Polk City is a city in Polk County,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, United States. The population was 6533 in the 2020 census, an increase from 2,344 in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. It is part of the

Des Moines Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

– West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. Polk City is located along Saylorville Lake and near Big Creek State Park.

History

Polk City was settled in 1846 and incorporated as a city on March 13, 1875. It was an early contender for the seat of Polk County before

was ultimately chosen. The city took its name from its location in Polk County. Polk City is also known for having the only "town square" in all of Polk County.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2020, there were 5,543 people, 1,917 households, and 1,521 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was 1,051.4 inhabitants per square mile (405.9/km²). There were 2,015 housing units at an average density of 382.2 per square mile (147.6/km²). The

racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...

makeup of the city was 94.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.4% from other races and 4.1% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

persons of any race comprised 2.0% of the population. Of the 1,917 households, 45.4% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 5.9% were cohabitating couples, 14.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 12.4% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 20.7% of all households were non-families. 16.1% of all households were made up of individuals, 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 35.5 years. 34.2% of the residents were under the age of 20; 3.4% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 29.2% were from 25 and 44; 22.0% were from 45 and 64; and 11.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 3,418 people, 1,232 households, and 957 families living in the city. The

was . There were 1,276 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.2%

, 0.8%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population. There were 1,232 households, of which 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.3% were

living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 22.3% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age in the city was 34.4 years. 30.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.7% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 7.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,344 people, 826 households, and 645 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 842 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.08%

, 0.30%

, 0.26% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population. There were 826 households, out of which 43.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.5% were

living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.8% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.15. 28.5% are under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 99 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $58,000, and the median income for a family was $64,688. Males had a median income of $41,875 versus $27,863 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $23,476, and About 2.0% of families and 2.4% 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 1.4% of those under age 18 and 15.6% of those aged 65 or over.

Notable people

Derald Langham Derald George Langham (May 27, 1913 – May 10, 1991) was an American agricultural geneticist, sesame researcher, and founder of the Genesa Foundation. He is known as the "father of sesame" in the Western Hemisphere for his basic research on the ...

(1913–1991), agricultural geneticist

Education

North Polk Community School District serves almost all of the city. Polk City is home to North Polk West Elementary, which educates children age 3 through grade 3. Grades 4 and 5 students attend Big Creek Elementary in northeast Polk City, 6-8 graders attend the North Polk Middle school and 9-12 graders attend North Polk High School, both of which are in Alleman, which is roughly 8.5 miles away. A small section of the city limits extends into the Ankeny Community School District.

References

External links

City of Polk CityPolk City Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Polk County, Iowa Cities in Iowa Des Moines metropolitan area Populated places established in 1846 1846 establishments in Iowa Territory