Ely is a city in Linn County,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. The population was 2,328 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the

Cedar Rapids metropolitan area The Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in Iowa, anchored by the city of Cedar Rapids. As of the 2020 census, the MSA had a population of 276,520. Th ...

History

Ely was platted in June 1872 by T.M. Johnson. The town is named after John F. Ely, who was one of the pioneers of Linn county, a prominent railroad builder in the early days and one of the officers and stockholders of the

Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway The Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway (BCR&N) was a railroad that operated in the United States from 1876 to 1903. It was formed to take over the operations of the bankrupt Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Minnesota Railway, which was, in ...

. After the railroad was established in town more buildings were erected including a warehouse by Andrew Fuhrmeister, a store building by Jerry Smith, a bar, and a drug and hardware store were also built as more and more people began moving into town.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2020, there were 2,328 people, 829 households, and 633 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 1,422.0 inhabitants per square mile (549.0/km²). There were 866 housing units at an average density of 529.0 per square mile (204.2/km²). The

racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...

makeup of the city was 93.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.7% Black or African American, 0.2%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, 0.7% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.5% from other races and 3.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

persons of any race comprised 2.3% of the population. Of the 829 households, 43.5% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.2% were cohabitating couples, 15.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 13.8% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 23.6% of all households were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals, 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 34.9 years. 33.0% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.5% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 29.1% were from 25 and 44; 23.6% were from 45 and 64; and 9.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.8% male and 49.2% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 1,776 people, 628 households, and 466 families living in the city. The

was . There were 650 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.5%

, 0.3%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1%

, 0.5% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population. There were 628 households, of which 48.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were

living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.8% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.29. The median age in the city was 33.2 years. 32.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 33.2% were from 25 to 44; 22.2% were from 45 to 64; and 5.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.5% male and 49.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,149 people, 424 households, and 315 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 434 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.09%

, 0.35%

, 0.26%

, 0.17% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population. There were 424 households, of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% were

living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.10. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $57,250, and the median income for a family was $62,500. Males had a median income of $41,292 versus $29,286 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $20,936. About 2.4% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public Schools

Residents of Ely belong to the College Community School District. The school district operates: *Prairie High School *Prairie Point Middle School and Ninth Grade Academy *Prairie Creek Intermediate *Prairie Heights Elementary *Prairie View Elementary *Prairie Crest Elementary *Prairie Ridge Elementary *Prairie Hill Elementary The school district is located within the

Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in u ...

city limits. Ely formerly had its own public school building, which was built in 1923, but has since ceased operations as a school and houses city government offices, City Council Chambers, a senior dining facility, meeting rooms and The History Center and archives.
Ely School House. Retrieved on May 18, 2022.

Higher Education

Ely is within 20 miles of five college campuses: * Kirkwood Community College: 4.6 miles * Coe College: 11.8 miles * Mt. Mercy University: 12.7 miles * Cornell College: 13.1 miles * The University of Iowa: 19.5 miles

Community

Annual events

Ely hosts the Fall Fest, held annually during Late September or Early October. The Ely Fall Fest is a family-oriented and affordable celebration that offers a wide range of events for all ages run by The Ely Parks & Recreation Commission. The town also hosts a city-wide garage sale day on the first Saturday of May.

Religion

There are two churches in Ely: St. John's Lutheran Church founded in 1854 and the First Presbyterian Church founded in 1858.

Parks and Recreation

The City of Ely provides four different parks throughout the community: * Ely City Park: the newest and largest of the four city parks. It features two baseball fields, soccer fields, a small pond, and playground. * Schulte Park: locals often refer to this as the "Fishy" Park due to its large fish shaped bridge that is a part of the playground. This park features a large playground, pavilion, large grassy area, and gaga ball pit. * Community Center Park: the oldest park in Ely, this park offers half-court basketball, a tennis court, open grass field and a playground. The playground was renovated in the fall of 2020. * Vavra Park: this park offers a quiet and shaded green space, nestled along a creek. Renovations were made in 2023 with new features including a covered shelter, frisbee golf holes, horse shoe pits, permanent bag toss, a butterfly garden and minimal playground equipment. Ely is located near two Iowa State parks: Lake MacBride State Park and Palisades-Kepler State Park. The Cedar Valley Nature bike trail travels through Ely and provides access to both Iowa City and Cedar Rapids.

National Register of Historic Places

Three properties in Ely are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

: *

Dows Street Historic District The Dows Street Historic District is located in Ely, Iowa, United States. The area exemplifies the importance the railroad and transportation in general played in the development of the town's central business district. Community members rev ...

* Ely School House * Woitishek-King-Krob Elevator

Notable residents

* Lew Fonseca (1899-1989)

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player

Notes

References

External links

* Historic Ely, Iowa (History of Ely & area) https://www.elyhistory.com/
City of Ely
''Official Website''
Economic Development Group of Ely, nonprofit

Statistical Data and more about Ely {{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Linn County, Iowa Cedar Rapids, Iowa metropolitan area 1872 establishments in Iowa Populated places established in 1872