Van Meter, IA

Van Meter is a Dallas County city along the Raccoon River, just west of Des Moines and south of I-80, with 1,484 residents in the 2020 census. The river and the interstate give the town its two scales: a small Iowa grid close to the water, and a quick regional route to the metro. Van Meter was laid out in 1869 and named for the Van Meter family, and the city still carries that early river-town origin in its streets and older buildings.

ATTRMostly Iowa Edits / CC BY-SA 4.0

Bob Feller's hometown museum is housed inside City Hall on Mill Street, keeping the Hall of Fame pitcher's local story right in the middle of town. The Iowa Veterans Cemetery sits on Van Meter's northern side, and Raccoon River Days brings residents together each June with food, music, and community activities. Van Meter has the feel of a Des Moines-edge town, but its strongest local markers are still the river, the museum, the cemetery, and the summer festival.