Pleasantville, Iowa

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.

The movie Pleasantville was released in the United States on October 23, 1998. Shortly before and during the film's release, as a promotional tie-in, an online competition gave entrants the chance to visit Pleasantville, Iowa. Over 30,000 people entered. The winner, who remained anonymous, declined the trip and opted to receive the $10,000 cash prize instead.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.54 square miles (6.58 km²), of which, 2.53 square miles (6.55 km²) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km²) is water.^[4]

As of the census of 2020,^[6] there were 1,676 people, 677 households, and 413 families residing in the city. The population density was 685.0 inhabitants per square mile (264.5/km²). There were 711 housing units at an average density of 290.6 per square mile (112.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.7% White, 1.0% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from other races and 4.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 2.3% of the population.

Of the 677 households, 34.1% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 7.8% were cohabitating couples, 29.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 18.8% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 39.0% of all households were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older.

The median age in the city was 36.7 years. 29.1% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.0% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 25.0% were from 25 and 44; 23.8% were from 45 and 64; and 17.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

As of the census^[7] of 2010, there were 1,694 people, 674 households, and 426 families living in the city. The population density was 669.6 inhabitants per square mile (258.5/km²). There were 719 housing units at an average density of 284.2 per square mile (109.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.8% White, 0.3% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.

There were 674 households, of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.8% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% 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 3.12.

The median age in the city was 36 years. 27.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.6% were from 25 to 44; 22.7% were from 45 to 64; and 15.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.

As of the census^[8] of 2000, there were 1,539 people, 615 households, and 394 families living in the city. The population density was 1,322.4 inhabitants per square mile (510.6/km²). There were 662 housing units at an average density of 568.8 per square mile (219.6/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, 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 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.

29.1% were 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% 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 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 Pleasantville Community School District operates local public schools.^[9]

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  Marion County farmer with mule-drawn wagon, about 1926
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  Two Iowa farm boys riding a pony, about 1937
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  Iowa farm boy riding hog, about 1941
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  Farm house and barn yard near Pleasantville, 1957
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  Cows in farm pasture, 1957
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  Farmer getting coal, December 1957
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  Farm barnyard
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  Farm barnyard and silo, 1960
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  Aerial view of Pleasantville, 1969
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  Farmland outside Pleasantville
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  Another aerial view of Pleasantville
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  Aerial view of pond on farm land
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  The town's only grocery store, 2009

• KICL

• Pleasantville Schools