Van Meter, Iowa
Van Meter is a city of 1,628 people in Dallas County, Iowa, founded in 1869.
Why visit Van Meter
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 5 parks and trails and 1 place to eat in and around town.
Highlights include Robert William Andrew Feller Farmstead.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 84°F; January lows average 10°F, and about 31 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Van Meter
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Van Meter
Van Meter is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, United States, situated along the Raccoon River. The population was 1,484 at the time of the 2020 census. Van Meter is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From the Wikipedia article Van Meter, Iowa (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks1
Robert William Andrew Feller Farmstead
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.4 mi
Historic district in Iowa, United States
Parks, trails and playgrounds5
Restaurants and cafes1
Churches and places of worship3
History
Van Meter was laid out as a town in 1869. The city was named for Jacob Rhodes Van Meter and his family, Dutch settlers from Meteren, the Netherlands. Van Meter was incorporated on December 29, 1877.
The Van Meter Visitor is a local legend that arose from 1903 newspaper reports of people claiming to have seen a winged, bat-like creature in and around Van Meter, reported to be able to shoot light from the horn situated on its forehead and be unaffected by bullets.
The legend includes modern-day claims of sightings, with the Van Meter Visitor Festival held annually around the anniversary of alleged events, attracting tourist business for the town.
From the History section of Van Meter, Iowa on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Schools, colleges and libraries10
Woodland Hills Elementary School
School · 5.7 mi
1120 South 95Th Street, West Des Moines
Map of Van Meter
20 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30°F | 10°F | 0.8 in | 7.3 in |
| Feb | 35°F | 13°F | 1.3 in | 8.3 in |
| Mar | 48°F | 25°F | 2.1 in | 4.7 in |
| Apr | 60°F | 35°F | 3.6 in | 0.8 in |
| May | 71°F | 48°F | 5.0 in | 0.1 in |
| Jun | 80°F | 58°F | 4.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 84°F | 62°F | 4.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 82°F | 59°F | 3.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 76°F | 51°F | 3.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 63°F | 38°F | 2.9 in | 0.9 in |
| Nov | 48°F | 26°F | 2.0 in | 2.7 in |
| Dec | 35°F | 16°F | 1.2 in | 5.9 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Winterset 1S (15 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
Winterset Municipal Airport (3Y3) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 12 miles away.
- De Soto 4 mi west, about 6 min by car
- Waukee 6 mi northeast, about 9 min by car
- West Des Moines 9 mi east, about 14 min by car
- Earlham 9 mi west, about 15 min by car
- Clive 10 mi northeast, about 15 min by car
- Urbandale 11 mi northeast, about 18 min by car
- Grimes 13 mi northeast, about 21 min by car
- Norwalk 13 mi east, about 21 min by car
- Johnston 16 mi northeast, about 26 min by car
- Des Moines 18 mi east, about 28 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
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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
- ROBERT WILLIAM ANDREW FELLER HOMESTEAD, DALLAS COUNTY, IOWA, JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Iowa Veterans Cemetery - 11956233164, Carl Wycoff, CC BY 2.0
- Iowa Veterans Cemetery - 11956106913, Carl Wycoff, CC BY 2.0
- Iowa Veterans Cemetery - 11956227734, Carl Wycoff, CC BY 2.0
- Iowa Veterans Cemetery - 11956022033, Carl Wycoff, CC BY 2.0
- Iowa Veterans Cemetery - 11956554486, Carl Wycoff, CC BY 2.0
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