Polk City, Iowa Explained

Official Name:Polk City, Iowa
Settlement Type:City
Motto:A City For All Seasons
Mapsize:250px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Polk
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:14.03
Area Land Km2:13.65
Area Water Km2:0.38
Area Total Sq Mi:5.42
Area Land Sq Mi:5.27
Area Water Sq Mi:0.15
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:5543
Population Density Km2:405.94
Population Density Sq Mi:1051.40
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Ft:843
Coordinates:41.7781°N -93.7133°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:50226
Area Code:515
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:19-64020
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:2396245

Polk City is a city in Polk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5543 in the 2020 census, an increase from 2,344 in 2000.[2] It is part of the Des Moines - West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Polk City is located along Saylorville Lake and near Big Creek State Park.

History

Polk City was settled in 1846 and incorporated as a city on March 13, 1875. It was an early contender for the seat of Polk County before Des Moines was ultimately chosen.[3] The city took its name from its location in Polk County.[4] Polk City is also known for having the only "town square" in all of Polk County.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.47sqmi, of which 4.32sqmi is land and 0.15sqmi is water.[5]

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census[6] of 2010, there were 3,418 people, 1,232 households, and 957 families living in the city. The population density was 791.2PD/sqmi. There were 1,276 housing units at an average density of 295.4/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 97.2% White, 0.8% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population.

There were 1,232 households, of which 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.3% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 22.3% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.11.

The median age in the city was 34.4 years. 30.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.7% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 7.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.

2000 census

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 2,344 people, 826 households, and 645 families living in the city. The population density was 862.4sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 842 housing units at an average density of 309.8sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 98.08% White, 0.30% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population.

There were 826 households, out of which 43.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.5% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.8% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.15.

28.5% are under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 99 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $58,000, and the median income for a family was $64,688. Males had a median income of $41,875 versus $27,863 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,476, and About 2.0% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 15.6% of those aged 65 or over.

Notable people

Education

North Polk Community School District serves almost all of the city.[8] Polk City is home to North Polk West Elementary, which educates children age 3 through grade 3. Grades 4 and 5 students attend Big Creek Elementary in northeast Polk City, 6-8 graders attend the North Polk Middle school and 9-12 graders attend North Polk High School, both of which are in Alleman, which is roughly 8.5 miles away.

A small section of the city limits extends into the Ankeny Community School District.[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. Book: Chicago and North Western Railway Company. A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. 1908. 114.
  5. Web site: US Gazetteer files 2010. United States Census Bureau. 2012-05-11. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt. 2012-07-02.
  6. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. 2012-05-11.
  7. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. 2008-01-31.
  8. Web site: North Polk. Iowa Department of Education. 2020-04-02.
  9. Web site: Ankeny. Iowa Department of Education. 2020-04-02.