Editing West Des Moines, Iowa (section)

===New name===
By 1937, only two trains stopped daily; the sagging business climate needed a boost. Members of the commercial club believed the only way to attract new industries would be to change the name of the city. They thought the name "Valley Junction" conveyed the image of an old-fashioned and backward town to prospective employers and residents. The name of "West Des Moines" would give it the respectability and prestige the town desperately needed. There was a precedent by way of an editorial in the Valley Junction Express in 1905 that suggested dropping "Junction" from the name, but nothing came of it. The opposition feared the change to West Des Moines would cause property owners to be taxed the same as [[Des Moines, Iowa|Des Moines]]. It was also declared as a step toward [[annexation]] by Des Moines. A third and final election was held on December 7, 1937.

On January 1, 1938, the name "Valley Junction" was relegated to the past, and the new city of West Des Moines took the first steps to a new identity. Helping to establish this new identity, the most identifiable trait was the suspension of all property taxes between 1936 and 1938. This was due to the profits of the water department. Today the original business district of West Des Moines has been preserved as Historic Valley Junction. It features many locally owned specialty shops and restaurants as well as a weekly [[farmers' market]].

Though the name was changed, the community's commitment to education was bolstered by funds from the Public Works Administration. Despite the [[The Great Depression|Depression]], a new elementary school and the Old Valley Football Stadium were built and dedicated on May 24, 1939, at 8th and Hillside. The venerable Lincoln School was razed in 1938 to make way for the new building. Longfellow was retired in 1939 and then sold in 1940 for $1000. In 1955, West Des Moines Elementary School at Walnut and 6th was renamed "Nellie Phenix Elementary" in honor of the former principal.<ref name=WDMCS_history>{{cite web
| url = http://www.wdmcs.org/district/our-history/
| title = West Des Moines Community Schools: Our History
| access-date = December 14, 2015 | publisher = West Des Moines Community Schools
}}</ref>  The late 1930s were very good years in the school's athletic teams, producing memorable names: True, Gavin, Swink, and Sherbo. [[Charles Swink]] was a multi-record holder in track and field. His record at the Drake Relays stood for twenty years.

An overgrown concrete eyesore on Ashworth Road soon became the musical mecca for the surrounding area on June 6, 1939, when [[Tom Archer (architect)|Tom Archer]] opened the Val Air Ballroom. The site was originally the location of the stillborn [[Wilson Rubber]] company factory. Intended to bolster World War I tire production, the end of the war in 1918 left only a large concrete slab. Patrons of the Val Air could dance under a canopy of stars to the melodious sounds of [[Guy Lombardo]], [[Benny Goodman]], [[Glenn Miller]], and other big bands. The war years brought new vitality to the community without a cost.

Then and now, flooding frequently dampens, but has not broken the residents' spirits. Unpredictable waters of the [[Raccoon River]] and Walnut Creek have often exceeded their banks due to large amounts of rain in the summer and snowmelt in the spring, filling the streets and damaging homes and businesses.