Adel ( ) is a city in and the
county seat of
Dallas County, Iowa. It is located along the
North Raccoon River
The Raccoon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 26, 2011 tributary of the Des Moines River in central Iowa in the United States. As measured using the lo ...
. Its population was 6,153 at the time of the
2020 Census.
History
Adel is the oldest town within Dallas County. Originally called Penoach, Adel was incorporated in 1847, and changed to its current name in 1849. In 1855, there were about twenty-five houses in Adel and three stores. From that time onward, the city began to grow at a faster rate.
Situated along the river, Adel had a good supply of water-power for a flour mill. It was to be situated on a section of property owned by Noeingerl Cantrel & Co. J. H. Strong of Des Moines, and H. H. Moffatt built the mill in 1856–57 at a cost of $20,000. The dam was constructed with about eight feet of head water. The mill was kept in good repair, able to average from twelve to fifteen bushels per hour, with a capability of thirty per hour, but was destroyed in 1913.
The railroad reached other towns in Dallas County before Adel, and the town was threatened with losing the county seat. Adel business owners backed the Des Moines Western Railroad Company, which was soon renamed as the Des Moines, Adel, and Western. A narrow gauge railroad was built in the 1870s. The line was rebuilt as standard gauge after the
Milwaukee Road
The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States fr ...
purchased the line in the 1890s. Passenger service to Adel was discontinued in 1952, and the line was abandoned in 1987. The line has been repurposed into the popular
Raccoon River Valley Trail
Raccoon River Valley Trail (RRVT) is a rail trail running from Waukee, Iowa, to Jefferson, Iowa. In 2013, an additional north loop was completed on the RRVT, making the RRVT nearly of paved trails and having a paved interior loop of more than . ...
.
The Adel bank was robbed on March 6, 1895. Two men entered in a buggy and shot a teller, who, though wounded, managed to close the vault and turn the tumblers, preventing the thieves from taking off with a substantial amount. Future Governor of Iowa
George W. Clarke had a law office on the second floor. As Clarke descended the stairs, a robber fired his gun. However, the weapon misfired, sparing Clarke's life.
The
Dallas County Courthouse, was completed in 1902 at a cost of about $109,000, is located at the center of downtown Adel.
Geography
Adel's longitude and latitude coordinates in decimal form are 41.616773, -94.021731.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Demographics

Adel is part of 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 Metropolitan Statistical Area.
2010 census
As of the
census of 2010, there were 3,682 people, 1,489 households, and 943 families living in the city. The
population density was . There were 1,579 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.6%
White, 0.3%
African American, 0.2%
Native American, 0.5%
Asian, 0.2%
Pacific Islander, 0.6% from
other races, and 0.7% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 2.1% of the population.
There were 1,489 households, of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% 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, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.7% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.06.
The median age in the city was 37.6 years. 26.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 27% were from 45 to 64; and 12.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.
2000 census
As of the
census of 2000, there were 3,435 people, 1,369 households, and 898 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,419 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.76%
White, 0.15%
African American, 0.17%
Native American, 0.41%
Asian, 0.52% from
other races, and 0.99% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.28% of the population.
There were 1,369 households, out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% 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, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.09.
28.5% are under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,423, and the median income for a family was $47,065. Males had a median income of $34,234 versus $26,516 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $19,743. About 3.1% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the
poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Stine Seed
Stine Seed Company is the world's largest private seed company, and the largest independent seed company in the US. It has more than 900 patents, specializing in soybean and corn genetics, is based in the small town of Adel, Iowa, and is almost en ...
, the world's largest private seed company, is based in Adel.
It has 15,000 acres of Iowa farmland and is almost entirely owned by
Harry Stine and his four children.
Education
Adel is within the
Adel–De Soto–Minburn Community School District. The district formed on July 1, 1993, as a result of the merger of the Adel–De Soto Community School District and the Central Dallas Community School District.
Notable people
*
George W. Clarke, the
21st governor of Iowa and grandfather of
Nile Kinnick
*
Eric Cutler, opera tenor
*
Van Harden
A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across ...
, radio personality
*
Nile Kinnick,
Iowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football program represents the University of Iowa in college football. The Hawkeyes compete in the West division of the Big Ten Conference. Iowa joined the Conference (then known as the Western Conference or Big Nine) in 1899 ...
player, winner of 1939
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
,
United States Naval Aviator in
World War II
*
Carter Nordman, member of the
Iowa House of Representatives
*
Charles Scott, lawyer and judge
*
Harry Stine, businessman and Iowa's only billionaire
*
Ralph Watts
Ralph C. Watts (born July 26, 1944) is the Iowa State Representative from the 19th District. A Republican, he has served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2003. He received his BS from the University of Wyoming and did MBA work at Drake ...
, member of the Iowa House of Representatives
See also
*
Raccoon River Valley Trail
Raccoon River Valley Trail (RRVT) is a rail trail running from Waukee, Iowa, to Jefferson, Iowa. In 2013, an additional north loop was completed on the RRVT, making the RRVT nearly of paved trails and having a paved interior loop of more than . ...
References
External links
City website**
City InformationDiscover AdelCurrent News and Events, Business Directory, Visitor Information
Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Adel
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Cities in Iowa
Cities in Dallas County, Iowa
County seats in Iowa
Des Moines metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1847
1847 establishments in Iowa