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Altoona 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, and 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 and larges ...
. The population was 19,565 at the 2020 census. It is home to the Adventureland amusement park and Prairie Meadows horse racing track and
casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
.


History

Anthony Yant first settled in what is now Altoona in 1854, the same year Gilbert T. Taylor settled there. The land was originally surveyed in 1847 and put up for sale by the US government in 1848, but it took six years to sell. After many sales between different families, the Davis family ended up with the land on February 1, 1868. The Davises hired surveyor Julian B. Bausman to lay out the city. He is also credited for giving the city the current name. Altoona is named for the
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
word for "high," ''altus'', after surveyor Julian B. Bausman discovered Altoona was the highest point on the Des Moines Valley Railroad between
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 ...
and Keokuk. The plot was recorded on July 30, 1868, and the Post office opened the next day. When the Rock Island Railroad came to Altoona in September of that year, they referred to Altoona as Yant, the city's original name. Altoona was incorporated as a city on March 11, 1876. In addition to serving as Altoona's first mayor, Francis English was the town doctor. After the great train crash of 1877, English rushed to the scene. Altoona's second mayor was Thomas Haines, who operated the T.E. Haines tile and brick company. Haines donated land to the city of Altoona to be used as a park, now known as Haines Park. The only other mayor of Altoona to have a park dedicated to him is Sam Wise, noted for paving the streets of Altoona, and building a sewer system that was advanced for its time and allowed for future expansion. His dedication to Altoona's parks led to the city's sports complex being named the "Sam Wise Youth Complex." By the turn of the 20th century, Altoona could almost be classified as a coal camp.
United Mine Workers of America The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing workers and public employees in the Unit ...
Local 407 was organized in Altoona in 1897, and by 1902, it had 61 members. This was close to 20 percent of the town's population at the time. On May 5, 2003, the Altoona City Council recognized the Altoona Area Historical Society as the city's official organization to collect, secure, and preserve the artifacts and records of the city of Altoona and surrounding areas. In 2011 the Altoona Area Historical Society started major renovation work on the interior of Altoona's oldest building. The building is now a museum. In 2013, construction began for a new
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
data center. Facebook asked local company RPM Access to build and operate a wind farm that will put more energy into the system than the data center will consume. In February 2016, the Cinemark Altoona theater was opened. In October 2017, the Outlets of Des Moines were opened.


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 an area of , all land.


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 19,565 people, 7,575 households, and 5,166 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 . There were 8,007 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 86.5%
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 ...
, 4.0% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.2%
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 ...
, 1.0% from other races, and 6.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.9% of the population. There were 7,575 households, of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% 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, 24.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, 15.5% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 6.7% were cohabitating couples. 31.8% of all households were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The median age in the city was 36.7 years. 28.2% of residents were under the age of 20; 5.8% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 27.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.1% were from 45 to 64; and 14.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.


2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 14,541 people, 5,459 households, and 3,945 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 . There were 5,702 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.1%
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 ...
, 1.1%
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 ...
, 0.1% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.2%
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 ...
, 0.9% from other races, and 1.5% 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 2.9% of the population. There were 5,459 households, of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% 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, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.7% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.12. The median age in the city was 33.7 years. 30% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.4% were from 25 to 44; 23.1% were from 45 to 64; and 9.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 10,345 people, 3,850 households, and 2,895 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,959 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.11% White, 0.92% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.41% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population. There were 3,850 households, out of which 43.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.08. Age spread: 30.6% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $50,162, and the median income for a family was $58,306. Males had a median income of $36,030 versus $28,205 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 $20,336. About 4.0% of families and 5.5% 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 7.2% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.


Education

Altoona (along with nearby Runnells, Mitchellville, and parts of Pleasant Hill and
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 ...
) is part of the Southeast Polk Community School District, and its students attend Southeast Polk High School. The town is home to four of the district's eight elementary schools: Altoona, Centennial, Clay, and Willowbrook. The Altoona Elementary building also was the town's high school until it joined the Southeast Polk consolidation in 1962.


Transportation

Transit in the city is provided by Des Moines Area Regional Transit. Routes 17 and 99 provide bus service connecting the city to the region.


Notable people

* John Falsey (1951–2019), writer, director, and producer of TV shows such as ''
Northern Exposure ''Northern Exposure'' is an American comedy-drama television series about the eccentric residents in the fictitious town of Cicely, Alaska, that originally aired on CBS from July 12, 1990, to July 26, 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. It rec ...
'' * John Houbolt (1919–2014),
Aerospace engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...
promoted the lunar mission mode for going to the Moon and back * Geri Huser (born 1963), Democratic Iowa House representative * Kyle Orton (born 1982), NFL
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
. * Ed Skinner (1936–2015), Iowa lawyer and legislator *
Neal Edward Smith Neal Edward Smith (March 23, 1920 – November 2, 2021) was an American politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives for the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party from Iowa from 1959 until 1995, the long ...
(1920–2021), former US Representative from Iowa and an author * Jamie Solinger, Miss Iowa Teen USA 1992, Miss Teen USA 1992, Miss Iowa USA 1998


References


External links

* {{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Polk County, Iowa Populated places established in 1876 Des Moines metropolitan area 1876 establishments in Iowa