Dyersville, Iowa
Dyersville is a city located in Dubuque County, Iowa. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 4,035. The city is located on the western border between Dubuque and Deleware Counties.
Dyersville is home to the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, one of only 52 minor Catholic Basilicas in the United States, and currently the only one outside a metropolitan area. Dyersville is also the located near the Field of Dreams, a ballpark carved from a cornfield created for the Kevin Costner movie of the same name. The National Farm Toy Museum is located in Dyersville.
All American Homes has a plant in Dyersville. This company builds homes in a factory setting. These homes are built in a number of parts. When these parts are finished, the parts are transported to the final assembly site, where they are placed upon a foundation that was previously laid, and put together. The houses the company builds are similar to traditional homes, and may be indistinguishable from a home built entirely on site. On the factory site, there are usually several demonstration homes available for the public to view.
Geography
Dyersville is located at 42°28'53" North, 91°7'15" West (42.481316, -91.120967)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.9 km² (4.6 mi²). 11.9 km² (4.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.22% is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 4,035 people, 1,578 households, and 1,117 families residing in the city. The population density is 338.7/km² (878.1/mi²). There are 1,669 housing units at an average density of 140.1/km² (363.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 98.71% White, 0.45% African American, 0.00% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 0.05% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. 0.45% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 1,578 households out of which 35.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% are married couples living together, 7.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% are non-families. 25.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.52 and the average family size is 3.07.
In the city the population is spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $38,469, and the median income for a family is $45,625. Males have a median income of $29,674 versus $21,312 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,195. 4.8% of the population and 4.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 5.5% are under the age of 18 and 8.4% are 65 or older.
The movie Field of Dreams was filmed near Dyersville. When production completed, the baseball diamond created for the movie was left behind. The field straddled the property line between two farms; most of the field, including the diamond, was on one property, while left and center field were on the other. Immediately after filming, the family that owned the majority of the field kept it open, selling souvenirs to tourists.
The other family, however, returned its portion of the field to farming for a year. They then restored their portion of the field, and opened up a rival souvenir shop. The two families still maintain separate tourist facilities, and have been at odds for years over the attraction.