Business View Magazine | December 2019

347 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2019 Iowa The key to good living W aukee, Iowa, has a current estimated population of 23,000, and is recognized as one of the fastest-growing cities in the Hawkeye State. Over the years, Waukee has transformed from a small rural town to an active suburb of the Greater Des Moines Metropolitan Area, while still upholding a small town atmosphere focused on families and friends with convenient access to local and regional amenities, which is evident in the quality of its school district, park facilities, and annual festivals held throughout the year. At the same time, the city is also dedicated to economic development and expanding business opportunities. In 1869, General Lewis Addison (L.A.) Grant and Major William Ragan purchased the land on which the Des Moines Valley Railroad had just announced that it would be building a railroad. Grant and Ragan named the town Shirley, but when Gen. Reid of the Des Moines Valley Railroad heard about it, he said it should be Kettlestone