Beaconsfield is a city in Ringgold County,

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

, United States. The population was 15 in the 2020 census, unchanged from 2010 and an increase from 11 in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

. In the 2000 census Beaconsfield was the least populated incorporated city in Iowa; with the increase in the 2020 census, it is now the second smallest, after with Le Roy.

History

Beaconsfield started when the Humeston and Shenandoah Railroad built a train station. In 1881 a town company laid it out as a village. A post office was established in 1882 and closed in 1993. The town was incorporated on January 18, 1990. The community was named after

Lord Beaconsfield Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a centr ...

of England. The

Hy-Vee Hy-Vee, Inc. () is an employee-owned chain of supermarkets in the Midwestern and Southern United States, with more than 280 locations in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and soon Indiana, Kentucky, ...

grocery chain has its origin in the

Beaconsfield Supply Store The Beaconsfield Supply Store is a one-story brick building in rural Ringgold County, Iowa, United States. Built in 1916, it became the birthplace of the Hy-Vee chain of stores when Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg opened a general store togeth ...

, a general store opened by Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg in 1930. That location is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. On May 23, 1981, a tornado touched down southwest of Beaconsfield for 15.9 miles. It was rated F2

Geography

Beaconsfield's longitude and latitude are 40.807958, -94.050634. 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 , all land. The

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Ver ...

of Beaconsfield is 1210 feet above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Beaconsfield has a

hot-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

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 15 people, 8 households, and 5 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 14 housing units at an average density of . The racial makup of the city was 100.0% White. There were 8 households, of which 62.5% were married couples living together and 37.5% were non-families. 37.5% of households were one person and 25% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 1.88 and the average family size was 2.40. The median age was 55.5 years. 0.0% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% (1) between the ages of 18 and 24; 13.3% (2) from 25 to 44; 40% (6) were from 45 to 64; and 40% (6) were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.7% male and 53.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 11 people, 7 households, and 3 families living in the city. The population density was 15.2 people per square mile (5.9/km). There were 13 housing units at an average density of 18.0 per square mile (7.0/km). The racial makup of the city was 100.00% White. There were 7 households, out of which none had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, and 42.9% were non-families. 42.9% of households were one person and 42.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 1.57 and the average family size was 2.00. Population spread: 9.1% from 45 to 64, and 90.9% 65 or older. The median age was 70 years. For every 100 females, there were 57.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 57.1 males. The median household income was $10,833 and the median family income was $11,667. Males had a median income of $0 versus $0 for females. The per capita income for the city was $5,990. There were no families and 20.0% of the population living 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 no under eighteens and 20.0% of those over 64.

Education

Mount Ayr Community School District operates public schools serving the community.

Notable person

Peggy Whitson Peggy Annette Whitson (born February 9, 1960) is an American biochemistry researcher, retired NASA astronaut, and former NASA Chief Astronaut. Whitson has a total of 665 days in space, more than any other woman or American. Her first space mi ...

(1960– ) astronaut on three expeditions, from October 2009 to September 2017, held the office of The Chief Astronaut.

References

External links

IAGenWeb Project
History, information and more for Ringgold County

Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Beaconsfield, Iowa
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Ringgold County, Iowa Populated places established in 1881 1881 establishments in Iowa