Farley is a city in

Dubuque County Dubuque County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 99,266, making it the eighth-most populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Dubuque, Io ...

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. It is part of the

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,766 at the time of the 2020 census, up from 1,334 in 2000. Farley is the seventh-largest town in Dubuque County, recently passed by

Peosta, Iowa Peosta is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and an exurb of the city of Dubuque. It is part of the Dubuque, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,908 in the 2020 census, an increase of 193% from 651 in 2000. Peo ...

. Farley is home to a 3/8 mile dirt race track, 300 Raceway.

History

Farley got its start in the 1850s, following construction of the Dubuque and Sioux City Railroad through that territory. Farley was named for the superintendent of the Sioux City Railroad.

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. It is crossed by U.S. Route 20 in the south.

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 1,766 people, 654 households, and 467 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 1,091.3 inhabitants per square mile (421.4/km²). There were 678 housing units at an average density of 419.0 per square mile (161.8/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 96.1%

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 ...

, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.0% Native American, 0.2% 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 ...

, 2.0% from other races and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 3.5% of the population. Of the 654 households, 34.1% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% 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, 6.7% were cohabitating couples, 19.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 17.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 28.6% of all households were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 33.7 years. 30.7% of the residents were under the age of 20; 7.5% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 26.5% were from 25 and 44; 23.0% were from 45 and 64; and 12.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.0% male and 49.0% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 1,537 people, 575 households, and 425 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 586 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.3%

, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.3% from other races, and 0.3% 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 1.0% of the population. There were 575 households, of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.4% were

living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 26.1% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.15. The median age in the city was 33.8 years. 29.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.1% were from 25 to 44; 23.7% were from 45 to 64; and 10.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,334 people, 491 households, and 365 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 513 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.88%

, 0.15%

, 0.30% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.07% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population. There were 491 households, out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.5% were

living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.25. 30.3% are under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $41,333, and the median income for a family was $48,854. Males had a median income of $32,328 versus $20,476 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 $17,186. About 4.5% of families and 5.3% 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 6.0% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

The mayor of Farley is Jay Hefel. In the

Iowa General Assembly The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Repre ...

, Farley is represented by Senator Tod Bowman (D-Maquoketa) in the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the Iowa, state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . Each Senat ...

, and Representative Ray Zirkelbach (D-Monticello) in the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

. At the federal level, it is within

Iowa's 1st congressional district Iowa's 1st congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its southeastern part, bordering the states of Illinois and Missouri, and the Mississippi River. ...

, represented by

Ashley Hinson Ashley Elizabeth Hinson (born June 27, 1983) is an American politician and journalist serving as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 2nd congressional district since 2021. The district, numbered as the 1st district during her first term, cove ...

(R) in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

. Farley, and all of Iowa, are represented by U.S. Senators

Chuck Grassley Charles Ernest Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is an American politician serving as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate since 2025, a role he also held from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Re ...

(R) and

Joni Ernst Joni Kay Ernst (née Culver; born July 1, 1970) is an American politician and retired military officer serving since 2015 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Iowa. A member of the ...

(R).

Education

All public school

students A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school ...

living in Farley are zoned to schools in the Western Dubuque Community School District.

Elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

students are zoned to Drexler Elementary School (in Farley) for grades K-5.

Middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

students are zoned to Drexler Middle School (also in Farley), and

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

students are zoned to

Western Dubuque High School Western Dubuque High School (commonly West Dubuque, West Dub, WDHS, or WD) is a public high school located in Epworth, Iowa.It is one of two high schools in the Western Dubuque Community School District. The school's mascot is the Bobcat, and ...

, which is in nearby Epworth. Wayne Drexler Elementary opened in 1993. Like many other rural communities in Iowa, Farley also has a private school. Seton Catholic Elementary School- Farley is one of three buildings that comprise Seton Catholic Elementary School, and is affiliated with the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in the northeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in the United States. The Diocese of Dubuque was erected in 1837 and ...

. For grades 1–2, students go to the building in Epworth, for grades 3–5, students attend the building in

, and for grades 6–8, students go to the building in Farley. For high school, parochial students attend Beckman High School in

Dyersville, Iowa Dyersville is a city in eastern Delaware County and western Dubuque County in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is part of the Dubuque, Iowa, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,477 at the time of the 2020 census, up from 4,035 in 2 ...

Wahlert High School Wahlert Catholic High School is a private Roman Catholic high school in Dubuque, Iowa, United States, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque. History During a meeting on June 17, 1955, Archbishop Leo Binz and the pastors of the Dubuque Cat ...

Notable people

William John McGee William John McGee, LL.D. (April 17, 1853 – September 4, 1912) was an American inventor, geologist, anthropologist, and ethnologist, born in Farley, Iowa. He always referred to himself as W J McGee, without periods. Biography While largely s ...

(1853–1912), geologist, anthropologist, and archeologist * Raymond Roseliep, poet,

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

References

External links

Official City Website
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Dubuque County, Iowa 1879 establishments in Iowa Populated places established in 1879