Ames, Iowa

About Ames

Set in the central part of Iowa, Ames is a thriving city counting 69,026 people who proudly call it home. It ranks as the 8th largest city in Iowa.

Officially, Ames is an incorporated city with its own municipal government. The community covers 28.2 square miles, giving it a balanced suburban layout with room to breathe at roughly 2,448 residents per square mile.

📰 Ames News Today

• Faces in the crowd: See photos from Ames Pridefest 2026 The Ames Tribune · Oct 10
• WVU’s Rich Rodriguez Gets Honest About Unfair Pressure Facing The Mountaineers Yahoo Sports · Oct 10
• What to know about Tyrese Haliburton's return to Iowa State with the Indiana Pacers KCCI · Oct 7
• Haila sees Ames’ future tied to Iowa State Iowa State Daily · Oct 8
• How Kickoff Times Impact Iowa State Football Attendance Sports Illustrated · Oct 10

Live headlines via Google News — updates through the day.

📰 Local News

Read the latest Iowa headlines on our news site, Bless News Daily.

What Makes Ames Unique

• A top-25 city in Iowa by population (#8 of 940 incorporated places).
• One of 6 places in the US named Ames — but the Iowa one has a character all its own.
• Home to 2.6% of Iowa's city-dwelling population.

Why People Love It Here

• The sweet spot: real amenities without big-city congestion.
• Local businesses and schools anchored by a stable resident base of 69,026.
• Well connected: 3+ neighboring communities within 8 miles.

📍 Neighborhoods in Ames

Click a neighborhood to see it on the map.

🍽️ Where to Eat in Ames

• 1+1 Restaurant & Tea — chinese
• 7 Brew — coffee shop (café)
• Abelardo's Mexican Food — mexican
• Applebee's — american
• Aunt Maude's — american
• Blaze Pizza — pizza
• Blue Fish Hawaii Poke Bowl — hawaiian
• Brick City Grill — burger
• Buffalo Wild Wings — wings
• Cabin Coffee Co. — coffee shop (café)

Local spots mapped by the OpenStreetMap community · click a restaurant to read or write reviews.

🎡 Fun Things to Do

• Ames History Museum · Museum
• Brunnier Art Museum · Museum
• Donald and Ruth Furman Aquatic Center · Water park
• Farm House Museum · Museum
• Inside Golf & Games · Arcade
• Octagon Center for the Arts · Art gallery
• Elwood the Gnome · Attraction

Attractions mapped by the OpenStreetMap community.

🏞️ Parks & Outdoors in Ames

• Ames Veterans Memorial reviews ★
• Bandshell Park reviews ★
• Brookside Park reviews ★
• Campustown Court reviews ★
• Christofferson Park reviews ★
• Country Gables Park reviews ★
• Daley Park reviews ★
• Duff Park reviews ★
• Emma McCarthy Lee Park reviews ★
• Franklin Park reviews ★
• Gateway Park reviews ★
• Greenbriar Park reviews ★

Parks mapped by the OpenStreetMap community · "reviews" opens each park's live Google reviews.

🏫 Schools in Ames

• Ames High School
• Ames Middle School
• Edwards Elementary School
• Fellows Elementary School
• Meeker Elementary School
• Mitchell Elementary School
• Northwood Pre-School
• Sawyer Elementary School

Public schools, U.S. Dept. of Education (NCES) 2023–24 directory.

🏥 Hospitals & Healthcare

• Mary Greeley Medical Center ★★★★ (4/5 CMS rating) · 24/7 ER

Medicare-registered hospitals with official CMS star ratings.

⚡ Quick Facts

🌤️ Current Weather

Full forecast →

Source: National Weather Service

🗺️ Map of Ames

🏘️ Nearby Communities