Altoona, Iowa Altoona, Iowa Location of Altoona, Iowa Location of Altoona, Iowa Altoona is a town/city in Polk County, Iowa, United States and is a part of the Des Moines West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Altoona is home of Adventureland, an amusement park, Prairie Meadows, a horse racing track and casino, and a Bass Pro Shops retail store, the first one in central Iowa.
Anthony Yant first settled in what is now Altoona in 1854, the same year that Gilbert T.
Altoona is titled for the Latin word for "high," altus, after surveyor Julian B.
Bausman identified that Altoona was the highest point on the Des Moines Valley Railroad between Des Moines and Keokuk. When the Rock Island Railroad came to Altoona in September of that year, they referred to Altoona as Yant, the city's initial name.
Altoona was incorporated as a town/city on March 11, 1876.
In addition to serving as Altoona's first mayor, Emory English was the town doctor.
Altoona's second mayor Thomas Haines was one of the best known mayors of Altoona.
Haines is best known for the territory he donated to the City of Altoona to be used as a town/city park, which is known as Haines Park.
The only other mayor of Altoona to have a park dedicated to him is Sam Wise.
Wise brought advanced thinking by paving the streets of Altoona, building a sewage fitness that was advanced for its time and allowed for future expansion.
His dedication to Altoona's parks led to the city's sports complex being titled the "Sam Wise Youth Complex." United Mine Workers of America Local 407 was organized in Altoona in 1897, and by 1902, it had 61 members.
On May 5, 2003, the Altoona City Council recognized the Altoona Area Historical Society as the City's official organization to collect, secure, and preserve the artifacts and records of the City of Altoona and encircling areas.
In 2011 the Altoona Area Historical Society started primary renovation work on interior of Altoona's earliest building.
According to the United States Enumeration Bureau, the town/city has a total region of 9.35 square miles (24.22 km2), all of it land. As of the census of 2010, there were 14,541 citizens , 5,459 homeholds, and 3,945 families residing in the city.
There were 5,702 housing units at an average density of 609.8 per square mile (235.4/km2).
The ethnic makeup of the town/city was 95.1% White, 1.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other competitions, and 1.5% from two or more competitions.
There were 5,459 homeholds of which 42.2% had kids under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female homeholder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male homeholder with no wife present, and 27.7% were non-families.
22.6% of all homeholds were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The median age in the town/city was 33.7 years.
30% of inhabitants were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.4% were from 25 to 44; 23.1% were from 45 to 64; and 9.1% were 65 years of age or older.
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,345 citizens , 3,850 homeholds, and 2,895 families residing in the city.
There were 3,959 housing units at an average density of 557.3 per square mile (215.3/km ).
The ethnic makeup of the town/city was 97.11% White, 0.92% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.41% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other competitions, and 1.20% from two or more competitions.
There were 3,850 homeholds out of which 43.7% had kids under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female homeholder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families.
19.9% of all homeholds were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Age spread: 30.6% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older.
The median income for a homehold in the town/city was $50,162, and the median income for a family was $58,306.
About 4.0% of families and 5.5% of the populace were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
Altoona (along with close-by Runnells, Mitchellville, and parts of Pleasant Hill and Des Moines) is a part of the Southeast Polk Community School District, and its students attend Southeast Polk High School.
The town is home to four of the eight elementary schools in the district: Altoona, Centennial, Clay, and Willowbrook.
The current Altoona Elementary building also served as the town's high school until it joined the Southeast Polk consolidation in 1962.
Jamie Solinger, Miss Iowa Teen USA 1992, Miss Teen USA 1992, Miss Iowa USA 1998 United States Enumeration Bureau.
Des Moines and Polk County: Flag on the Prairie.
1, Mine Workers of America, United, Tenth Biennial Report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the State of Iowa, 1901 1902, Murphy, Des Moines, 1903; page 232.
"Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015".
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Altoona, Iowa.
Official Altoona City Website Altoona Chamber of Commerce Altoona Public Library Website City Data Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Altoona Altoona Area Historical Society Municipalities and communities of Polk County, Iowa, United States Alleman Altoona Ankeny Bondurant Carlisle Clive Des Moines Elkhart Granger Grimes Johnston Mitchellville Norwalk Pleasant Hill Polk City Runnells Sheldahl Urbandale West Des Moines Windsor Heights
Categories:
Cities in Iowa - Cities in Polk County, Iowa - Populated places established in 1876 - Des Moines urbane region - 1876 establishments in Iowa
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