Pleasantville, Iowa
Encyclopedia
Pleasantville is a city in Marion County
Marion County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 33,309 in the county, with a population density of . There were 13,914 housing units, of which 12,723 were occupied.-2000 census:...

, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 1,539 at the 2000 census.

History

Pleasantville was surveyed and established as a town on August 1, 1849 on land then owned by William Wesley Jordan. Previous to the ownership of Mr. Jordan, the land comprising the original town plot of Pleasantville changed hands for one horse and $30.
A petition for incorporation was filed in District Court on June 11, 1872 with an election subsequently held in which there were 46 votes in favor and 16 votes against.

The completion of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad Line through Pleasantville in 1879 caused an increase in development and Pleasantville became one of the active business centers in Marion County and the principal shipping point between Knoxville and Des Moines.

The earliest population figures available begin in 1900 with 738 residents.

The first school was built in the fall of 1847, and in 1868, the school district joined with the Masonic Lodge in building a three story brick building that remained a school facility until 1992. Today, the Pleasantville School district consists of three buildings, an elementary, a middle school, and a high school.

Movie

Pleasantville
Pleasantville (film)
Pleasantville is a 1998 American fantasy comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Gary Ross. The film stars Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, William H. Macy, Joan Allen, Marley Shelton and Jeff Daniels. Don Knotts, Paul Walker, Jane Kaczmarek, and J. T. Walsh are also featured.The film...

 was released in the United States on October 23, 1998. As a promotional tie-in for this release an online competition gave entrants the chance to visit Pleasantville, Iowa. The Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...

 website is also titled "The Real Pleasantville" in another nod to this connection.

Geography

Pleasantville is located at 41.387772°N 93.268680°W (41.387772, -93.268680).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 1,539 people, 615 households, and 394 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,322.4 people per square mile (512.3/km2). There were 662 housing units at an average density of 568.8 per square mile (220.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.38% White, 0.06% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.06% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.49% of the population.
There were 615 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,000, and the median income for a family was $48,295. Males had a median income of $35,551 versus $25,948 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $18,279. About 3.8% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 20.0% of those age 65 or over.

The current Marion County Attorney, Ed Bull, calls Pleasantville home.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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