Riverside is a city in rural
Washington 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, along the
English River on
Iowa Highway 22. It is part of the
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, fifth-most populous c ...
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,060 at the time of the
2020 census.
It is part of the
Highland Community School District.
Riverside proclaimed itself the future birthplace of Captain
James T. Kirk, a fictional character from the
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
series ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'', with the agreement of series creator
Gene Roddenberry.
History
The settlement of Riverside was established in 1872 and incorporated in 1882. The name, suggested by a Dr. Ott, is probably a reference to the townsite's location on the
English River.
The
Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway built a branch from
Iowa City to
What Cheer via Riverside in 1879. Riverside was just west of Iowa Junction, where the lines east to
Muscatine and north to
Iowa City diverged.
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 of it land.
Riverside is approximately south of Iowa City along
U.S. Route 218 and west of
Muscatine on
Iowa Highway 22. Riverside is on the north bank of the
English River.
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 1,060 people, 478 households, and 276 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 574.1 inhabitants per square mile (221.7/km
2). There were 522 housing units at an average density of 282.7 per square mile (109.2/km
2). 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 95.8%
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 ...
, 0.9%
Black or African American, 0.0%
Native American, 0.1%
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 ...
, 0.3% from other races and 2.8% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 1.8% of the population.
Of the 478 households, 24.9% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were
married couples living together, 7.7% were cohabitating couples, 23.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 22.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 42.3% of all households were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older.
The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 22.8% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.7% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 28.1% were from 25 and 44; 25.2% were from 45 and 64; and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.
2010 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 2010, there were 993 people, 435 households, and 267 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 . There were 503 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.8%
European American, 0.8%
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%
Native American, and 1.1% 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 1.2% of the population.
There were 435 households, of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were
married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.6% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.90.
The median age in the city was 37.5 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.6% were from 25 to 44; 27.1% were from 45 to 64; and 13.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.
2000 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 2000, there were 928 people, 378 households, and 249 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 396 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.00%
European American, 0.54%
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 ...
, 0.11%
Native American, 0.22%
Asian, 0.43% from
other races, and 0.65% 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 0.32% of the population.
There were 378 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were
married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 30.7% 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 2.46 and the average family size was 3.08.
27.5% were under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,080, and the median income for a family was $52,344. Males had a median income of $30,526 versus $26,645 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 $17,744. About 1.2% of families and 2.6% 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 1.8% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The
Highland Community School District serves Riverside. The elementary school, Highland Elementary, is in Riverside, while the middle and high school are nearby in an
unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
.
Star Trek
Gene Roddenberry, the creator of ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'', asserts in his book ''The Making of Star Trek'' that the character of
James Tiberius Kirk was born in the state of
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 ...
. In ''
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'', Kirk himself tells Dr. Taylor he is from Iowa.

In March 1985, when the city was looking for a theme for its annual town festival, Steve Miller, a member of the Riverside City Council who had read Roddenberry's book, suggested to the council that Riverside should proclaim itself to be the future birthplace of Kirk. Miller's motion passed unanimously.
This birthplace was confirmed as
Star Trek canon in season 2, episode 3 of ''
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'' as when asked, Kirk states he was born in Riverside, IA. Additionally, at least two ''Star Trek'' novels had material based in the real city of Riverside. ''Best Destiny'', an immediate sequel to the events shown in ''
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country'', depicted Kirk's childhood in Riverside. The novel's opening chapter depicts a pre-teen Kirk, playing with friends in fields, in rushes and river wetland along the English River. Another novel, ''Final Frontier'' by
Diane Carey, not to be confused with ''
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier'', was written as a prequel novel to the original series. Depicting the space adventures of James T. Kirk's father, Commander George Samuel Kirk Sr., the opening and closing passages of the novel depict Captain Kirk, now an adult, mulling over his
Starfleet career options shortly after his first five-year mission. The younger Kirk was also depicted, walking around the farmhouse owned by his family in Riverside. Its wrap-around veranda had views of both the English River and the Iowa River to the east, which mirror the site of the real "Kirk's Birthstone" marker.
The 2009 film ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'', set in an
alternate reality from the main ''Star Trek'' universe, shows that Kirk was born aboard a
shuttlecraft in space and raised in Iowa. Nearby are the (fictional) Riverside Quarry, where young Jim Kirk destroys a 20th-century Chevy Corvette in an act of vandalism, and the Riverside Shipyards, identified by name by Captain Christopher Pike as the construction site of the
USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701), and an embarkation point for Starfleet Academy recruits, including an older Jim Kirk.
During a September 28, 2004,
town meeting, the city learned that its residents had become the unwitting stars of a
Spike TV reality show called ''
Invasion Iowa'' inspired by the Kirk connection. Over a week earlier, actor
William Shatner had arrived in the city under the guise of filming a science fiction movie called ''Invasion Iowa''.
Voyage Home Riverside History Center
The Voyage Home Riverside History Center is also colloquially referred to as the "Star Trek Museum". It houses ''Star Trek'' themed exhibits and memorabilia, including a time capsule; a ''Star Trek''-themed bathroom; and an exhibit about the women of ''Star Trek''. The museum features a veterans display and a room dedicated to the history of Riverside. The museum also has displays featuring
Leonard Nimoy, the various ''Star Trek'' franchise television shows,
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
,
William Shatner's visit to Riverside, and others.
Walter Koenig, who played
Pavel Chekov in the original series, visited the Museum when it first opened on June 27, 2008, where he participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony.
See also
*
St. Mary's Catholic Church
*
Ticonderoga, New York
*
Beam me up, Scotty
*
Blue Top Ridge Golf Course
*
La Barre, Haute-Saone, the "future" French birthplace of Star Trek's Captain
Jean-Luc Picard
*
Vulcan, Alberta, which shares a name with Star Trek's
Vulcans
*
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in Monroe County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. The population was 79,168 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-most populous city in Indiana and ...
, the "future" birthplace of Star Trek's Captain
Kathryn Janeway and home to a statue.
References
External links
Riverside City web site
{{authority control
Cities in Iowa
Cities in Washington County, Iowa
Iowa City metropolitan area
1872 establishments in Iowa
Populated places established in 1872
Star Trek fandom
Star Trek locations