Malvern is a city in Mills 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 1,046 at the time of the 2020 census. The Wabash Trace—a railroad converted to a bicycle trail—passes through Malvern. The Mills County Fair is held here, although Glenwood is the county seat. Malvern is the largest town in the eastern half of the county.

History

The pioneer village of Milton was established in the fall of 1869. It was later renamed Malvern when it was discovered that there was already another Milton, Iowa. It was one of four communities in the area that came into existence with the completion of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad on November 18, 1869. John D. Paddock and his bride were the first residents of Malvern. They arrived in September and put up a small -story building that served as their home and the community's first store. The completion of the railroad soon brought a flood of new residents and business enterprises. White Cloud, a town of perhaps 200 persons and a variety of businesses, was located about where the present Wabash Trace Nature Trail crosses the Nishnabotna River three miles southeast of Malvern. It soon closed down when the new railroad was built two miles north. Several business enterprises and White Cloud residents moved to Malvern. Malvern grew almost explosively in its first two years. In its fifth year, Mr. Paddock reported in his Brief History of Malvern, it had a population of 800. It served a particularly productive farming area. It soon had a number of factories, including a hog packing plant, an electric generation plant (in 1892) which permitted a municipal water system, and in the early part of the twentieth century, developed a varied poultry industry that at one time furnished employment for up to 200 persons. Malvern started a school system in 1870, a county fair in 1873, a Chautauqua in 1905, built the town library in 1916 and the present Liberty Memorial Community Building in 1926 When the “good roads” movement came to Iowa, the town was omitted from Highway 34, causing some economic stress. At the time it also had the Wabash and Tabor & Northern Railroads, which were also having some economic stress. The town experienced additional stress in the 1950s when much of Iowa's poultry industry moved to Arkansas. The success of the Malvern community has always been linked to agriculture in many ways. When fewer family farms and farm workers, became the norm, in the 1960s, 1970s, and especially the difficult 1980s, the economy of Malvern suffered as well, losing many of the established businesses that had so long lined the streets in this community. Today Malvern is a rural community with a golf course, swimming pool, new library and Carnegie Conference Center, agricultural businesses and government offices, a bank, physician's offices, Mills County Fair Grounds, the Wabash Trace Nature Trail, and numerous other businesses.

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 1,046 people, 423 households, and 275 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 656.3 inhabitants per square mile (253.4/km²). There were 474 housing units at an average density of 297.4 per square mile (114.8/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 94.6%

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 ...

, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.0% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 1.1% from other races and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 2.2% of the population. Of the 423 households, 30.0% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% 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, 9.2% were cohabitating couples, 27.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 17.0% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 35.0% of all households were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 39.3 years. 26.3% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.7% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 and 44; 25.0% were from 45 and 64; and 18.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 1,142 people, 436 households, and 301 families living in the city. The

was . There were 499 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.7%

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.3% 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 0.8% of the population. There were 436 households, of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were

living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.0% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age in the city was 40.3 years. 25.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.2% were from 25 to 44; 29.9% were from 45 to 64; and 15.3% 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

of 2000, there were 1,256 people, 474 households, and 320 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 503 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.73%

, 0.08%

, 0.08% Native American, 0.08% Asian, and 1.04% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.40% of the population. There were 474 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were

living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.08. Population spread: 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,182, and the median income for a family was $44,432. Males had a median income of $29,185 versus $22,266 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 $15,553. About 7.1% of families and 11.2% 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 9.0% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The community is within the East Mills Community School District. From July 1, 1960, it was in the Malvern Community School District until July 1, 2011, when it merged to form the East Mills district. The Malvern and East Mills districts operated Chantry Elementary School in Malvern, but the latter closed the school in 2014.

References

External links

City website
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Mills County, Iowa 1869 establishments in Iowa Populated places established in 1869