Prairie City, Iowa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Prairie City, Iowa | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Iowa |
| County | Jasper |
| Area | |
| - Total | 1.2 sq mi (3.0 km²) |
| - Land | 1.2 sq mi (3.0 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Elevation | 928 ft (283 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 1,365 |
| - Density | 1,182.5/sq mi (456.6/km²) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 50228 |
| Area code(s) | 515 |
| FIPS code | 19-64470 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0460389 |
Prairie City is a city in Jasper County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,365 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] Geography
Prairie City is located at (41.598042, -93.236726)[1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (3.0 km²), all of it land.
[edit] History
Prairie City is 20 miles (30 km) east of Des Moines on Highway 163. Interstate 80 is 5 miles (8 km) to the North.
Prairie City, Iowa was founded by James Elliot in 1852. The town was originally named for its founder, but was later forced to change because there was already an Elliot, Iowa. The first person to live in the town was William Means, who built a tavern 2 miles 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 first class to graduate was on 1881 and the class consisted of six girls. In 1990 Prairie City and its neighboring city, Monroe, joined together into one school because of a fire that burnt down Monroe's High school.
Tourists enjoy the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge*[1], which is adjacent to the city, with 5,500 acres (22 km²) of land that has been restored to Iowa's original rolling hills and tall grass prairies. The Refuge includes several miles of surfaced trails, an auto tour and the Prairie Learning Center.
Prairie City is also building a recreational park. The park will include four baseball diamonds, an aquatic center, a rec building, a walking trail, two playgrounds, two football fields/soccer fields, and ponds for fishing. The park is still in progress of being built and should be finished soon. For further information about the upcoming park go to http://www.prairiecityiowa.us/city_departments.html#parks.
The town annually celebrates Prairie Days, an "old settler's" festival, each summer, in June. During Prairie Days the town celebrates many activities such as a car show, a teen dace at night, many kid games, a fire fighter water fight, bingo, tractor show, parade, and much more. There are many food stands at Prairie Days witch are provided by the churches in town and others from family businesses. During the celebration there is also live entertainment from various bands each year.
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.
Prairie City Motto: "Proud Of Our Past, Confident Of Our Future."
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 1,365 people, 553 households, and 388 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,182.5 people per square mile (458.3/km²). There were 567 housing units at an average density of 491.2/sq mi (190.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.46% White, 0.29% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 married couples 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 for the city was $19,864. About 3.4% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] References
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Prairie City, Iowa is at coordinates Coordinates:
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