Dallas

Formed December 13, 1846 (40^th county)

Dallas County (99,677), Adel (6,155), Waukee (23,952) 

A classic grey stone French Chateau courthouse was built in 1902 on a square at Court, 8^th, Main, and 9^th streets.  United States Highway 169 is 8^th Street.  The building designers are Proudfool and George Bird.  The structure features a tower with a working clock and Lady Justice above the entrances.  County Offices are across the street.  The county was established on December 13, 1846 from Polk County as the 40^th county with Adel as the only county seat.  It is named for Vice President George M. Dallas.  The county seat is named for an unspecified girl. 

Dallas County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Supervisors.  Fifty-nine District Court Judges and Twenty-one Magistrates serve Dallas, Adair, Adams, Clarke, Decatur, Guthrie, Jasper, Lucas, Madison, Marion, Polk, Ringgold, Taylor, Union, Warren, and Wayne counties.  The county is immediately west of Des Moines, Iowa in central Iowa.  The county center is 5.1 miles North of Adel nearer Dallas Center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Boone, Polk, Madison, Guthrie, and Greene counties. 

The county has an area of 586 square miles.  It is 25 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 7 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 170.1 persons per square mile making it 7 out of 99 in the state.  Dallas County has 89.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 80 crosses the southern part of the county east to west from Polk County to Madison County.  United States Highway 6 enters from Polk County east and joins Interstate Highway 80 to exit west into Madison County.  United States Highway 169 travels north to south from Boone County to Madison County.  The county is a rectangle with a shift to the east on the bottom.  Adel is in the southern quarter of the county.  Waukee is in the southeast part of the county.  Adel is the county seat and Waukee is the largest city.  Adel is 6.2% of the county population while Waukee is 24.0% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced AE-DEL.  This county is in the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.