Community of Ankeny, Iowa
Never a Dull Moment

Life is hopping in and around Ankeny these days. Frequently praised for its family-friendly atmosphere and its active lifestyle, this exciting city is moving forward on all fronts.

Cool Activities.
In honor of the city’s commitment to “play at any age,” the first annual All-City Play Day drew more than 600 participants in 2008.

Twenty activity stations invite participants to enjoy a wide range of sports, arts, and fun. Men, women, and children practice kicking soccer balls or footballs, throwing basketballs, and hitting tennis balls.

Visitors can tackle a portable climbing wall and watch a demonstration of dog-training skills. Canoeing, amateur woodworking, and indoor games for older residents cap the day.

Summerfest, a favorite of Ankeny residents, brings the community to life with a carnival, parades, and fireworks.

Summer in Ankeny would not be complete without the Summer Sounds concert series and the after-work crowd’s Ankeny Unplugged. Both outdoor music events are held at the Ankeny Shell, a favorite destination.

Always Growing.
A new police headquarters facility opened in January of 2010. Designed to safeguard the city’s integrity and public safety, it has improved training space, enhanced evidence and investigative services, and increased vehicle and property storage.

One of Ankeny’s favorite recreation spots, Otter Creek Golf Course, has recently improved its amenities like the Pinnacle Club’s 285-person banquet facility for public events and the full-service Tin Cup Bar & Grille. Now a more challenging course for golf enthusiasts, the redesigned Otter Creek is surrounded by a residential living community. Course length increases from 6,600 to 6,881 yards, with four tee boxes at each hole. A driving range and 20 ponds provide a beautiful backdrop for golfers to enjoy.

Two other local golf courses, picnic areas, exceptional parks, and two nearby lakes—Saylorville and Big Creek—offer lots of choices for recreational activities, especially through the summer months.

Outdoor Exercise.
Progress continues on the city’s extensive walking and bicycling trails. Adding to more than 20 miles of trails completed in 2008, work on the 13-story-tall half-mile bridge on the Ankeny to Woodward trail began in the summer of 2009. By 2010 the trail will span 25 miles that offer dramatic vistas, overlooks, and an art-immersion experience reflective of the area’s coal mining history.

Pick Your Passion.
Art, culture, and plenty of music are always close at hand in Ankeny. The Ankeny Art Center, Ankeny Historical Society, theater groups, and a community band and chorus stage events year-round. A new 50,000-square-foot library soon will be located within the town center at Prairie Trail.

Not far away in nearby Des Moines are the Blank Park Zoo, the Science Center, and Living History Farms. Sports fans enjoy the convenience of Des Moines Menace soccer, Iowa Barnstormers arena football, Iowa Energy basketball, Iowa Cubs baseball and Iowa Chops hockey games, and the Des Moines Arts Festival and Downtown Farmer’s Market are always favorites.

Plenty of restaurants of all styles and price points cater to residents and visitors, and there are 21 churches and 12 hotels, lodges, and inns serving the city. Excellent shopping is close by in local shops, boutiques, and familiar high-end stores.

A Fine Education.
Ankeny children have access to some of the finest schools in the Midwest at eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school. Plans to build several more schools are well underway. The city is also home to the Ankeny Christian Academy, a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade independent nondenominational Christian school.

Three Iowa colleges have branches in the city, and two colleges—Des Moines Area Community College and Faith Baptist College—are located there.

Expanding Employment.
Many successful businesses have settled in Ankeny, attracted by its highly skilled and educated workforce. Residents have great opportunities to work a short distance from their homes. Pioneer Hi-Bred International and Darling International have each announced plans to build in Ankeny, and the Monsanto Company recently completed an expansion of its state-of-the-art facility.