Dyersville is a city in eastern
Delaware County and western
Dubuque County in the
U.S. state 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 ...
. 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 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...
,
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 ...
'' 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 ...
and the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...
(broadcast live as
MLB at Field of Dreams) 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 loca ...
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) Central division and were a charter member of the American Associati ...
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 ...
, one of the few minor
Roman Catholic 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 nam ...
s in the United States outside a large metropolitan area.
* The
Ertl Company 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.
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 th ...
, 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 ...
, 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 (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, . E ...
, 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, forme ...
. 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 cit ...
, 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, includ ...
(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 senior United States senator from Iowa, having held the seat since 1981. In 2022, he ...
(R) and
Joni Ernst (R).
The
U.S. Postal Service operates the Dyersville Post Office.
Education
Primary and secondary schools
All
public school students living in Dyersville are zoned to schools in the
Western Dubuque Community School District.
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 schoo ...
students are zoned to Drexler Middle School (in
Farley), 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 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 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.
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,
CNC machining,
powder coating
Powder coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. Unlike conventional liquid paint which is delivered via an evaporating solvent, powder coating is typically applied electrostatically and then cured under heat or ...
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–trans ...
(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 - grades 7-12.
Notable people
*
George Strock (Photographer)
*
Robert Osterhaus (Politician)
*
Rudolph Gerken (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