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Perry is a city in
Dallas County, Iowa Dallas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 99,678, making it the seventh-most populous county in Iowa. Between 2010 and 2020, it was the fastest growing county in Iowa and one of the ...
, United States, 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 long ...
. The population was 7,836 at the time of the 2020 Census. It is part of the
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 ...
West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.


History

Perry was laid out as a town in 1869, named for "one of the owners of the road at that time. Col. Perry, of Keokuk". The original town site was bounded by Estella Street on the south, 8th Street on the east, 3rd Street on the west, and Dewey Avenue on the north. On January 4, 2024, a
school shooting A school shooting is an Gun violence, armed attack at an educational institution, such as a primary school, secondary school, high school or university, involving the use of a firearm. Many school shootings are also categorized as mass shooti ...
occurred at Perry High School leaving an 11-year-old boy in sixth grade dead and seven other people injured. The 17-year-old male shooter was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound shortly after the shooting. The high school principal Dan Marburger, wounded critically after having spoken to the shooter trying to gain time for escaping students, died of his gun shot wounds, state governor
Kim Reynolds Kimberly Kay Reynolds (née Strawn, August 4, 1959) is an American politician from Iowa. A Republican, Reynolds has served since 2017 as the 43rd governor of Iowa. She is the first female governor in Iowa history. Reynolds was elected Clarke ...
announced on January 14. The governor praised his courage and ordered all flags in Iowa to be flown at half-staff from January 14 until sunset on the day of his funeral and interment.


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 , of which is land and is water.


Climate

According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Perry has a
hot-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.


Demographics


2020 census


2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 7,702 people, 2,792 households, and 1,920 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,180 housing units at an average density of . The racial makup of the city (including Latinos in the racial counts) was 79.1% White, 1.8% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 14.1% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 35.0%. Of the 2,792 households 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.0% were non-families. 28.2% of households were one person and 13.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.29. The median age was 33.3 years. 29.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 22.3% were from 45 to 64; and 13.8% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.


2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 7,633 people, 2,831 households, and 1,942 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,994 housing units at an average density of . The racial makup of the city was 82.84% White, 1.06% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 13.19% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.54%. Of the 2,831 households 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 26.3% of households were one person and 14.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.13. The age distribution was 27.3% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males. The median household income was $35,429 and the median family income was $41,771. Males had a median income of $27,610 versus $21,839 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,935. About 8.9% of families and 12.2% 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 15.6% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

In April 2018, a video showcasing Perry's economy in 1979 and 1980 was released by Iowa State University. The primary employer in Perry was the
Tyson Foods Tyson Foods, Inc. is an American multinational corporation based in Springdale, Arkansas that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second-largest processor and marketer of broiler industry, chicken, beef, and pork after JBS ...
pork plant. In March 2024, due to budgetary reasons, Tyson announced the closing of the facility for June of that year, which laid off an estimated 1,300 jobs with 800 employees living in Perry losing their jobs.


Education

The Perry Community School District operates local area public schools. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines operates St. Patrick School in Perry. The school was dedicated on February 21, 1921. The local Catholic high school is
Dowling Catholic High School Dowling Catholic High School is a Catholic secondary school in West Des Moines, Iowa, within the Diocese of Des Moines. As of the 2013–14 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,431 students and 94.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basi ...
in West Des Moines.


Media

* KDLS-FM * KDLS (AM) * KICG


Notable people

* William Bell (1902–1971), premier American tuba player and teacher * Sam Brinton (born 1988), nuclear engineer and LGBTQ+ activist * George W. Clarke (1906–2006), Washington State Legislator *
Gertrude Mary Cox Gertrude Mary Cox (January 13, 1900 – October 17, 1978) was an American statistician and founder of the department of Experimental Statistics at North Carolina State University. She was later appointed director of both the Institute of Statistic ...
(1900–1978), influential American statistician * Dan Grimm (1941–2018), American football offensive lineman in the
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
* V. T. Hamlin (1900–1993), cartoonist and creator of ''
Alley Oop ''Alley Oop'' is a syndicated comic strip created December 5, 1932, by American cartoonist V. T. Hamlin, who wrote and drew the strip through four decades for Newspaper Enterprise Association. Hamlin introduced a cast of colorful characters and ...
''V.T. Hamlin Collection in University of Missouri Special Collections
* Dwight D. Opperman (1923–2013), CEO of West Publishing, later known as
Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters Corporation ( ) is a Canadian multinational corporation, multinational content-driven technology Conglomerate (company), conglomerate. The company was founded in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and maintains its headquarters at 1 ...
* Jessica Reznicek (born 1981),
Catholic Worker Movement The Catholic Worker Movement is a collection of autonomous communities founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in the United States in 1933. Its aim is to "live in accordance with the justice and charity of Jesus Christ". One of its guiding prin ...
and environmental activist


See also

* Raccoon River Valley Trail * BRR - Bicycle Ride to Rippey * ''Sports Illustrated 40th Anniversary Swimsuit Special: American Beauty'' (2004) * Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the meat industry in the United States


References


External links


Perry Online

The Perry News


Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Perry
Raccoon Valley Radio
{{authority control Cities in Dallas County, Iowa Cities in Iowa Des Moines metropolitan area 1869 establishments in Iowa Populated places established in 1869