Van Meter is a city in Dallas 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, situated along the

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 1,484 at the time of the 2020 census. Van Meter 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

Van Meter was laid out as a town in 1869. The city was named for Jacob Rhodes Van Meter and his family,

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

settlers from Meteren, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Van Meter was incorporated on December 29, 1877.

The Van Meter Visitor

In September and October 1903, there were multiple instances of people claiming to have seen a winged, bat-like creature in and around Van Meter. The roughly nine-foot-tall being, which has since been dubbed the Van Meter Visitor, was reported to be able to shoot light from the horn situated on its forehead and be unaffected by bullets. Clarence Dunn, one of the witnesses, had even made a plaster cast of three-toed footprints it left behind. A smaller, similar being sometimes accompanied it. After a community-led confrontation, the being disappeared after about four days, supposedly into the nearby coal mine. Claims of witnessing bat-like creatures or phenomena have continued, including into the 2010s. To commemorate the sightings, a Van Meter Visitor Festival transpires annually around the anniversary of the events.

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. Van Meter is situated west of

, just south of

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...

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 1,484 people, 513 households, and 402 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 641.5 inhabitants per square mile (247.7/km²). There were 538 housing units at an average density of 232.6 per square mile (89.8/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 ...

, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.7% 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 ...

, 0.6% from other races and 3.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

persons of any race comprised 1.5% of the population. Of the 513 households, 46.4% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% 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, 7.6% were cohabitating couples, 20.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 10.3% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 21.6% of all households were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals, 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 34.8 years. 34.0% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.4% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 29.0% were from 25 and 44; 21.8% were from 45 and 64; and 10.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.5% male and 49.5% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 1,016 people, 382 households, and 280 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 415 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.9%

, 0.2%

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, 0.6% Asian, 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 0.6% of the population. There were 382 households, of which 45.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were

living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 26.7% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age in the city was 35.5 years. 31.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.4% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 8.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 866 people, 326 households, and 237 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 342 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.15%

, 0.23%

, 0.69% Asian, 0.23%

, 0.23% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.39% of the population. There were 326 households, out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were

living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.13. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.5% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $50,625, and the median income for a family was $59,000. Males had a median income of $37,895 versus $26,023 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 $20,272. About 0.8% of families and 2.7% 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 none of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The Bob Feller Museum opened on June 10, 1995, in honor of

Bob Feller Robert William Andrew Feller (November 3, 1918 – December 15, 2010), nicknamed "the Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Clevel ...

, a National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and a native of Van Meter. On November 11, 2006,

Veterans Day Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces. It coincides with holidays in several countries, i ...

, ground was broken for an Iowa Veterans Cemetery at a site located in the Northern part of Van Meter. Iowa Governor

Tom Vilsack Thomas James Vilsack (; born December 13, 1950) is an American politician. He served as the 30th and 32nd United States secretary of agriculture from 2009 to 2017, during the Obama administration, and again from 2021 to 2025 during the Biden admi ...

was among those who helped dedicate the cemetery. On November 11, 2018, a Freedom Rock was unveiled at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery.

Education

The Van Meter Community School District operates local public schools.

Notable people

Myrtle Aydelotte Myrtle Elizabeth Kitchell "Kitch" Aydelotte (May 31, 1917 – January 7, 2010) was an American nurse, professor and hospital administrator. She was CEO of the American Nurses Association, director of nursing for the University of Iowa Hospitals and ...

, nurse, professor, and hospital administrator *

Derek Benz Derek Benz (born October 27, 1971)"Biography of Derek Benz"
. ''Derek Benz''. Giselle Campos ...

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 ...

author, ''

The Revenge of the Shadow King ''Grey Griffins'' is a children's novel series written by the American authors Derek Benz and J. S. Lewis in collaboration.Bob Feller Robert William Andrew Feller (November 3, 1918 – December 15, 2010), nicknamed "the Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Clevel ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher and member of

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

; born in Van Meter * David Young, former

U.S. Representative 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 ...

for

References

External links

City of Van Meter official website
{{authority control Cities in Dallas County, Iowa Cities in Iowa Des Moines metropolitan area 1869 establishments in Iowa Populated places established in 1869