Atalissa is a city in Muscatine 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 296 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Atalissa was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1859. It was named by its founder, William Lundy, for a mining town in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, which in turn was named for an Indian queen Atalissa. From 1974 to 2009 Atalissa was the home of a few dozen intellectually challenged men who worked in a nearby

turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

processing plant. They lived together in an old schoolhouse and were taken each workday to the plant, and after expenses were taken out, were paid no more than $65/month. They were removed and relocated by state agencies in 2009, after being found to be living in unacceptable conditions. A 2013 verdict awarded the men a total of $240 million in damages, since reduced to $50,000/man. The men's plight had a profound effect on social services in Iowa, and their experiences and subsequent court case was the subject of the documentary film '' The Men of Atalissa''.

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 , 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 296 people, 115 households, and 81 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 2,178.2 inhabitants per square mile (841.0/km²). There were 117 housing units at an average density of 861.0 per square mile (332.4/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 92.2%

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 ...

, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.0% Native American, 0.0% Asian, 0.0%

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 ...

, 0.7% from other races and 6.8% 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 7.4% of the population. Of the 115 households, 37.4% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% 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, 13.0% were cohabitating couples, 17.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 17.4% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 29.6% of all households were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 35.2 years. 30.1% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.7% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 25.0% were from 25 and 44; 26.4% were from 45 and 64; and 13.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.4% male and 48.6% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 311 people, 111 households, and 85 families living in the city. The

was . There were 122 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.2%

, 0.3% Asian, 2.3% from other races, and 3.2% 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 7.4% of the population. There were 111 households, of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were

living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 23.4% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age in the city was 34.4 years. 27.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.4% were from 25 to 44; 26% were from 45 to 64; and 10.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.3% male and 53.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 283 people, 113 households, and 80 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 120 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.94%

, and 1.06% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.41% of the population. There were 113 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were

living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.01. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,875, and the median income for a family was $43,929. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $24,583 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 $20,269. About 6.0% of families and 9.4% 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 11.9% of those under the age of eighteen and 11.1% of those 65 or over.

Education

The West Liberty Community School District operates local public schools.

References

{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Muscatine County, Iowa Muscatine, Iowa micropolitan area 1859 establishments in Iowa