Number Six on CareerBuilder.com's list of Top 30 Cities for Jobs in the US, Ames is located in the heart of Central Iowa.

Expansion Management Magazine named Ames among its recognized Five-Star Quality of Life Metros.

Employment Review magazine ranked Ames as one of its Top 20 Best Places to Live and Work out of 300 cities nominated.

In November 2008, BusinessWeek magazine named the city among its Top Three Best Places to Raise Children.

Overall, Ames has ranked high on multiple lists that rate cities on the quality of their environment, economic, education, health care, public safety, recreation and otehr features.

The City of Ames was built by a land company affiliated with the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad in the mid 19th century in 1864, around the time of the American Civil War. The town was named after a Massachusetts Congressman that traveled to the Midwest in order to help choose railroad sites for stations and other facilities. Agriculture, transportation, and freight underlay the local economy until Education and Healthcare emerged to serve the growing town and the surrounding lands of Story County. Through time, these last two fields expanded with local college and university involvement that included new agricultural development techniques as well. Other fields of endeavor emerged and in the 21st century, Ames is also a center for sustainability, politics, nutrition, and many other innovations.

Ror current business and economic development plans, visit the link at The Ames Economic Development Commission.

• Baxter International - Healthcare Industry: manufacturer and marketer of medical devices that help patients with various disorders and conditions. Serch Job listings at http://www.baxter.com.
• Coca-Cola Enterprises - Soft drink manufacturer and distributor. Search for jobs in Ames at this link: North America or Britain.
• Monsanto Company - Agricultural Technology, incorporating and using sustainability. Visit Job Listings at http://www.monsanto.com.

1. Computer Software Applications Engineers - IT
2. Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts - IT
3. Computer Systems Analysts - IT
4. Financial Services & Insurance
5. Registered Nurses & Other Practitioners and Techs - Healthcare.
6. Education - Teachers & Teacher Assistants, K-12 and Postsecondary (college or vocational school level).
7. Wholesale & Retail workers - includes supervisors
8. Public Administration & Government workers
9. Manufacturing & Production jobs
10. Transportation/Freight & Materials Moving

Find jobs in Ames, Iowa with the search engine application NationJobs for Ames.

In the fall of 2008, the largest numbers of job listings in Ames that are posted on SimplyHired.com include: assistant professor, lecturer, research associate, plasma center tech, account manager, and systems biologist. View current job openings at Ames Jobs at SimplyHired.

• Iowa State University of Science and Technology (ISU) - A Space Grant school. The Atanasoff-Berry computer, the fist electronic digital computer, was invented at this school. Construction of a new 52,000+ sq ft Research Park was begun in October 2008. The New Seed Science Center opened during the same month.
• Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC)
• DMACC Career Academy, Hunziker Center - Technological programs for high school and adult students.
• William Penn University - Designed for the working adult, the School for Working Adults provides flexibility in degree attainment.

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

• ISU Extention for Youth - Science, Engineering, & Technology (E-SET). See the ISU website.
• Other ISU Extension programs and website materials provide information on a number of practical home and personal topics of great value. These include Diaster Recovery, Money Management, Weight Loss, Power Outages, 4-H, Home and Garden, and dozens of other topics. 

Local institutions of higher learning partner in their research efforts with local businesses like Monsanto and others in order to enhance the success fo sustainability and agricultural in Iowa ans the Midwest region of the nation. Material such as the following are demonstrating the success of and facilitating further development of biofuels in Iowa and other US States with agricultural components in their economies.:

Emerging Biofuels: Outlook of Effects on U.S. Grain, Oilseed, and Livestock Markets by Simla Tokgoz, Amani Elobeid, and Jacinto F. Fabiosa, et.al. Iowa State University, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development; 2007.

See a summary and full text fo the article at: Emerging Biofuels.

ISU, or Iowa State University of Science & Technology, is a space grant college that began as a land-grant college. It is also the host of the US Department of Agriculture's National Animal Disease Center, as well as a partner in research with the HQ for the Iowa State Department of Transportation. The federal government also operates a nearby Department of Energy Lab. Because of all this and the presence of the usual state and local governments, government employers overall are among the largest employers in the Ames market area.

ISU operates multiple dozens of dedicated research centers, including the Seed Research Center for agricultural studies, and Aerospace Engineering department, the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, the Center for Biorenewable Chemicals, the Center for Designing Foods to Improve Nutrition, and many others that help to improve sustainability and the overall quality of life, and to create jobs in the community.

Visit the link for ISU in the section above to learn morea about these innovative programs.

• Iowa State University Cyclones
• Iowa Sports Foundation
• Ames Sports - Community teams and leagues.
• City of Ames - City services and listings of bike trails, hiking trails, parks, and other services. visit particularly the left sidebar under "Living in Ames", "Departments", and "In Your Neighborhood."