The term CITY NEAR DES MOINES can be broken down into four crossword solutions: AMES (4 letters), IOWAN (5 letters), IOWA (4 letters), and IOWANS (6 letters). AMES, Iowa is a city located approximately 30 miles north of Des Moines, the capital of Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University and has a population of over 66, 000 people. An Iowan is a person from the state of Iowa, and Iowans are the people who live in the state.