Dallas County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located 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 sove ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 99,678, making it the seventh-most populous county in Iowa. Between 2010 and 2020, it was the fastest growing county in Iowa and one of the fastest growing in the country. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Adel, and its largest city is Waukee. The county was named for George M. Dallas,

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice p ...

under James K. Polk, the namesake of neighboring Polk County. Dallas County is included in the

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines ...

– West Des Moines, IA

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 as a city or tow ...

History

The land that now forms Dallas County was ceded by the Sac and Fox nation to the United States in a treaty signed on October 11, 1842. On January 13, 1846, the legislative body of the

Iowa Territory The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Iowa. The remain ...

authorized the creation of twelve counties in the Iowa Territory, with general descriptions of their boundaries. Dallas County's name referred to United States Vice President George M. Dallas, who served from 1845 to 1849. In 1847 the county residents voted to designate ''Penoch'' as the county seat (the name was changed to ''Adel'' in 1849). The county's population grew rapidly, with settlers coming to claim homesteads. By 1870, the population had crossed the 12,000 mark.

Geography

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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one ...

– runs east-northeast across the southern portion of the county, passing

Dexter Dexter may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Dexter, the main character of the American animated series '' Dexter's Laboratory'' that aired from 1996 to 2003 * Dexter, a fictional character in the British web series ''Diary of a Bad Man'' * Dext ...

and

De Soto De Soto commonly refers to * Hernando de Soto (c. 1495 – 1542), Spanish explorer * DeSoto (automobile), an American automobile brand from 1928 to 1961 De Soto, DeSoto, Desoto, or de Soto may also refer to: Places in the United States of Ameri ...

on its way to

U.S. Highway 6 – from its starting point in Adel, runs east across the midsection of the county on its way to Des Moines * US 169

U.S. Highway 169 U.S. Route 169 (US 169) is a north-south U.S highway that currently runs for 966 miles (1,555 km) from the city of Virginia, Minnesota to Tulsa, Oklahoma at Memorial Drive. Route description Oklahoma US 169 is a major north–south ...

– runs north–south through the center of the county, from Bouton to Adel to De Soto * Elongated circle 17

Iowa Highway 17 – from its starting point (intersection with Iowa 141) at Granger, runs north along the county's eastern boundary, into Boone County * Elongated circle 44

Iowa Highway 44 – runs east–west through the center of the county, through

Dallas Center Dallas Center is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,901 during the 2020 census. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Dallas Center got its start in the year 1869, f ...

Iowa Highway 141 Iowa Highway 141 (Iowa 141) is an east–west highway in the western and central portions of the state. It is the most direct link between Sioux City and Des Moines. It also serves as a freeway link between Des Moines and the outlying comm ...

– runs east across northern portion of county, through Dawson,

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also mad ...

, Bouton and Woodward, then southeast to exit into Polk County at Granger * Elongated circle 144

Iowa Highway 144 Iowa Highway 144 (Iowa 144) is a state highway in central Iowa. The highway has a length of and runs in a north–south direction. It begins in Perry at an intersection with Iowa Highway 141, while it ends at an intersection with Iowa Highway 17 ...

- from its starting point (intersection w Iowa 141) at Perry, runs north into Boone County * Elongated circle 210

Iowa Highway 210 Iowa Highway 210 (Iowa 210) is an east–west highway in central Iowa covering . It begins at Iowa Highway 141 south of Woodward and ends at U.S. Highway 65 south of Collins. The routing closely parallels and crosses the forme ...

– from its starting point (intersection w Iowa 141), runs north to Woodward and continues into Boone County

Adjacent counties

* Adair County – southwest * Boone County – north * Greene County – north and northwest * Guthrie County – west * Madison County – south * Polk County – east * Warren County – southeast

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 99,678 in the county, with a population density of . 94.19% of the population reported being of one race. There were 41,125 housing units of which 38,291 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 66,135 in the county, with a population density of . There were 27,260 housing units, of which 25,240 were occupied.

2000 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 inc ...

of 2000, there were 40,750 people, 15,584 households, and 11,173 families in the county. The population density was . There were 16,529 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile (11/km²). The

racial makeup A 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 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the county was 94.75% White, 0.74% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.79% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 5.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 15,584 households, 37.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.60% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% were non-families. 23.60% of households were one person and 8.20% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08. The age distribution was 28.20% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 32.10% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males. The median household income was $48,528 and the median family income was $58,293. Males had a median income of $37,243 versus $27,026 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,970. About 4.00% of families and 5.60% 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 6.10% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Adel * Bouton *

Clive Clive is a name. People and fictional characters with the name include: People Given name * Clive Allen (born 1961), English football player * Clive Anderson (born 1952), British television, radio presenter, comedy writer and former barrister * ...

‡ *

* Dawson *

* Granger‡ * Grimes ‡ * Linden * Minburn *

* Redfield * Urbandale ‡ * Van Meter * Waukee * West Des Moines ‡ * Woodward :‡ partly in Polk County

Unincorporated communities

* Booneville

Townships

* Adams * Adel *

Beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers a ...

* Boone * Colfax *

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom * Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama * Grant, Inyo County, ...

* Lincoln * Linn * Spring Valley * Sugar Grove * Union * Van Meter *

Walnut A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Dallas County. † ''county seat''

Politics

Prior to 1932, Dallas County was strongly Republican in presidential elections. From 1932 to 1996, it was a swing county, having a Republican lean until 1960 & a Democratic lean from 1964 to 1996, especially after 1980. Since 2000, it has been consistently Republican, though no Republican presidential candidate has won over 60% of the vote nor has a Democrat won less than 40% since then.

References

External links

Dallas County government's website

Online book {{Coord, 41, 40, 58, N, 94, 02, 06, W, region:US-IA_type:adm2nd_source:dewiki, display=title 1846 establishments in Iowa Territory Des Moines metropolitan area Populated places established in 1846