Located just ten minutes from downtown Des Moines, Ankeny is one of Iowa’s fastest growing and most advanced communities. Ankeny has a premier location at the crossroads of Interstate 80 and Interstate 35, allowing the community a location advantage for those needing coast to coast or border to border access. Union Pacific allows Ankeny to have rail access. The Ankeny Regional Airport also features two runways; the longer of the two is 5,500 feet and is able to handle medium sized business jets. The airport allows both passenger and cargo service.
Ankeny was founded in 1875 by John Fletcher and the town was incorporated in 1903. At the 2000 census the Ankeny population was 27,118. The city conducted a special census in 2005 that counted 36,161. The most recent US Census Bureau estimates that 43,319 residents living in Ankeny in 2009.