Belle Plaine is a city in Benton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,330 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cedar Rapids

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

History

Belle Plaine was founded in 1862 when it was certain the railroad would be extended to that point. "Belle Plaine" is derived from the French meaning "beautiful plain". Belle Plaine is located on both the historic

Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913 ...

and the cross country tracks of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The

Iowa River The Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. It is about longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 and ...

flows roughly southeastward, just south of the city airport.

Demographics

Artesian Well at Belle Plaine - History of Iowa

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 2,534 people, 1,101 households, and 659 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 1,258 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.3%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.4% Asian, 0.7% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 1,101 households, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.1% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the city was 42.8 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.5% were from 25 to 44; 28.2% were from 45 to 64; and 19.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,878 people, 1,212 households, and 749 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,318 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.92%

, 0.07%

, 0.03% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.10%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.07% from

, and 0.63% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.66% of the population. There were 1,212 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.97. 25.7% are under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,316, and the median income for a family was $47,105. Males had a median income of $31,750 versus $24,966 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $16,321. About 3.3% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The mayor of Belle Plaine is David Fish. The City Administrator is Stephen Beck. Jacki McDermott is the City Clerk. Lance Hinschberger is the Park and Rec Director. Kris Hudson is the Police Chief. Russ Spading is the Fire Chief.

Education

The

Belle Plaine Community School District The Belle Plaine Community School District, is a rural, public school district in Belle Plaine, Iowa. The district covers southwest Benton County, eastern Tama County, and smaller portions of Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern r ...

provides education services to the Belle Plaine area. The district is one of three school districts serving Benton County. Belle Plaine High School and the junior high school are co-located. Longfellow Elementary school provides pre-K through 6th grade education.

Infrastructure

Iowa Highway 21 Iowa Highway 21 (Iowa 21) is a state highway that runs from north to south in central Iowa. It has a length of . Iowa 21 begins at Iowa 149 west of Hedrick and ends at a freeway interchange with U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) in W ...

passes through Belle Plaine providing north to south travel from Waterloo to

Hedrick Hedrick may refer to: * Hedrick, Indiana * Hedrick, Iowa * Hedrick, Missouri * Hedrick (surname) {{Disambig ...

and connections with both state and US east to west highways, U.S. Highway 30 north of town and Iowa Highway 212 south of town. The railroad provides east to west freight service to the city. The city airport is located on the south side of the town.

Notable people

* George Alexander, 28th Mayor of Los Angeles; lived several years in Belle Plaine. * Marjorie Cameron, artist, occultist, actress, and wife of rocket pioneer and occultist Jack Parsons. * Steve Carl, mixed martial artist. * William Dana Ewart, invented and patented the linked belt. * Henry B. Tippie, businessman in the NYSE Hall of Fame was born Belle Plaine *

Tom McLaury Tom McLaury (June 30, 1853 – October 26, 1881) was an American outlaw. He and his brother Frank owned a ranch outside Tombstone, Arizona, Arizona Territory during the 1880s. He was a member of a group of outlaws Cowboys and cattle rustlers t ...

, outlaw cowboy; grew up in Belle Plaine. * Earl Moran, 20th century

pin-up A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model whose mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously glamour models, fashion models ...

and glamour artist was born in Belle Plaine in 1893. * Hap Moran, New York Giants football star, was born in Belle Plaine in 1901. *

Lonnie Nielsen Lonnie Dean Nielsen (June 29, 1953 – January 20, 2021) was an American professional golfer. Nielsen was born and raised in Belle Plaine, Iowa. His father started him in golf as a youngster on the sand green courses in and around his hometown. ...

, professional golfer, was born in Belle Plaine in 1953. * Frank Wearne, raced seven times in the Indianapolis 500 * Rod Rust, former New England Patriots Head Coach coached Belle Plain High School in 1954-1955 * Henry Tippie, businessman, was born in Belle Plaine

References

External links

Official City Website
Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Belle Plaine
{{authority control Cities in Benton County, Iowa Cities in Iowa Cedar Rapids, Iowa metropolitan area 1862 establishments in Iowa Populated places established in 1862