Why visit Grimes
Townapedia lists 5 museums and landmarks, 28 parks and trails, 37 places to eat and 2 places to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Camp Dodge Pool District, Flynn Farm, Mansion, and Barn, Adventure Ridge Park and Pointe Vista Park.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 85°F; January lows average 13°F, and about 38 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Grimes
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Grimes
Grimes is a city in Polk and Dallas counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 15,392 at the time of the 2020 Census. Grimes is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines metropolitan area.
From the Wikipedia article Grimes, Iowa (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks5
Camp Dodge Pool District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.1 mi
Historic district in Iowa, United States
Flynn Farm, Mansion, and Barn
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.1 mi
Building in Iowa, United States
Herrold Bridge
Bridge · National Register of Historic Places · 4.1 mi
Road bridge in Iowa, United States of America
Pole Position Raceway
Monument and historic site · 1.1 mi
1350 Southeast Gateway Drive, Grimes
Mo-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr,Sa 10:00-23:00; Su 10:00-20:00
Living History Farms
Museum · 4.5 mi
Agricultural history museum in Iowa, US
Parks, trails and playgrounds28
16 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes37
Al's Dairy Freeze
Restaurant · Ice Cream · 2.0 mi
1220 NE Station Crossing Drive, Grimes
Mo-Fr 16:00-21:00, Sa-Su 11:00-21:00
Lightbrite Coffee Roasters
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.5 mi
1895 Southeast 19th Street, Grimes
Mo-Sa 07:00-16:00; Su 08:00-13:00
Sol Agave
Restaurant · 1.2 mi
721 East 1st Street, Grimes
Mo-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00; Su 11:00-20:00
Nuevo Mexico
Restaurant · Mexican · 3.3 mi
6110 A-106 Northwest 86th Street, Johnston
25 more on the map.
Where to stay2
History
Grimes was founded in 1881 and became incorporated as a city on May 7, 1894. It is named after James W. Grimes, a former U.S. senator and the third governor of Iowa.
From the History section of Grimes, Iowa on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship10
Johnston River of Life
Church · Methodist · 3.3 mi
8701 Lyndhurst Drive, Johnston
Lutheran Church of Hope Grimes
Church · Lutheran · 2.0 mi
512 NE Beaverbrooke Blvd., Grimes
NorthPoint Church
Church · Evangelical Free Church Of America · 2.5 mi
9901 Northwest 62nd Avenue, Johnston
Saint Peter Lutheran Church
Church · Lutheran · 0.5 mi
1001 South James Street, Grimes
Shopping7
Gas and EV charging14
Schools, colleges and libraries40
Healthcare5
Medicap Pharmacy
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.3 mi
250 Southeast Gateway Drive, Grimes
Unity Point Clinic Family Medicine - Grimes
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.9 mi
101 Southeast Destination Drive, Grimes
Map of Grimes
148 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30°F | 13°F | 1.0 in | 9.7 in |
| Feb | 35°F | 17°F | 1.2 in | 10.5 in |
| Mar | 49°F | 29°F | 2.1 in | 5.0 in |
| Apr | 62°F | 40°F | 4.0 in | 1.6 in |
| May | 72°F | 52°F | 4.8 in | 0.2 in |
| Jun | 81°F | 62°F | 5.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 85°F | 66°F | 4.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 83°F | 64°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 76°F | 55°F | 3.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 63°F | 42°F | 2.5 in | 0.5 in |
| Nov | 48°F | 30°F | 1.9 in | 2.2 in |
| Dec | 35°F | 19°F | 1.5 in | 8.3 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Des Moines Wsfo-Johnston (6 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
Dallas County has had 13 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 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)
- 2019-03-23: Severe Storms And Flooding (Flood)
- 2018-08-20: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 12 miles away.
- Urbandale 3 mi south, about 5 min by car
- Johnston 4 mi east, about 7 min by car
- Clive 5 mi south, about 7 min by car
- Granger 6 mi north, about 9 min by car
- Waukee 7 mi southwest, about 12 min by car
- Ankeny 11 mi east, about 18 min by car
- Des Moines 12 mi southeast, about 20 min by car
- Altoona 17 mi east, about 27 min by car
- Ames 26 mi north, about 41 min by car
- Boone 26 mi north, about 42 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
- GrimesIACommuntyComplex, PopePompus, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Medicap Pharmacy Grimes Iowa IMG 0448, Scott A. Miller, CC BY 3.0
- Living History Farms 66, Dennis Bratland, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Living History Farms 32, Dennis Bratland, CC BY-SA 4.0
- JHS2017, johnston highschool, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Urbandale Fire Station Number 42 IMG 0454, Scott A. Miller, CC BY 3.0
- 50323, Urbandale, United States (Unsplash), Drew Hays drew_hays, CC0
- Baby shoes (Unsplash), Drew Hays drew_hays, CC0
- Pawlenty in Pioneer research greenhouse (5687646894), IowaPolitics.com, CC BY-SA 2.0
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