ANKENY – Do more people mean more problems? That’s the question facing the City of Ankeny.
It’s now the third fastest growing city in the entire country, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
In the past 15 years, the population in Ankeny has doubled, and the U.S. Census Bureau says more than 3,000 people moved there between July 2014 and July 2015.
Residents say they’re proud of the growth, but city officials say they now have new challenges to face.
Sherri Starr spends her evenings in Old Town Ankeny, where she’s lived since the early 1990s.
“I just feel like this is my town, this is what I call home,” Starr said. “I take great pride in Ankeny, and I love it that other people are noticing that too.”
And what’s not hard to notice is the growth.
Just a few blocks away, new homes and businesses are popping up everywhere. And what a difference a few years makes.
“That was an empty field – and it was just nothing,” Starr said. “Like if you drove there, you got in trouble by the cops because you shouldn’t even be close to that land.”
Now, that area Starr mentions is filled with restaurants and shops. But as with all growth, the city’s feeling some growing pains.
“There are always challenges with being a part of a growing community, particularly a frenetic growing community like Ankeny’s been growing the past couple years,” said city manager David Jones.
One of those challenges – a higher demand for emergency services.
“We’ve seen over the last several years, continued growth in call volume for ambulance and fire calls,” said Frank Prowant of the Ankeny Fire Department. “That puts additional stress on the existing resources that we have.”
The city currently has two fire stations – and they’re building a third.
Residents like Starr say they’re confident the city will meet the demand, and they’re ready to see the changes.
“I’m never going to leave,” Starr said. “I’m a lifer. That’s just the way it is.”
Officials say in addition to a new fire station, they’re talking about possibly improving their infrastructure and hiring more city employees.
The two cities ahead of Ankeny in terms of growth are both in Texas. And Ankeny is the only city from the Midwest in the top 15.
