Dexter, Iowa

Dexter, Iowa
—  City  —
Location of Dexter, Iowa
Coordinates: 41°30′56″N 94°13′38″W / 41.51556°N 94.22722°W / 41.51556; -94.22722Coordinates: 41°30′56″N 94°13′38″W / 41.51556°N 94.22722°W / 41.51556; -94.22722
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Dallas
Area
– Total	1.2 sq mi (3.1 km2)
– Land	1.2 sq mi (3.1 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,142 ft (348 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	689
– Density	578.2/sq mi (223.2/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
– Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	50070
Area code(s)	515
FIPS code	19-21225
GNIS feature ID	0455902

Dexter is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 689 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. Dexter was named after the famous trotting horse Dexter.

History

Dexter was founded in 1868.

The city is famous for being the site of a July 23, 1933, shootout between members of the Barrow gang and police from as far away as Des Moines.^[1][2] On September 18, 1948, Dexter was the site of a national plowing match at which President Harry Truman delivered a speech attacking the 80th Congress for its record in regard to the American farmer. This speech is considered one of the most important of his 1948 Whistle Stop campaign that turned the tide of the election and returned him to the White House.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Geography

Dexter is located at 41°30′56″N 94°13′38″W / 41.51556°N 94.22722°W / 41.51556; -94.22722 (41.515617, -94.227115)^[7].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), all of it land.

The community is immediately north of Interstate 80.

Demographics

As of the census^[8] of 2000, there were 689 people, 259 households, and 190 families residing in the city. The population density was 578.2 people per square mile (223.5/km²). There were 270 housing units at an average density of 226.6 per square mile (87.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.82% White, 0.29% Native American, 1.31% Asian, 0.29% from other races, and 0.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.16% of the population.

There were 259 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,375, and the median income for a family was $44,861. Males had a median income of $30,395 versus $22,361 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,990. About 4.3% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable natives and residents

• Edwin H. Conger (1843–1907), United States Ambassador to China during the Boxer Rebellion, United States Ambassador to Brazil, and United States Ambassador to Mexico.^[9]

References

1. ^ http://texashideout.tripod.com/Dexfield.html Dexfield Park Bad Day for Buck and Blanche retrieved on July 16, 2009
2. ^ ^{a b} http://home.mchsi.com/~cityofdexter/Area%20Attractions.htm City of Dexter website retrieved on July 16, 2009
3. ^ http://www.trumanlibrary.org/photographs/view.php?id=1323&rr= Photograph from Truman Presidential library retrieved on July 16, 2009
4. ^ http://www.trumanlibrary.org/photographs/view.php?id=3495&rr= Photograph from Truman Presidential library retrieved on July 16, 2009
5. ^ http://cgi.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/analysis/back.time/9609/23/ CNN: 1996 All Politics Mowing 'Em Down retrieved on July 16, 2009
6. ^ http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=13000 Address at Dexter, Iowa, on the Occasion of the National Plowing Match, September 18, 1948, retrieved on July 16, 2009
7. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
8. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
9. ^ Iowa, a guide to the Hawkeye State by Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of Iowa, page 494, first published August 1939, fifth printing April 1959, Hastings House Publishers, Inc.

External links

• City website