Polk County, Iowa, USA

Polk County is in central Iowa and includes Des Moines, the state capital and county seat. It anchors much of the Des Moines metropolitan area but also contains farmland and smaller cities beyond the urban core. The Des Moines and Raccoon rivers cross the county and meet in the capital, while Saylorville Reservoir lies to the north. Growth along Interstate 35 has changed parts of the county’s rural landscape. As Iowa’s most populous county, it combines state government, regional commerce and residential communities within one jurisdiction.