Windsor Heights is a city in Polk 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 United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The population was 5,252 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

Windsor Heights incorporated as a city on July 19, 1941. It was named for nearby Windsor Elementary School in

; the school was named for early settler Henry Clay Windsor, whose family donated land for the school. In 1958 Windsor Heights annexed the neighboring community of Crestwood, which added roughly 1,300 people to the city and established the city's present boundaries. On June 26, 2008, the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

gave Windsor Heights its own ZIP code of 50324 that was scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2009. Before that, the city shared ZIP codes with neighboring portions of Des Moines and Urbandale.

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. Windsor Heights is surrounded by other cities: Urbandale to the north, Clive to the west, West Des Moines to the south, and Des Moines to the east. Interstate 235 runs through the far southern part of the city,

U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6) or U.S. Highway 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the United States Numbered Highway System. While it ...

(Hickman Road) forms the boundary with Urbandale, and

Iowa Highway 28 Iowa Highway 28 is a state highway located in south central Iowa. The route begins at Iowa Highway 92 at Martensdale, Iowa, Martensdale and ends at Interstate 35 (Iowa), Interstate 35 / Interstate 80 (Iowa), Interstate 80 in Johnston, Iowa, Jo ...

(63rd Street) the boundary with Des Moines.

Climate

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 5,252 people, 2,226 households, and 1,361 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 3,661.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,413.6/km²). There were 2,320 housing units at an average density of 1,617.3 per square mile (624.4/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 79.6%

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 ...

, 4.6% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 5.0% 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 ...

, 2.2% from other races and 8.1% 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 6.7% of the population. Of the 2,226 households, 27.9% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% 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, 8.2% were cohabitating couples, 27.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 17.2% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 38.9% of all households were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 39.8 years. 23.9% of the residents were under the age of 20; 3.8% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 28.8% were from 25 and 44; 23.1% were from 45 and 64; and 20.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 4,860 people, 2,167 households, and 1,287 families living in the city. The

was . There were 2,289 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.1%

, 3.5%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 0.1%

, 1.2% from other races, and 1.6% 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 3.7% of the population. There were 2,167 households, of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were

living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.6% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age in the city was 43 years. 19.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 29.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.9% 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 4,805 people, 2,163 households, and 1,349 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,222 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.07%

, 1.73%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.08% Native American, 1.25% Asian, 0.06%

, 0.58% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.58% of the population. There were 2,163 households, out of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were

living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.77. 19.6% are under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $55,931, and the median income for a family was $65,536. Males had a median income of $41,218 versus $31,854 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 $29,966. About 2.6% of families and 5.2% 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 5.3% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Windsor Heights is served by both the West Des Moines Community School District (WDMCS) and

Des Moines Public Schools The Des Moines Independent Community School District (The ''Des Moines Public Schools'', or ''DMPS'') is the largest public school district in Iowa. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, North Central Associ ...

(DMPS), with 70th Street serving as the boundary line for the districts. Each district also has schools within the city boundaries, with Clive Learning Academy serving WDMCS students and Cowles Montessori School serving DMPS students.

Transportation

Transit service in the city is provided by

Des Moines Area Regional Transit Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) operates mass transit service in Greater Des Moines. It is the largest public transit agency operating in the state of Iowa. History DART was founded in 1973 as the Des Moines Metropolitan Transit ...

. Bus routes 3, 74 and 92 connect the city to the region.

In popular culture

The town's

Dairy Queen International Dairy Queen, Inc. (DQ) is an American multinational fast food chain founded in 1940 and currently headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota. The first Dairy Queen was owned and operated by Sherb Noble and first opened on June 22, ...

franchise briefly became famous due to a viral tweet by Iowa Senator

Chuck Grassley Charles Ernest Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is an American politician serving as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate since 2025, a role he also held from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Re ...

who informed his followers "Windsor Heights Dairy Queen is good place for u kno what." Grassley later informed a reporter his tweet referenced the fact that he enjoyed Dairy Queen ice cream.

References

External links

City of Windsor Heights

Windsor Heights Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Polk County, Iowa Cities in Iowa Populated places established in 1941 Des Moines metropolitan area 1941 establishments in Iowa