West Des Moines, IA

Each Thursday from May through September, Fifth Street in Valley Junction becomes West Des Moines’s most visible weekly gathering. The 2026 farmers market listed over 80 vendors across three blocks, with Music in the Junction continuing into the evening at Railroad Park. The event occupies the same streets that formed the original town center. Valley Junction incorporated as a railroad hub on October 9, 1893, with 500 residents. Its first dedicated City Hall opened at 137 Fifth Street in 1905; the Historic Valley Junction Foundation now works from that building and organizes the market. Mexican American employees of the Rock Island Railroad were pivotal to the community’s expansion around the yards. Rail operations moved away in 1936, and the city adopted the West Des Moines name in 1938 as local leaders pursued a suburban future.

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Valley Junction remains one center, but municipal growth shifted west. Flooding damaged the Fifth Street offices in 1993, and the current City Hall opened at 4200 Mills Civic Parkway in 2002. The public library stands next door at 4000 Mills Civic Parkway, giving the newer civic area a larger street pattern and a different scale from Valley Junction’s storefront blocks. The move physically separated city administration from the original downtown. Fifth Street preserves the railroad-era commercial district; Mills Civic Parkway carries municipal buildings and newer development. West Des Moines now spans parts of four counties and reaches the Interstate 35 and Interstate 80 crossroads, far beyond the original junction.

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Insurance and financial services form the clearest specialty in local working life. Major employers in 2026 included Wells Fargo, Athene’s North American headquarters, FBL Financial Group’s headquarters, Sammons Financial Group, and several other insurers and financial-service firms. Hy-Vee’s headquarters adds a major retail and distribution presence, while the Iowa Clinic and two hospital systems contribute medical work. Payroll services, communications, and manufacturing broaden the mix. Offices, headquarters, clinics, and plants now occupy an economy transformed since the railroad’s departure. Valley Junction still supports independent commercial activity through its storefronts, weekly market, and evening music, keeping the original district active inside a much larger employment center.

ATTRTyler Silvest / CC BY 2.0

On the city’s south side, Raccoon River Park forms another center around 232-acre Blue Heron Lake. Its entrance is at 2500 Grand Avenue. Across its 631 acres, a five-field softball complex, full soccer complex, inclusive playground, and nature lodge surround the lake. A 3.2-mile loop follows the water. The beach supports swimming and fishing, and the seasonal boathouse rents kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards. A dog park and archery range add two permit-based uses away from the water. Public art is also installed throughout the park landscape. The 620-foot Athene Pedestrian Bridge opened in October 2024, crossing the Raccoon River to Walnut Woods State Park and connecting local paths with the regional trail system. From the Blue Heron Lake loop, walkers and cyclists can cross directly into Walnut Woods before meeting another city street.