Around Ames ...
The largest community within a 50 mile [80 km] radius is Des Moines. It is located about 29 miles [46 km] to the south of Ames. Des Moines has a population of 212,000 people.<1>.
The next largest community is Ankeny. It is located about 20 miles [ km] to the south of Ames and has a population of 70,100 people.
For comparison, Ames has a population of 67,000 people.
Below is a sample of neighboring communities based on their distance from Ames, with the nearest first.
- Ontario
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west) - Gilbert
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert
- Gilbert is located in Story County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,152 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gilbert <3>
- Kelley
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelley
- Kelley is located in Story County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 300 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kelley <3>
- Midvale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midvale
- Midvale is located in Story County
- Shipley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shipley
- Shipley is located in Story County
- Jordan
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
- Jordan is located in Boone County
- Zenorsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenorsville
- Zenorsville is located in Story County
- Huxley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huxley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huxley
- Huxley is located in Story County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,270 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Huxley <3>
- Cambridge
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cambridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
- Cambridge is located in Story County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 796 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cambridge <3>
- Continue List (6 more) ...
- Nevada
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nevada
- Nevada is located in Story County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,682 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nevada <3>
- Luther
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west) - Slater
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slater
- Slater is located in Story County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,471 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Slater <3>
- Sheldahl
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldahl
- Sheldahl is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 325 people
- Story City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Story City
- Story City is located in Story County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,330 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Story City <3>
- Boone
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boone
- Boone is located in Boone County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,407 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boone <3>
- Nevada
For more communities neighboring Ames, please visit our County-by-County Page for Ames.
Story County ...
Ames is located in Story County<4>.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Story County: Boone, Hamilton, Hardin, Jasper, Marshall & Polk.
Curious and Interesting Names Near Ames ...
It seems like there is always a nearby community with a name that seems interesting, maybe familiar or just catches our attention in some other way. We've collected some names which strike us as being curious or interesting. Our list can be found on the Tidbits & Trivia Page for Ames.
Airports Near Ames ...
When a trip includes a flight, we try to find an airport that best fits our travel plans.<5> To that purpose, we've assembled a list of that are relatively close to Ames and that information can be found on the Airports Page for Ames.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Ames ...
Looking for more information about Ames? A good source is the TripAdvisor website and we always start with their TripAdvisor page for Ames. Their page will give you an overview and then additional links that will help you to find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the TripAdvisor page for Ames, there are neighboring communities that also have TripAdvisor pages. A list of those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Ames.
Websites We Enjoy ...
When we're planning a trip, we like to check the following websites for sights, attractions and places to visit.
- For the State of Iowa:
- TripAdvisor Links for:
- Iowa Statewide Tourism
- Ames Tourism
- Additional neighboring communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Ames
- Also of Interest:
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Ames: www.city.ames.ia.us/
The official website for Story County: www.storycounty.com/
The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Ames. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <4> | If you're interested in how the shape of Iowa's counties, including Story, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <5> | When we are planning a trip (for example, to Ames), we usually look for the obvious: the choice of airlines that fly into the airport, the number of flights, the connections we have to make, which car rentals are available, etc. We also look for sights and attractions that we might find between any given airport and our destination - we do love exploring. We're willing to fly into a more distant airport if we can get the services and amenities that we like. Even though our choice of airport might be inconvenient to others, it usually gives us a better trip. |