Prairie City is a city in Jasper 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 1,700 at the time of the 2020 census. It is twenty-two miles east of

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 ...

History

Prairie City was founded by James Elliott in 1856, for whom it was originally named; it was later changed because there was already a town named Elliott in the state. The first resident was William Means, who built a tavern west of Elliot's cabin. The railroad first came through Prairie City in 1866. The first school in Prairie City was built on 1868(The Plainsmen) ; the city's district remained independent until a merger with that of Monroe in 1990, brought about by the destruction by fire of Monroe's high school. The new school district is called Prairie City-Monroe ("PCM") Community School district, home of the PCM Mustangs. Prairie City's Historical Society was established in 1995. The Prairie City Historical Museum is located at 109 S. Main Street and open by appointment. Many artifacts from Prairie City's history are housed in the museum including the Dowden Potato Digger, which was originally manufactured in Prairie City. The city was the subject of Douglas Bauer's popular reminiscence of change in small town Iowa from the 1950s through the 1970s, ''Prairie City, Iowa: Three Seasons at Home''.

Geography

Prairie City is located at (41.598042, -93.236726). 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 1,700 people, 651 households, and 464 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 1,369.2 inhabitants per square mile (528.7/km²). There were 679 housing units at an average density of 546.9 per square mile (211.2/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 ...

, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.0% Native American, 0.8% 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 ...

, 0.4% from other races and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 3.4% of the population. Of the 651 households, 38.9% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% 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, 5.5% were cohabitating couples, 24.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 14.4% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 28.7% of all households were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 37.5 years. 31.9% of the residents were under the age of 20; 3.8% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 25.4% were from 25 and 44; 23.6% were from 45 and 64; and 15.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 1,680 people, 631 households, and 468 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 678 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.4%

, 0.5%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.1%

, 0.7% from other races, and 1.2% 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 1.5% of the population. There were 631 households, of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were

living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.8% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age in the city was 33.7 years. 31.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.1% were from 25 to 44; 22.4% were from 45 to 64; and 12.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,365 people, 553 households, and 388 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 567 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.46%

, 0.29%

, 0.22% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.07%

, 0.29% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.95% of the population. There were 553 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.2% were

living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $42,750, and the median income for a family was $54,205. Males had a median income of $32,389 versus $25,500 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 $19,864. About 3.4% of families and 5.6% 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 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The PCM Community School District operates public schools serving the community. It was a part of the Prairie City School District until it merged with the Monroe district into PCM on July 1, 1991.REORGANIZATION & DISSOLUTION ACTIONS SINCE 1965-66
."

Iowa Department of Education The Iowa Department of Education sets the standards for all public institutions of education in Iowa and accredits private as well as public schools. It is headquartered in Des Moines. Organization As of 2020, the Iowa Department of Education c ...

. Retrieved on July 20, 2018. Prairie City is home to Prairie City Elementary School and PCM Middle School, while residents go to PCM Community High School in Monroe.

Arts and culture

The city annually celebrates Prairie Days, an "old settler's" festival, in June.

Parks and recreation

The Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, located adjacent to the city, includes of land that has been restored to Iowa's original rolling hills and tall grass prairies, plus several miles of surfaced trails, an auto tour, and the Prairie Learning Center. Prairie City has a number of parks which include sports facilities, playgrounds, and open areas.

Transportation

Prairie City is accessible from the east and west via Highway 163. Highway 117 and County Route S6G allow access from the north and south respectively. A May, 2023 article by the Des Moines, Iowa news outlet KCCI reported Prairie City had collected over $2 million in fines and issued over 25,000 speeding tickets in just 2.5 years, based on the use of 4 speeding ticket cameras. Prairie City employs seven police officers, giving it a 245-to-1 citizen-to-officer ratio—nearly three times the US average—and making it one of the most heavily policed municipalities per capita in the developed world.

Gallery

Image:Prairie City, Iowa 2.jpg, Downtown Image:Prairie City, Iowa.jpg, Another view of downtown

References

External links

City website

Community website
{{authority control Cities in Jasper County, Iowa Cities in Iowa Populated places established in 1856 1856 establishments in Iowa