This week across the Metro
Eight towns, one calendar. Farmers markets are laid out below so you can pick whichever day/town works — then the standing weekly stuff, then everything actually happening this week and next, chronologically, with shared metro-wide events merged into a single line instead of repeated eight times.
Farmers Markets across the Metro
| Town | Day & time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Ankeny | Sat, 8am–noon | Uptown/AMP, 715 W 1st |
| Johnston | Tue, 4–7pm | Town Center, 6221 Merle Hay Rd |
| Bondurant | 2nd & 4th Wed, 6–8pm | Main St, 201 1st St SE |
| Waukee | Wed evenings | Downtown Triangle |
| Polk City | Thu, 4–7pm | On the Square |
| Beaverdale | Tue, 4–7pm | Franklin Jr. High lot, 4801 Franklin Ave |
| West Des Moines | Thu, 4–8pm | Historic Valley Junction, 100–300 blocks of 5th St |
| Urbandale | — | No confirmed weekly market; Iowa Orchard farm stand, 9875 Meredith Dr, Tue–Sun 9am–6pm |
| Altoona | Thu, 5–8pm | Brightside Aleworks parking lot, late May–late Aug |
Johnston and Beaverdale both run Tuesday afternoons — pick whichever's closer if you're choosing between the two. West Des Moines' Valley Junction market is the roster's biggest, with 80+ weekly vendors. Urbandale is the one town here without its own market — Johnston's (Tue) or Valley Junction's (Thu) are the closest options. Altoona's Brightside Market shares Thursday with Johnston, and pairs a beer garden right on site.
Every week, count on these
Coming up across the Metro · chronological, all 9 towns
This week's spotlight — all 9 towns
One Business of the week per town, full card treatment. Everything else — hidden gems, new openings, deals, neighbors doing good — below in compact form so nothing gets lost, but nothing crowds out the headline either.
Business of the week, town by town
Main Street Cafe & Bakery
Ankeny's highest-rated spot (4.7★) — from-scratch baking, all-day breakfast, and sandwiches, soups & paninis that keep regulars coming back, dine-in or to go.
Roots95 Craft Kitchen & Bar
Chef Arturo Mora's New American & Latin menu on Chambery Blvd — a daily happy hour locals plan dinner around.
Big Steer Restaurant & Lounge
Bondurant's steakhouse-and-bar mainstay — the go-to for a patio dinner or a night out without leaving town.
Littleleaf Luncheonette
A cozy breakfast-and-lunch spot in a restored century-old building in Old Town, with a tapas-&-wine-bar dinner menu Wed–Sat — one of the highest-rated tables in town at 5.0 stars.
Rising Sun Cafe
The cozy, mom-and-pop breakfast & coffee spot on 2nd St — 4.5 stars, #1 of 9 Polk City restaurants, and reviewers keep coming back for the cinnamon rolls.
Christopher's
Beaverdale's landmark of fine food — an Italian-American tradition on Beaver Avenue for more than 50 years, and still the neighborhood's go-to for a proper night out.
Cooper's on 5th
A Historic Valley Junction anchor — craft cocktails and comfort food in a century-old storefront on the neighborhood's namesake street, steps from the Thursday farmers market.
The Machine Shed
A farm-to-table Iowa original next door to Living History Farms — famous for its cinnamon rolls and hash brown casserole, open daily.
Brick & Ivy
Thin-crust pizza, Italian beef and Chicago dogs, best enjoyed on the rooftop patio that looks straight out over Adventureland's coasters — about as Altoona a view as it gets.
New in town, across the metro
More to discover — hidden gems & neighbors doing good
Nominate any business, nonprofit, or hidden gem in any of these nine towns — it's always free, we never charge to be featured.
The Metro, by the numbers
Side-by-side comparison across all nine towns — the whole point of a Metro edition. Full per-town civic detail (budgets, permits, council agendas) stays in each town's own Brief.
| Town | Population | Median income | Median age | Safety note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ankeny | 80,809 (+17.9% since 2020) | $108K | 33.6 | Crime index 22.1 (natl. avg 33.4) |
| Johnston | 24,384 | $107K | 37.4 | Overall safety A+ |
| Bondurant | ~10,100 (fastest-growing in the metro, ~90% since 2010s) | $135.7K | 32.4 | Crime rate down 26% YoY |
| Waukee | 36,825 (+52% since 2020) | $101K | 34.7 | Violent crime 1.82× lower than avg |
| Polk City | 6,845 | $164K | 39.1 | Overall safety A+ |
| Beaverdale | ~8,000 (Des Moines neighborhood, zips 50310/50311) | — | — | Part of Des Moines, not incorporated separately |
| West Des Moines | 76,036 (+10.3% since 2020) | $86.6K | 36 | 1 in 53 — inflated by retail/commercial property crime |
| Urbandale | 48,850 (+7.2% since 2020) | $112.8K | 39.2 | Niche grade A — #6 Best Places to Live in Iowa |
| Altoona | ~22,600 (+15% since 2020) | $86,114 | 36.8 | Property crime +40% vs. state avg. (retail-corridor driven); violent crime well below avg. |
Metro takeaways: Polk City has the metro's highest median household income ($164K); Ankeny remains the largest town (80,809), but West Des Moines is now a close second (76,036) and is the metro's clear corporate anchor (Athene, Farm Bureau Financial Services); Waukee (+52% since 2020) and Bondurant (~90% growth since the 2010s) are the fastest-growing towns in the roster; Beaverdale is the only established, non-suburban entry — a Des Moines neighborhood, not its own city; Urbandale is the roster's most mature suburb by median age (39.2) and its highest-rated for overall safety (Niche A, #6 statewide); Altoona is the roster's entertainment/retail hub — Adventureland, Prairie Meadows and Bass Pro Shops draw 600,000+ visitors a year, which is also why its property-crime rate reads high (daytime retail-corridor activity, not residential).
What's being built — the metro's biggest project
Bondurant's Vermeer production facility ($103M, 182 jobs) is the single biggest new-development story across all nine towns this week — the first project approved under Iowa's new BIG incentive program. Runner-up: Waukee's Kettlestone Central, a 164-acre mixed-use district being built as the city's future downtown, part of a broader $325M Kettlestone Lakes investment. Close behind: West Des Moines' Valley West Mall/"Grand Experience" redevelopment — a walkable district with a water park, paired with a $25.5M public rebuild of Grand Ave — and Altoona's Shoppes at Prairie Crossing (250,000 sq ft), a fourth entertainment/retail anchor headed for the Outlets of Des Moines corridor.
Families across the Metro
A few standout family picks per town — full weekly detail (splash pads, story times, youth sports) lives in each town's own Brief.
Trails & lakes across the Metro
Bigger Iowa weekends — RAGBRAI (Jul 18–25) and the Iowa State Fair (Aug 13–23) — are shared across the whole metro; see This Week.
Rainy-day & indoor picks
Home sales across the Metro
2026 YTD, self-pulled where a public assessor feed exists (Polk County towns); Redfin/Zillow aggregates where it doesn't (Waukee is Dallas County; Beaverdale is a Des Moines neighborhood with no separate district).
| Town | Median price (YTD) | Homes sold | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ankeny | $325K | 1,044 | 21% new construction · $236/sq ft |
| Johnston | $375K | 223 | 18% new construction · $230/sq ft |
| Bondurant | $329,900 | 149 | 27% new construction · $230/sq ft |
| Waukee | $355K (Redfin) | — | Dallas Co., no per-sale feed · $225/sq ft · ~26 days to pending |
| Polk City | $365K | 105 | 25% new construction · range $75K–$1.41M |
| Beaverdale | $244,909 | — | Established DSM housing stock, not new-build · $213/sq ft |
| West Des Moines | $290,100 (self-pulled) / $369K (Redfin listing) | 318 | Polk Co. "WD" district, real per-sale feed · range $50K–$2.2M |
| Urbandale | $298,735 | 274 | Polk Co. "UR" district · 0% new construction · $209/sq ft · range $53.75K–$4.55M |
| Altoona | $328,000 | 263 | Polk Co. "AT" district · 19% new construction · $225/sq ft |
Metro takeaway: Johnston is now the outright priciest town in the roster at $375K median, with Waukee close behind at $355K (down from a tie with Johnston last check, per Redfin's latest cut). Beaverdale remains the affordability standout — roughly $110–$130K under the new-build suburbs — because it's established Des Moines housing stock, not new-build pricing. West Des Moines is the roster's odd one out: its self-pulled county median ($290,100) sits well below Redfin's current-listing aggregate ($369K), since the county feed captures every actual 2026 closing — including the city's large stock of older, smaller & condo-style homes — while Redfin skews toward newer active listings. Urbandale is the only town in the roster with zero new-construction sales this year — a fully built-out suburb where every 2026 closing was an existing home, yet it still produced the metro's single priciest sale of the year ($4.55M, Ridgeview Dr). Altoona sits right in the middle of the pack at $328K, tracking close to Bondurant ($329,900) with a healthy mix of resale and new construction (19%).
Between the eight — and beyond
Part of the Metro Brief's whole point: these towns are close enough to borrow from each other.
Deals around the Metro
Schools across the Metro
| Town | District | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ankeny | Ankeny Community School District | — |
| Johnston | Johnston CSD — Dragons | Niche #12 in Iowa |
| Bondurant | Bondurant-Farrar CSD — Bluejays | Niche #13 DSM-area, B grade, 2,637 students |
| Waukee | Waukee CSD — Warriors & Wolves (2 HS) | 13,917 students; Supt. Brad Buck retiring 2026 after 34 yrs |
| Polk City | North Polk CSD | — |
| Beaverdale | Des Moines Public Schools | — |
| West Des Moines | West Des Moines CSD — Valley Tigers | Niche A− #8 in Iowa; unique freshman-only Valley Southwoods campus |
| Urbandale | Urbandale CSD — J-Hawks | HS grade B (Niche); ~4,208 students; #7 Best Public HS in Polk County |
| Altoona | Southeast Polk CSD — Rams | Niche A− district grade; ~7,400 students across 11 schools; serves Altoona, Runnells & Mitchellville |
Jobs across the Metro
| Town | Open listings | Sample opening this week |
|---|---|---|
| Ankeny | 12 | Police Officer (Secret Service Police), U.S. Secret Service, $75K recruitment incentive. |
| Johnston | 10 | Strategic Sourcing Manager, Corteva Agriscience, ~$95K est. |
| Bondurant | 6 | Sr. Operations Manager, Amazon, ~$186.1K est. |
| Waukee | 12 | Streets Superintendent, City of Waukee, $77.75K–$102.3K |
| Polk City | 12 | Commercial HVAC Service Sales Representative, gpac, ~$75K est. |
| Beaverdale | 12 | General Manager, Panchero's Mexican Grill, ~$60K est. |
| West Des Moines | 12 | HCMS Director, Elevance Health, ~$114.8K est. |
| Urbandale | 6 | NP – HouseCalls, UnitedHealth Group, ~$65.7K est. |
| Altoona | 10 | Full-Time Dock Worker/Forklift Operator, Dayton Freight |
Amazon's first Iowa fulfillment center (645,000 sq ft, ~1,000 jobs) is already open in Bondurant; Vermeer's new $103M/182-job facility is under construction right behind it — making Bondurant the metro's biggest single-town jobs story despite having the fewest listed openings this week. Amazon's own local listing (Sr. Operations Manager) now posts an estimated $186K, up from $161K last check. West Des Moines' listings skew heavily healthcare (MercyOne/UnityPoint-adjacent travel-nurse staffing), reflecting its large hospital & clinic footprint, alongside Athene & Farm Bureau Financial Services as its two biggest corporate anchors. Urbandale's listings lean home-health & nursing too (UnitedHealth Group, UnityPoint Health, Aveanna, Lifepoint) — a real reflection of its older resident base rather than one dominant employer; John Deere ISG, Pepsi Beverages and MidAmerican Energy are its steadiest working presences. Altoona's listings run the most varied of the roster — logistics (Dayton Freight), healthcare (Altoona Smiles), retail/hospitality (Texas Roadhouse, Prairie Meadows, Cinemark, Walmart, McDonald's) — a direct reflection of its entertainment/retail-corridor economy rather than a single anchor employer.
Garage sales & the weekend hunt
Every town's weekend garage-sale & treasure-hunt listings roll up here once each site is live; for now, check each town's own Brief for the current weekend's rows (gsalr.com + garagesalefinder.com, refreshed weekly).