Dyersville, Iowa

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The Basilica of Saint Francis Xavier in Dyersville.

The North Fork of the Maquoketa River at Dyersville in 1996

Dyersville is a city located in Dubuque County, Iowa. It is part of the 'Dubuque, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area'. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 4,035, an increase of about 9% over its 1990 population of 3,703. The city is located on the western border between Dubuque and Delaware Counties.

For a small city, Dyersville has a remarkable number and diversity of attractions:

The Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, one of the few minor Roman Catholic basilicas in the United States outside a metropolitan area.
The Ertl Company as well as an outlet store.
The National Farm Toy Museum.
The baseball field built for the film Field of Dreams.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Economy
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Dyersville is located at 42°28'53" North, 91°7'15" West (42.481316, -91.120967)^GR1, along the North Fork of the Maquoketa River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.9 km² (4.6 mi²). 11.9 km² (4.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.22% is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there are 4,035 people in the city, organized into 1,578 households and 1,117 families. The population density is 338.7/km² (878.1/mi²). There are 1,669 housing units at an average density of 140.1/km² (363.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 98.71% White, 0.45% African American, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 0.12% Asian, 0.00% Native American, 0.05% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. 0.45% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 1,578 households out of which 35.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% are married couples living together, 7.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% are non-families. 25.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.52 and the average family size is 3.07.

In the city the population is spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $38,469, and the median income for a family is $45,625. Males have a median income of $29,674 versus $21,312 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,195. 4.8% of the population and 4.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 5.5% of those under the age of 18 and 8.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Even though the town was founded by a Briton, the population is overwhelmingly German, and Catholic.

[edit] Economy

All American Homes has a plant in Dyersville. This company builds homes in a factory setting. These homes are built in a number of parts. When these parts are finished, the parts are transported to the final assembly site, where they are placed upon a foundation that was previously laid, and put together. The houses the company builds are similar to traditional homes, and may be indistinguishable from a home built entirely on site. On the factory site, there are usually several demonstration homes available for the public to view.

Giving it the nickname "Farm Toy Capital of the World," Dyersville is also the home of the Ertl Company, a toy manufacturer well known for their die-cast, scale model farm toys. These durable, collectable toys are well known around the world as "made just like the real thing....only smaller."