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Ames the "All-American City" Ames lies near the geographical center of Iowa about 35 miles north of the state capital in Des Moines. Its location in the heart of rich agricultural land led to its selection as the site for the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, which was created through a bill passed by the Iowa General Assembly in 1858. Farm House, built in 1860, was the first building for the college. The school, which became a land grant college under the 1863 Federal Morril Act, was renamed the Iowa State University of Science and Technology (ISU) in 1959. Ames was founded in 1864 in anticipation of the arrival of the Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad. The president of the railroad, John Blair, named the settlement after Massachusetts Congressman, Oakes Ames, a promoter of the railroad system. Ames was incorporated in 1870 with a population of slightly over 800. The original town consisted of a 12-block area extending from the railroad north to Ninth Street. The eastern and western borders were Duff and Burnett Avenues. Ames prospered with increasing rail shipments of farm products and the growth of the college. Research activities on the ISU campus during WWII led to the establishment of the Ames Laboratory. ISU's resources have been instrumental in attracting other government agencies and national industries. Ames is now the largest city in Story County. Ames is home to the Iowa Department of Transportation headquarters, The United States Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory, and the United States Department of Agriculture's National Animal Disease Center and National Veterinary Services Laboratories. Ames was designated an "All-American City" in 1983.
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