Pleasant Hill, Iowa Explained

Pleasant Hill, Iowa
Settlement Type:City
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Iowa
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Polk
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:28.09
Area Land Km2:27.13
Area Water Km2:0.96
Area Total Sq Mi:10.85
Area Land Sq Mi:10.48
Area Water Sq Mi:0.37
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:10147
Population Density Km2:373.98
Population Density Sq Mi:968.59
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Ft:906
Coordinates:41.5847°N -93.5164°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP codes
Postal Code:50317, 50327
Area Code:515
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:19-63525
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:2396230

Pleasant Hill is a city in Polk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 10,147 at the time of the 2020 census.[2] It is part of the Des Moines metropolitan area. As of July 2005, Pleasant Hill was assigned a ZIP code, 50327.

History

Pleasant Hill incorporated as a city on May 12, 1956.[3]

1983 explosion

On November 20, 1983, an explosion of an explosives storage bunker just south of Pleasant Hill occurred. Reports were that two teenagers were hunting around the area. One of the teenagers may have shot a bullet from a hill which penetrated the bunker ceiling, which was deemed the probable cause of the explosion. The two teenagers were killed in the explosion, leaving only small pieces of shirts. The explosion was felt 45 miles away from the site. At least 25 homes within a one-mile radius of the explosion suffered damage, doors and windows were blown out, ceilings fell and houses were knocked off their foundations, police said. One house, 300 yards directly up the valley from the shack, suffered an inch-wide crack the entire width of its basement wall.[4] [5]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.29sqmi, of which 9.15sqmi is land and 0.14sqmi is water.[6]

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census[7] of 2010, there were 8,785 people, 3,395 households, and 2,426 families residing in the city. The population density was 960.1PD/sqmi. There were 3,587 housing units at an average density of 392/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 91.0% White, 2.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.5% of the population.

There were 3,395 households, of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.5% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.02.

The median age in the city was 35.1 years. 27.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.4% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.

2000 census

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 5,070 people, 1,900 households, and 1,451 families residing in the city. The population density was 647.1sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 1,966 housing units at an average density of 250.9sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 95.03% White, 0.79% African American, 0.28% Native American, 1.74% Asian, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 1.12% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.43% of the population.

There were 1,900 households, out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.4% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 2.99.

Age spread: 25.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $60,694, and the median income for a family was $68,889. Males had a median income of $42,450 versus $29,697 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,316. About 0.6% of families and 1.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Most of Pleasant Hill is part of the Des Moines Public School District, while newer portions of the city are in the Southeast Polk Community School District. The Des Moines district's Pleasant Hill Elementary School and Southeast Polk's Four Mile Elementary School and Southeast Polk Junior and Senior High Schools are located in Pleasant Hill.

Transportation

Transit service in the city is provided by Des Moines Area Regional Transit. Route 10 provides bus service connecting the city to the region.[9]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. March 16, 2022.
  2. Web site: 2020 Census State Redistricting Data . census.gov . United states Census Bureau . 12 August 2021.
  3. Book: Henning, Barbara Beving Long. Patrice K. Beam . 2003. Des Moines and Polk County: Flag on the Prairie. American Historical Press. Sun Valley, California. 1-892724-34-0.
  4. News: Ap . 1983-11-21 . AROUND THE NATION; 2 Teen-Agers Missing A Day After Iowa Blast . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-08-13 . 0362-4331.
  5. Web site: The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search . 2022-08-13 . news.google.com.
  6. Web site: US Gazetteer files 2010. United States Census Bureau. 2012-05-11. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt. 2012-01-25.
  7. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. 2012-05-11.
  8. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. 2008-01-31.
  9. Web site: DART System Map. August 28, 2023.