Pleasant Hill is a city in

Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk: * Polk County, Arkansas * Polk County, Florida * Polk County, Georgia * Polk County, Iowa * Polk Count ...

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 10,147 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the

Des Moines metropolitan area The Des Moines metropolitan area, officially known as the Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is located at the confluence of the Des Moines River and the Raccoon River. Des Moines serves as the capital of the U.S ...

. As of July 2005, Pleasant Hill was assigned a ZIP code, 50327.

History

Pleasant Hill incorporated as a city on May 12, 1956.

1983 explosion

On November 20, 1983, an explosion of an explosives storage bunker just south of Pleasant Hill occurred. Reports were that two teenagers were hunting around the area. One of the teenagers may have shot a bullet from a hill which penetrated the bunker ceiling, which was deemed the probable cause of the explosion. The two teenagers were killed in the explosion, leaving only small pieces of shirts. The explosion was felt 45 miles away from the site. At least 25 homes within a one-mile radius of the explosion suffered damage, doors and windows were blown out, ceilings fell and houses were knocked off their foundations, police said. One house, 300 yards directly up the valley from the shack, suffered an inch-wide crack the entire width of its basement wall.

Geography

Pleasant Hill is located at (41.585934, -93.513028). 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.

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 8,785 people, 3,395 households, and 2,426 families residing 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 3,587 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.0%

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 ...

, 2.7%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 0.9% 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 2.6% 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 4.5% of the population. There were 3,395 households, of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.5% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age in the city was 35.1 years. 27.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.4% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 5,070 people, 1,900 households, and 1,451 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,966 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.03%

, 0.79%

, 0.28% Native American, 1.74% Asian, 0.24%

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 ...

, 1.12% from

, and 0.81% from two or more races.

of any race were 2.43% of the population. There were 1,900 households, out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.4% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 2.99. Age spread: 25.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $60,694, and the median income for a family was $68,889. Males had a median income of $42,450 versus $29,697 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 $25,316. About 0.6% of families and 1.3% 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 none of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Most of Pleasant Hill is part of the Des Moines Public School District, while newer portions of the city are in the Southeast Polk Community School District. The Des Moines district's Pleasant Hill Elementary School and Southeast Polk's Four Mile Elementary School and Southeast Polk Junior and Senior High Schools are located in Pleasant Hill.

References

External links

City of Pleasant Hill

Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce

Pleasant Hill Public Library
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Polk County, Iowa Populated places established in 1956 Des Moines metropolitan area 1956 establishments in Iowa