Dyersville, Iowa
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Dyersville is a city in eastern Delaware County and western Dubuque County in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
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 the ...
. It is part of the
Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...
,
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 town, incorporate ...
. The population was 4,477 at the time of the 2020 census, up from 4,035 in 2000.


History

Dyersville was laid out in 1851. It was named for early landowner James Dyer (1820-1864). Dyer immigrated from
Banwell Banwell is a village and civil parish on the River Banwell in the North Somerset district of Somerset, England. Its population was 2,919 according to the 2011 census. History Banwell Camp, east of the village, is a univallate hillfort which ...
, England and established a hotel, The Clarendon, in 1857. His sons, James Andrew Dyer with 6th Iowa Cavalry Regiment and Henry Andrew Dyer with 21st Iowa Infantry Regiment, served in the
United States Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
.


''Field of Dreams''

The 1989 movie ''
Field of Dreams ''Field of Dreams'' is a 1989 American sports fantasy drama film written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson, based on Canadian novelist W. P. Kinsella's 1982 novel ''Shoeless Joe''. The film stars Kevin Costner as a farmer who builds a ...
'' was filmed at a farm near Dyersville. The facility, now named for the movie, hosted the
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
game between the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
and the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
(broadcast live as
MLB at Field of Dreams MLB at Field of Dreams is a recurring Major League Baseball (MLB) regular-season game played in a ballpark adjacent to Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa, a site popularized by the 1989 baseball film '' Field of Dreams''. The first edition of ...
) on August 12, 2021. It had originally been scheduled for the previous year, but was postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. The facility hosted the second
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
game in consecutive years between the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
and the
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
on August 11, 2022.


Attractions

* The
Basilica of St. Francis Xavier The Basilica of St. Francis Xavier is a parish church in the Archdiocese of Dubuque located in Dyersville, Iowa, United States. The church was named in honor of the missionary Saint Francis Xavier. It was raised to the status of a Minor Basilica, m ...
, one of the few minor
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...
s in the United States outside a large metropolitan area. * The
Ertl Company Ertl (formerly, the Ertl Company) is an American former manufacturing company and current brand of toys, best known for its die-cast metal alloy collectible replicas (or scale models) of agricultural machinery. Other products manufactured by Ert ...
as well as an outlet store. * The National Farm Toy Museum. * The Field of Dreams filming location.


Geography

Dyersville is located at (42.481316, -91.120967), along the North Fork of the
Maquoketa River The Maquoketa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 13, 2011 in northeastern Iowa in the United States. I ...
. 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 the ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.


Demographics


2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 4,058 people, 1,700 households, and 1,102 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,808 housing units at an average density of . The racial makup of the city was 97.6% White, 0.9% African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3%. Of the 1,700 households 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.2% were non-families. 29.9% of households were one person and 14.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 40.6 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.6% were from 45 to 64; and 19.6% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.


2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 4,035 people, 1,578 households, and 1,117 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,669 housing units at an average density of . The racial makup of the city was 98.71% White, 0.45% African American, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 0.12% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.45%. Of the 1,578 households 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 25.7% of households were one person and 13.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.07. 28.0% are under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males. The median household income was $38,469 and the median family income was $45,625. Males had a median income of $29,674 versus $21,312 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,195. About 4.6% of families and 4.8% 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 5.5% of those under the age of 18 and 8.4% of those 65 and older.


Law and government

Dyersville's current Mayor is Jim Heavens. Dyersville is represented by Senator
Pam Jochum Pam Jochum (born September 26, 1954) is an American politician serving as the Iowa State Senator from the 50th District and former President of the Iowa Senate. A Democrat, she was a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from 1993 to 2009, ...
(D-Dubuque) in the
Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly, United States. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . ...
, and Representative Nancy Dunkel (D-Dyersville) in the
Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...
. At the federal level, it is within
Iowa's 1st congressional district Iowa's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its northeastern part, bordering the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, and the Mississippi River. The district includes the cities o ...
, represented by
Ashley Hinson Ashley Elizabeth Hinson (born June 27, 1983) is an American politician and journalist serving as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 1st congressional district since 2021. Her district comprises much of the northeast quadrant of the state, includi ...
(R) in the
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
. Dyersville, and all of Iowa, are represented by U.S. senators
Chuck Grassley Charles Ernest Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is an American politician serving as the president pro tempore emeritus of the United States Senate, and the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States sen ...
(R) and
Joni Ernst Joni Kay Ernst (née Culver; born July 1, 1970) is an American former military officer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Iowa since 2015. A member of the ...
(R). The
U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...
operates the Dyersville Post Office.


Education


Primary and secondary schools

All
public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...
students living in Dyersville are zoned to schools in the
Western Dubuque Community School District The Western Dubuque Community School District, (WDCSD; also known as Western Dubuque or WD) is a rural public school district based in Farley, Iowa (USA). The district, which operates schools in western Dubuque County, is the largest school distr ...
.
Elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...
students attend Dyersville Elementary School (in Dyersville) for grades K-5. Dyersville Elementary opened in 2011. it has about 292 students.
Middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...
students are zoned to Drexler Middle School (in
Farley Farley may refer to: People * Farley (name), a list of people with the given name or surname Places Antarctica * Mount Farley * Farley Massif Australia * Farley, New South Wales * Farley railway station England * Farley, Derbyshire * Farle ...
), and
high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
students are zoned to
Western Dubuque High School Western Dubuque High School (commonly West Dubuque, West Dub, WDHS, or WD) is a four-year public high school located in Epworth, Iowa. It is one of two high schools in the Western Dubuque Community School District, and enrolls 935 students in ...
in Epworth. Dyersville also has private schools. Parochial school students attend St. Francis Xavier Elementary School for grades PreK-6 (enrollment 420), then go to
Beckman Catholic High School Beckman Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Dyersville, Iowa. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque. Background Beckman Catholic High School was founded in 1966 as a consolidated Catholic high ...
for grades 7-12 (enrollment 280), both of which are in Dyersville. These schools are affiliated with the
Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, and are a part of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque The Archdiocese of Dubuque ( la, Archidiœcesis Dubuquensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian chu ...
.


Public libraries

The municipal public library is the James Kennedy Public Library. In 1956 the city council proposed a standalone library to replace the collection at city hall, and on September 11, 1959 it was dedicated. In 1970 a children's library area was placed in a former fire station. The current library was formally named after its benefactor on March 1, 2001 and broke ground on April 1, 2001.


Economy

Dyersville is a thriving farming city with a long history. It is nicknamed "The Farm Toy Capital of the World" because it hosts a farm toy show the first weekend in June and the National Farm Toy Show the first weekend in November. It is also the longtime home of the Ertl Company, a maker of die-cast farm toys. Multiple local businesses are based on this part of its economy.


Largest employers

The ten largest employers (by number of employees) in descending order, . #FarmTek - distributor of farm supplies and manufacturer of tension fabric buildings. #Modernfold - operable and moveable walls and folding doors. #Lumber Specialties - floor and roof trusses and wall panels. #Dyersville Die-Cast - custom manufacturer of zinc and aluminum
die-casting Die casting is a metal casting process that is characterized by forcing molten metal under high pressure into a mold cavity. The mold cavity is created using two hardened tool steel dies which have been machined into shape and work similarly ...
,
CNC machining Numerical control (also computer numerical control, and commonly called CNC) is the automated control of machining tools (such as drills, lathes, mills, grinders, routers and 3D printers) by means of a computer. A CNC machine processes a ...
,
powder coating Powder coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry Powder (substance), powder. Unlike conventional liquid paint which is delivered via an evaporating solvent, powder coating is typically applied electrostatically and then P ...
and scale model toys. #
TOMY is a Japanese entertainment company that makes children's toys and merchandise. It was created from a merger on March 1st 2006 of two companies: Tomy (founded in 1924 as Tomiyama, changing the name to Tomy in 1963) and long-time rival Tak ...
- branded toys, collectibles, hobby and infant products. #Spireon - mobile resource management. # All American Homes - manufacturer of modular homes and apartments. #BARD Materials -
ready-mix concrete Ready-mix concrete (RMC) is concrete that is manufactured in a batch plant, according to each specific job requirement, then delivered to the job site "ready to use". There are two types with the first being the barrel truck or in–transi ...
(e.g. lime, crushed rock, sand). #Mercy Medical Center - acute hospital services, nursing, nursing home, assisted and independent living facilities, physical therapy. #
Beckman Catholic High School Beckman Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Dyersville, Iowa. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque. Background Beckman Catholic High School was founded in 1966 as a consolidated Catholic high ...
- grades 7-12.


Notable people

*
George Strock George Strock (July 3, 1911 – August 23, 1977) was a photojournalist during World War II when he took a picture of three American soldiers who were killed during the Battle of Buna-Gona on the Buna beach. It became the first photograph to depict ...
(Photographer) *
Robert Osterhaus Robert J. Osterhaus (born January 30, 1931) is an American politician in the state of Iowa. Osterhaus was born in Dyersville, Iowa. He attended the University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public res ...
(Politician) *
Rudolph Gerken Rudolph Aloysius Gerken (March 7, 1887 – March 2, 1943) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in New Mexico from 1933 until his death in 1943. He previously served as bishop ...
(Roman Catholic Archbishop)


References


External links


City of DyersvilleDyersville Area Chamber of CommerceDyersville Economic Development Corporation
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Dubuque County, Iowa Cities in Delaware County, Iowa 1851 establishments in Iowa Populated places established in 1851