Scan 6
1891 Des Moines and Polk County, Iowa, City Directory, 1891
6 lines. Read by computer on 17 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1Introduction.
3In presenting the Des Moines City and Polk County Directory at this time to our patrons and citizens, we take pleasure in stating that our population has more than doubled during the past six years, and that the indications are that Des Moines is making greater progress this year than ever before. The canvass has developed the fact that we have in the city, seventeen thousand, three hundred and fifty-four families, and this number multiplied by three and one-half, the average shown to be correct for this locality by the federal, also by the last state census, gives Des Moines a population of 60,739. The greatest gain in any single year in the history of the city has been during the past twelve months. The publication this year is for the city and county combined. In addition to the usual information found in city directories it contains the residents of the county outside of Des Moines, giving also the name, township, section of and and post-office address of the farmers. The county is well settled with a good class of enterprising citizens, the farms as a rule are well improved, and the class of improvements indicate prosperity and comfort. Outside of Des Moines the population is about seventeen thousand, so that Polk County has an entire population of about seventy-seven thousand, five hundred.
5The growth of the city has but just begun, and the possibilities of the future can scarcely be calculated, as indicated not only in the rapid increase in population but in manufacturing and wholesale trade, as well as in public and private improvements, which have been simply surprising during the past two years. We would call special attention to the great amount expended in public improvements, the marked increase in business, in our post-office, our banks, loan and trust companies, home insurance companies and loan and building associations, also to our mining interests, as well as the advance in 1890 in wholesale and manufacturing interests; showing an increase over that of any previous year, and conveying a good idea of the prosperity of the city. We would also call attention to the table of statistics of business, and to those looking for new business locations we would refer to the article entitled "Inducements to Capitalists."
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