Des Moines

Formed September 6, 1834 (1^st county)

Des Moines County (38,907), Burlington (23,985)

The tan and red/brown brick Art Deco courthouse for Des Moines County was constructed in 1940 to replace a nicer 1882 facility.  It is at Main and Court streets.  Iowa State Highway 163 is Main Street.  Keffer & Jones provided the designs.  The structure has a Native American portrait out front and the building sits one block off the Mississippi River.  The county was founded on September 6, 1834 as an original Iowa county (1^st county) with Burlington as the only county seat.  It is named for the Des Moines River.  It is also the source name for the county seat of Polk County.  Burlington is named for Burlington, Vermont. 

Des Moines County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Supervisors.  Fifteen District Court Judges and Thirteen Magistrates serve Des Moines, Appanoose, Davis, Henry, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Mahaska, Monroe, Poweshiek, Van Buren, Wapello, and Washington counties.  Des Moines County is in southeast Iowa on the Mississippi River border with Illinois.  Davenport, Iowa is northeast and Des Moines, Iowa is northwest of the location.  The county center is 9.3 miles North-Northwest of Burlington nearer Sperry.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Louisa County and Illinois and Lee and Henry counties. 

The county has an area of 416 square miles.  It is 93 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 16 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 93.5 persons per square mile making it 12 out of 99 in the state.  Des Moines County has 77.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 34 goes east to west in the county from Illinois to Henry County.  United States Highway 61 travels north to south from Louisa County to Lee County.  The county looks like a plow.  Burlington is the southeast corner on the Mississippi River.  Burlington is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 61.7% of the county population.  This county is in the Burlington Micropolitan Statistical Area.