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🏆 Ankeny just jumped 14 spots to #4 in the country
U.S. News & World Report dropped its 2026–2027 Best Places to Live rankings Monday, and Ankeny landed at No. 4 nationally — up from No. 18 a year ago. We were also tagged No. 1 in Iowa and No. 2 Best Small City to Live in the U.S. Overall score: 7.1/10.
The methodology blends job market, value, quality of life, and desirability — weighted by a public survey of thousands of Americans on what they actually care about in a place to live. The two stats that show up everywhere in the writeup: median household income near $108,000, and a 21-minute average commute.
For comparison, last year's #4 was a Florida suburb. This year, Ankeny went around it. Expect every realtor in the metro to update their email signature by Friday.
⚡ Quick hits
🚒 30 calls in 24 hours. Between 7 a.m. Monday and 7 a.m. Tuesday, Ankeny Fire ran on five building fires (two of them two-alarm, with mutual aid) plus a stack of storm-related hazards and medicals as Monday's severe weather rolled through. Polk County Sheriff and other agencies pitched in. We Are Iowa coverage →
🏛️ City lands a new assistant city manager. Brent Hinson — currently deputy city administrator in Mason City, 23+ years in Iowa local government — starts June 22. Salary: $192,400. He'll back City Manager priorities, run major projects, and serve as acting city manager when needed. City announcement →
What happens when you throw out the GTM playbook
That investor was wrong. Gamma is now worth $2B, with 50M users and more than half their growth driven by word of mouth.
They're one of 6 AI-native startups in HubSpot for Startups' free Bold Bets Playbook. Replit grew revenue 50x after half the team pushed back on the strategy. Ramp generated 100M+ views from a single stunt. Clay's co-founder wouldn't hang up a sales call until the prospect DMed him in Slack.
Each one took a GTM risk most founders would never greenlight. Each one paid off.
✈️ Local Business Spotlight: From friend-of-the-family travel hacker to full-time agent
When Mirel Begic kept getting "you should do this for a living" texts after a decade of planning vacations for friends and family, he listened. ZL Travel Agency is the result — now 3.5 years in, built largely on Ankeny families who want an all-inclusive that actually fits them.
About half his clients walk in already knowing they want Punta Cana. The other half need someone to ask the right questions first. Begic specializes in the Caribbean (Dominican Republic, Riviera Maya, and Cancun top the list), U.S. destinations, Europe, and both ocean and river cruises. His favorite moment isn't the booking — it's the email that comes back after the trip asking him to plan the next one.
The basics:
✈️ Family-focused: all-inclusive Caribbean, U.S., Europe, ocean + river cruises
👨👩👧 Consultative — questionnaire first, itinerary second
📞 515-918-1919 · 📧 [email protected] · 🌐 zltravelagency.com
📱 Facebook + Instagram: @zltravelagency
☀️ Weather
Today (Thu, May 21): Mostly sunny, high near 66°F, low around 47°F. WSW wind 5–13 mph.
Tomorrow (Fri, May 22): Partly sunny, high near 71°F, low around 52°F. Slight chance of showers/thunderstorms after 1 p.m. (20%).
📅 What's happening
Thursday, May 21
🪵 Wood Carving Club — 9–11 a.m. · Kirkendall Public Library · Details
💼 Central Iowa Business Conference (Ankeny Chamber community event) — 8 a.m.–5 p.m. · Prairie Meadows, 1 Prairie Meadows Dr., Altoona · Details
🍷 AYP Uncorked (Ankeny Young Professionals) — 6–8 p.m. · WineStyles Ankeny, 1450 SW Vintage Pkwy, Ste. 170 · Details
♟️ Social Chess — 6–8 p.m. · Kirkendall Public Library · Details
✍️ Write on Thursdays writer's workshop — 6–7:30 p.m. · Kirkendall Public Library · Details
📚 Evening Book Club — A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr — 6:30–7:30 p.m. · Kirkendall Public Library · Details
📚 Young Adult Book Club — Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry — 6:30–7:30 p.m. · Smokey Row, 1530 SW Vintage Pkwy · Details
Friday, May 22
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