Why visit Ames
Townapedia lists 63 museums and landmarks, 99 parks and trails, 183 places to eat, 28 places to stay and 10 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Cinemark Movies 12, Skunk River Bridge, Farm House Museum and Ames Main Street Historic District.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 84°F; January lows average 11°F.
Weather in Ames
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Ames
Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately 30 miles (48 km) north of Des Moines in central Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University (ISU). According to the 2020 census, Ames had a population of 66,427, making it the state's ninth-most populous city. Iowa State University was home to 30,177 students as of fall 2023, which make up approximately one half of the city's population.
From the Wikipedia article Ames, Iowa (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do10
Skunk River Bridge
Bridge · National Register of Historic Places · 3.3 mi
Bridge in United States of America
Museums and landmarks63
Ames Main Street Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.5 mi
United States historic place
Catt Hall
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.2 mi
Building on Iowa State University's campus, U.S.
Colonials Club House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.2 mi
Fraternity house in Ames, Iowa
Cranford Apartment Building
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Apartment building in Ames, Iowa
Delta Upsilon Chapter House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.2 mi
Historic building located in Ames, Iowa, United States
Enrollment Services Center
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Building in Iowa State University; Ames, Iowa
Food Sciences Building
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.0 mi
Historic building on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, United States
Gilmour B. and Edith Craig MacDonald House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.3 mi
Historic house in Iowa, United States
Masonic Temple
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.5 mi
Historic building located in Ames, Iowa, United States
Morrill Hall
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.3 mi
Building on the campus of Iowa State University
51 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds99
Brookside Park
Park · 0.6 mi
Recreational green space featuring volleyball & tennis courts, ball fields & a wading pool.
1325 6th Street, Ames
Mo-Su 06:00-22:30
Bandshell Park
Park · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
Historic park and open-air concert pavilion
125 East 5th Street, Ames
Mo-Su 06:00-22:30
Jack Trice Stadium
Sports field and stadium · 1.1 mi
Jack Trice Stadium is a stadium located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Primarily used for college football, it is the home field of the...
1732 South 4th Street, Ames
Ada Hayden Heritage Park
Park · 3.0 mi
Park with a fishing lake, hiking & biking trails, picnic shelter & wetlands for bird-watching.
5205 Grand Avenue, Ames
Mo-Su 06:00-22:30
87 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes183
Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt
Ice cream · Ice Cream
637 Lincoln Way, Ames
Su-Th 11:00-22:30; Fr-Sa 11:00-23:00
Richardson Court Marketplace
Restaurant · Cafeteria · 0.8 mi
224 Beach Road, Ames
Mo-Fr 06:30-09:30,11:00-14:00,16:30-20:00; Sa,Su 09:00-14:00,16:30-20:00
The Great Plains Sauce & Dough Company
Restaurant · Pizza · 0.5 mi
129 Main Street, Ames
Su-We 11:00-24:00
The Mucky Duck Pub
Restaurant · British · 2.2 mi
3100 South Duff Avenue, Ames
Su-Fr 11:00-22:00; Sa 08:00-22:00
Union Drive Marketplace
Restaurant · Cafeteria · 1.5 mi
207 Beyer Court, Ames
Mo-Fr 06:30-10:00,11:00-14:30,16:30-19:30; Sa-Su 09:00-14:00,16:30-20:00
171 more on the map.
History
The city was founded in 1864 as a station stop on the Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad and was named after 19th century U.S. Congressman Oakes Ames of Massachusetts, who was influential in the building of the transcontinental railroad. Ames was founded by local resident Cynthia Olive Duff (née Kellogg) and railroad magnate John Insley Blair, near a location that was deemed favorable for a railroad crossing of the Skunk River and Ioway Creek.
William West (1821–1919) became the first mayor of Ames in 1870. With his wife Harriet, from 1869 to 1892, he ran Ames's first hotel, known as West House, on Douglas Avenue on the site of the present Octagon Center for the Arts. West was a highly respected pioneer businessman who also served on the Ames School Board in the 1880s when Central School was built on the site of the present Ames City Hall on Clark Avenue and Sixth Street. The Wests raised several daughters and sons. William West spent the last of his life living with his son in northwest Iowa.
From the History section of Ames, Iowa on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay28
Best Western Plus University Park Inn & Suites
Motel and hotel · 1.9 mi
2500 University Boulevard, Ames
Churches and places of worship46
Collegiate Presbyterian Church
Church · Presbyterian · 1.7 mi
159 Sheldon Avenue, Ames
Ames Church of the Nazarene
Church · Nazarene · 0.5 mi
203 South Kellogg Avenue, Ames
Ames First United Methodist Church
Church · United Methodist · 0.5 mi
516 Kellogg Avenue, Ames
Ames United Church of Christ
Church · United Church Of Christ · 0.5 mi
217 6th Street, Ames
Shopping37
Gas and EV charging28
Schools, colleges and libraries23
Healthcare14
McFarland Clinic West Ames Office
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.4 mi
3600 Lincoln Way, Ames
Planned Parenthood - Ames Health Center
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.5 mi
2530 Chamberlain Street, Ames
Primary Health Care - Ames Medical & Dental
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.3 mi
3510 Lincoln Way, Ames
Thielen Student Health Center
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.6 mi
2647 Union Drive, Ames
Map of Ames
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29°F | 11°F | 0.6 in |
| Feb | 33°F | 15°F | 0.8 in |
| Mar | 47°F | 27°F | 1.9 in |
| Apr | 61°F | 38°F | 3.9 in |
| May | 72°F | 50°F | 5.2 in |
| Jun | 81°F | 60°F | 5.2 in |
| Jul | 84°F | 63°F | 4.4 in |
| Aug | 82°F | 60°F | 4.8 in |
| Sep | 76°F | 51°F | 3.3 in |
| Oct | 63°F | 39°F | 2.8 in |
| Nov | 47°F | 27°F | 1.9 in |
| Dec | 34°F | 16°F | 1.1 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Ames Muni Ap (2 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Story County has had 14 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2026-09-01: Severe Storms And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2024-05-24: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2020-08-17: Severe Storms (Severe Storm)
- 2020-03-23: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2018-08-20: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Ames Municipal Airport (AMW) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 2 miles away.
- Gilbert 6 mi north, about 9 min by car
- Kelley 6 mi southwest, about 9 min by car
- Nevada 8 mi east, about 13 min by car
- Huxley 9 mi south, about 15 min by car
- Cambridge 10 mi southeast, about 16 min by car
- Story City 11 mi north, about 18 min by car
- Slater 11 mi south, about 17 min by car
- Roland 11 mi northeast, about 18 min by car
- Boone 13 mi west, about 21 min by car
- Des Moines 31 mi south, about 50 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Ames Montage, User:Raivena, CC BY 3.0
- Roberts Residence Hall Iowa State University, No machine-readable author provided. Manop assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bandshell-1, Dagwin57, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ames High School- Front View, Gregunderscorem, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ISU Alumni Hall, Cburnett at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Morrill Hall, Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
- 117 Ash Ave edited-1, Dagwin57, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 823 Douglas Avenue, Jim Roberts, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Roosevelt school Oct 13 2012, David M Brenner, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 405 Hayward Ave. Ames, Dagwin57, CC BY-SA 3.0
- The Farm House (Knapp-Wilson House), Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
- ISU Catt Hall, Cburnett at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- AmesIA MasonicTemple, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ames Iowa Main Street, Tim Kiser ( w:User:Malepheasant ), CC BY-SA 2.5
- 217 Ash Ave edited-1, Dagwin57, CC BY-SA 3.0
- The Municipal Building, Ames, Iowa, Jim Roberts, CC BY-SA 3.0
- AmesIA MacDonaldHouse, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214073001), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke with family (48214123546), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214142447), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214132436), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214097766), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke with family (48214127866), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214165372), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214158667), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214085131), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke with family (48214127447), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214170737), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214165372) (cropped), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214063641), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214122272), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke & Joan Bolin-Betts (48214110207), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214101306), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214120337), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke with family (48214066036), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214139092), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke & Joan Bolin-Betts (48214060756), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214129352), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214079846), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Beto O'Rourke (48214111331), Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
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