Louis some 200 miles (320 km) from the Des Moines River. One popular interpretation of "Des Moines" ignores Vogel's research, and concludes that "Des Moines" refers to French Trappist monks, who lived in huts on top of what is now known as Monks Mound near St. Some historians and researchers lacking linguistic or Algonquianist training concluded that Moingona meant "people by the portage" or something similar, a reference to the Des Moines Rapids, where the earliest meetings between the Moingona and European explorers took place. The historian Virgil Vogel claimed that "Moingona" was derived from the Algonquian clan name " Loon". The French "des Moines" (pronounced ( listen)) translates literally to either "from the monks" or "of the monks".
In recent years Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Facebook have established data processing and logistical facilities in the Des Moines metro. Other major corporations such as Wells Fargo, Voya Financial, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, ACE Limited, Marsh, Monsanto and Pioneer Hi-Bred have large operations in or near the metro area. The city is the headquarters for the Principal Financial Group, Athene USA insurance, the Meredith Corporation, Ruan Transportation, EMC Insurance Companies, and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. insurance companies" in a Business Wire article and named the third largest "insurance capital" of the world.
In fact, Des Moines was credited as the "number one spot for U.S. insurance industry and has a sizable financial services and publishing business base. The five-county metropolitan area is ranked 91st in terms of population in the United States with 599,789 residents according to the 2013 estimate by the United States Census Bureau. The city's population was 203,433 as of the 2010 census. It is named after the Des Moines River, which may have been adapted from the French Rivière des Moines, meaning "River of the Monks".
It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It is also the county seat of Polk County. Des Moines i / d ᵻ ˈ m ɔɪ n/ is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S.