Melbourne is a city in Marshall County,

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, 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: Wiscon ...

, United States. The population was 786 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

The town of Melbourne was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

ted February 23, 1882, by Milwaukee Land Company, in section 6 of Logan Township and was incorporated December 30, 1895. Melbourne was the only town in Marshall County to be served continuously by two major railroads. Melbourne's growth was rapid and made possible by three railroads and the population increased to 423 by 1910. Melbourne suffered the worst disaster in the town's history when a fire consumed the whole business district in 1903; then in 1981 the southern end of town was destroyed by a tornado. The mayor of Melbourne from 1984 until 1998 was Bill Crews, an openly

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

man who came out of the closet in 1993. At the time, Melbourne was believed to be the smallest municipality in the United States to have an openly gay mayor.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 830 people, 322 households, and 218 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPop ...

was . There were 354 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.6%

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 on ...

, 0.4%

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 enslav ...

, and 1.1% 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 form ...

or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population. There were 322 households, of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.3% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age in the city was 34.8 years. 27.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.5% were from 25 to 44; 23.3% were from 45 to 64; and 11% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.4% male and 49.6% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 794 people, 318 households, and 218 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 332 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.50%

, 0.13%

, and 0.38% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.38% of the population. There were 318 households, out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were

living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.07. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.5% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $47,019, and the median income for a family was $51,250. Males had a median income of $36,528 versus $24,667 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 $18,641. About 3.1% of families and 3.7% 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 4.7% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Marshall County, Iowa Populated places established in 1882