of the community took place. 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 these needs, 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 northern end of the marina.

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, which is located north of Des Moines.

On November 22, 1982, Des Moines annexed the nearby community of Zenith, a farming community founded in 1906 that later became a bedroom community for Boeing workers.

thumb|800px|center|A view of Puget Sound and the Normandy Park cove from the fishing pier

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. 2020 Census

! Pop. 2010

! % 2000

! % 2010

| White alone (NH)

| 20,986

| 17,212

| style='background: #ffffe6; |15,506

| 71.71%

| 58.01%

| style='background: #ffffe6; |47.15%

| Black or African American alone (NH)

| 2,069

| 2,605

| style='background: #ffffe6; |3,940

| 7.07%

| 8.78%

| style='background: #ffffe6; |11.98%

| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

| 254

| 257

| style='background: #ffffe6; |204

| 0.87%

| style='background: #ffffe6; |0.62%

| Asian alone (NH)

| 2,399

| 3,106

| style='background: #ffffe6; |4,139

| 8.20%

| 10.47%

| style='background: #ffffe6; |12.59%

| Pacific Islander alone (NH)

| 380

| 699

| style='background: #ffffe6; |848

| 1.30%

| 2.36%

| style='background: #ffffe6; |2.58%

| Other race alone (NH)

| 43

| 52

| style='background: #ffffe6; |149

| 0.15%

| 0.18%

| style='background: #ffffe6; |0.45%

| Mixed race or multiracial (NH)

| 1,200

| 1,242

| style='background: #ffffe6; |2,280

| 4.10%

| 4.19%

| style='background: #ffffe6; |6.93%

| Hispanic or Latino (any race)

| 1,936

| 4,500

| style='background: #ffffe6; |5,822

| 6.61%

| 15.17%

| style='background: #ffffe6; |17.70%

| Total

| 29,267

| 29,673

| style='background: #ffffe6; |32,888

| 100.00%

| style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 32,888 people, 12,423 households, and 7,854 families residing in the city.

The population density was . There were 13,222 housing units at an average density of . The median age was 39.6 years, with 20.9% of residents under the age of 18 and 16.9% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.3 males age 18 and over.

American Community Survey

As of the 2022 American Community Survey, there are 12,369 estimated households in Des Moines with an average of 2.57 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $81,362, and approximately 11.8% of the city's population lives at or below the poverty line.

Des Moines has an estimated 63.3% employment rate, with 30.4% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 88.6% holding a high school diploma. the neighborhoods of Woodmont and Redondo are within the Federal Way School District.

Pacific Middle School and Mount Rainier High School are the secondary schools of Des Moines. and Holy Trinity Lutheran School.

Colleges

Highline College is in Des Moines.

Parks and recreation

Saltwater State Park is in Des Moines.

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 will be Ted Boe, the former Chief of Burien.

Transportation

Des Moines is served by several regional highways: Interstate 5 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 provides bus service from Des Moines to surrounding areas, including Burien Transit Center and Kent station. A park-and-ride lot at the Kent-Des Moines Road interchange has express buses to Seattle and Tacoma operated by Metro and Sound Transit Express. Kent Des Moines station on the Link light rail system was opened by Sound Transit in December 2025; it is located near Highline College and is served by the 1 Line. A shuttle bus formerly connected downtown Des Moines to the previous terminus of the line at Angle Lake station.

The city government launched a passenger ferry service in August 2022 to connect Bell Harbor Marina in Downtown Seattle to Des Moines Marina. The two-month pilot was operated by Puget Sound Express using MV Chilkat Express, a 60-passenger catamaran.

City landmarks

The City of Des Moines has designated the following landmark:

{|class="wikitable"

! Landmark

! Built

! Listed

! Address

! Photo

| Des Moines Beach Park (the former Covenant Beach Bible Camp) || 1917–1931 || 2005 || Cliff Ave. and 220th St. || 100px

| WPA Park Buildings Des Moines Activity Center || 1939–1940 || 1984 || 220th St. and 11th Ave S. || 100px