Urbandale, Iowa
Urbandale is a city of 46,595 people in Dallas County, Iowa, founded in April 16, 1917.
Why visit Urbandale
Townapedia lists 41 museums and landmarks, 91 parks and trails, 246 places to eat, 34 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include AMC Classic Cobblestone 9, Olmsted Family Farmhouse, Allen Hazen Water Tower and Des Moines Golf & Country Club.
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 Urbandale
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Urbandale
Urbandale is a city in Polk and Dallas counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The city was incorporated on April 16, 1917, and was a streetcar suburb of Des Moines. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 45,580. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area and is the 12th largest city in Iowa.
From the Wikipedia article Urbandale, Iowa (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Last Laugh Comedy Club
Cinema and theater · 3.4 mi
1701 25th Street, West Des Moines
Museums and landmarks41
Olmsted Family Farmhouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.5 mi
Urbandale Historical Society
4010 70th Street, Urbandale
Allen Hazen Water Tower
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.6 mi
Water tower in Des Moines, Iowa
Ashby Manor Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.6 mi
Historic district in Des Moines, Iowa
Camp Dodge Pool District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.9 mi
Historic district in Iowa, United States
Flynn Farm, Mansion, and Barn
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.1 mi
Building in Iowa, United States
James Sansom Carpenter House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.2 mi
Des Moines, Iowa, NRHP-listed
Jordan House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.8 mi
Listed on the NRHP in Polk County, Iowa
Paul J. and Ida Trier House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.8 mi
Historic house in Iowa, United States
Thomas I. Stoner House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.3 mi
Historic house in Iowa, United States
Valley Junction Commercial Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.8 mi
Nationally recognized historic district located in West Des Moines, Iowa, United States
I.O.O.F. Valley Junction Lodge Hall No. 604
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 5.8 mi
Pole Position Raceway
Monument and historic site · 2.9 mi
1350 Southeast Gateway Drive, Grimes
Mo-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr,Sa 10:00-23:00; Su 10:00-20:00
29 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds91
79 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes246
Buffet City
Restaurant · Chinese, Mongolian Grill · 3.2 mi
8801 University Avenue, Clive
Su-Th 10:30-21:30; Fr-Sa 10:30-22:30
Denny's
Diner · American · 1.6 mi
11820 Hickman Road, Clive
Mo,Sa,Su 08:00-20:00; Tu,We 09:00-20:00; Th,Fr 07:00-22:00
Eat Thai
Restaurant · Thai · 3.4 mi
1821 22nd Street, West Des Moines
Tu-Fr 11:00-14:00,17:00-20:00; Sa 12:00-14:30,16:00-20:00; Su 16:00-20:00
HuHot
Restaurant · Mongolian Grill · 2.8 mi
4100 University Avenue, West Des Moines
Su-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr,Sa 11:00-22:00
La Tropicana Mexican Market and Restaurant
Restaurant · Mexican · 2.7 mi
2743 86th Street, Urbandale
Mo-Su 09:00-21:00
Mi Patria
Restaurant · Ecuadorian · 3.6 mi
1410 22nd Street, West Des Moines
Mo-Fr 11:00-21:00; Sa 11:00-15:00
Olive Garden
Restaurant · Italian · 3.2 mi
3600 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines
Su-Th 11:00-22:00; Fr,Sa 11:00-23:00
Range Grill & Golf
Diner · American · 1.4 mi
11865 Hickman Road, Urbandale
Mo-Th 11:00-22:00; Fr 11:00-23:00; Sa 10:00-23:00; Su 10:00-21:00
Scooter's Coffee
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 2.6 mi
4566 University Avenue, West Des Moines
Mo-Su 06:00-20:00
234 more on the map.
History
Before Urbandale was incorporated, citizens raised $2,000 to build a two room schoolhouse and by 1916 it was ready to be used. To avoid being part of the Johnston School District, it needed to establish their own school district and could be done if it was legally incorporated.
Urbandale was incorporated as a city on April 16, 1917. In its early days, Urbandale served as a streetcar suburb of Des Moines with four coal mines. The cars mainly served coal miners and students attending Roosevelt High School or Des Moines North High School. Transit data showed that on one day, 4,900 passengers would use the service, with 10 total cars being used for a 15.2 mile long round trip. Urbandale served as the end of the "Urbandale Line" after plans to build a railroad from Des Moines to Woodward were abandoned because of right-of-way issues. The coal mines had closed by the end of the 1940s while streetcar service ended in 1951. Gas shuttle buses and curb liner operations took over the service, and many current DART bus routes follow the old paths of the streetcars.
In 1956, The Suburban Press brought up Urban News which remains the only Urbandale-specific news publication in the city's history. By the summer of 1956, there were 800 people subscribed to the newspaper and by 1957 it had over 2,500 subscribers.
From the History section of Urbandale, Iowa on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay34
Best Western Plus Des Moines West Inn & Suites
Motel and hotel · 2.3 mi
1450 Northwest 118th Street, Clive
Country Inn & Suites, Des Moines West, IA
Motel and hotel · 2.3 mi
1350 Northwest 118th Street, Clive
Days Inn by Wyndham West Des Moines / Clive
Motel and hotel · 2.2 mi
1600 Northwest 114th Street, Clive
Homewood Suites by Hilton Urbandale Des Monies
Motel and hotel · 2.1 mi
8901 Plum Drive
Churches and places of worship36
Central Community Free Methodist Church
Church · Methodist · 2.6 mi
8105 Douglas Avenue
Des Moines Chin Evangelical Church
Church · Pentecostal · 2.5 mi
8900 Hickman Road
First Baptist Church
Church · Baptist · 3.5 mi
8250 Northwest 62nd Avenue, Johnston
Shopping36
Gas and EV charging34
Schools, colleges and libraries64
Brookview Elementary School
School · 4.8 mi
8000 E.P. True Parkway, West Des Moines
Healthcare38
Hy-Vee Pharmacy
Clinic and pharmacy · 3.0 mi
1700 Valley West Drive, West Des Moines
Hy-Vee Pharmacy
Clinic and pharmacy · 3.0 mi
1725 Jordan Creek Parkway, West Des Moines
Capital Orthopaedics & West Lakes Surgery Center
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.4 mi
12499 University Avenue, Clive
Map of Urbandale
250 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 (8 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, 9 miles away.
- Clive 2 mi southwest, about 3 min by car
- Grimes 3 mi north, about 5 min by car
- Johnston 5 mi northeast, about 8 min by car
- Des Moines 10 mi southeast, about 16 min by car
- Ankeny 11 mi northeast, about 18 min by car
- Norwalk 11 mi south, about 18 min by car
- Pleasant Hill 14 mi east, about 23 min by car
- Altoona 15 mi east, about 25 min by car
- Indianola 22 mi southeast, about 35 min by car
- Ames 28 mi north, about 45 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
- Living History Farms 01, Dennis Bratland, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Olmsted Family Farm Front, KatelynFoster22, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The James Sansom Carpenter House, Boscophotos, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Paul J and Ida Trier House, Cubsftw, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ashby Manor Homes, Goddesshanna, CC BY-SA 3.0
- HistoricValleyJunction, Iowahwyman, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Jordan House front enterance, Goddesshanna, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Living History Farms 66, Dennis Bratland, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Thomas Stoner House, Des Moines, IA, Jim Roberts, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Hazen Water Tower from East, Goddesshanna, CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.