Polk City, Iowa
12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1911 and the latest in 1984. It stands in Madison Township. It lies in ZIP code area 50226. It stands on Wolf Creek. The Survey maps it on the Polk City quadrangle. 5,543 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 883 feet above sea level.
On record in Polk City
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
Big Creek Schoolhouselisted 2004
Population over time
2 figuresPolk City grew from 3,418 to 5,543 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 3,418 | |
| 2020 | 5,543 | +2,125 (+62%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 12 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1911 USGS Slater quadrangle1:62500
- 1913 USGS Slater quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1954 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1972 USGS Polk City quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1984 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
14 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 14 fires within 5 miles of Polk City between 2006 and 2017, burning about 44 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 August 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 8 July 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 30 July 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 5 June 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 25 June 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 17 June 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 7 May 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 19 May 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | CAMP DODGE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
5 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Polk City: 5 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradshaw Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Jester Park Pits | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Lehman Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Long Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 88 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Polk City in 88 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 32 thunderstorm wind, 31 heavy rain, 18 hail, 3 flash flood. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | 1 hurt | Ten inch diameter tree branches blown down in Polk City. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $150,000 | A 10 by 34 foot section of a newly constructed house roof was blown off and trusses snapped in half. Several 18 to 24 foot diameter trees were snapped or topped. Surrounding corn fields were mostly flattened. |
| March 2019 | Flood | Polk City | $100,000 | Bike trail bridge over Beaver Creek damaged/destroyed from ice and flooding. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $100,000 | Corrugated steel roof from a house was ripped off and thrown approximately 110 meters. A section of the roof impaled the side of a neighboring house, with part of the metal roof sticking into the living room of the house. |
| June 2007 | Flash Flood | Polk City | $100,000 | no account filed |
| September 2018 | Flash Flood | Polk City | $50,000 | Public stated that Highway 17 northbound is underwater and closed approximately 1 mile north of Granger. |
| June 2001 | Hail | Polk City | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 2022 | Tornado (EF1) | Polk City | $25,000 | QLCS system was passing through central Iowa and produced a series of three tornadoes in close proximity to one another between the Des Moines metro area and Ames. This was the first tornado of the group and also the strongest. It touched down south of Madrid, Iowa and moved quickly northeast. It encountered a farmstead shortly after forming snapping tree trunks and flipping a 5th wheel camper producing EF1 damage. The tornado then remained in open farmland and crossed into Boone County. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Polk City | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Hail | Polk City | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $10,000 | Off duty NWS employee reports 4 inch tree limbs down in town. |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Polk City | $10,000 | Report of water over the road on Highway 17 and 122nd ave near the Des Moines River bridge. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Flood | Polk City | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $5,000 | Wind gust estimated at 65 MPH. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $5,000 | Trees were blown down. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $5,000 | Winds at the NWS office were measured at 70 MPH with small hail. Winds lasted 5 minutes and were still going on. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $5,000 | Ten inch diameter trees down. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $5,000 | Several 10 inch diameter tree limbs down. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Polk City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Polk City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Polk City | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Polk City | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Polk City | $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $2,000 | A large tree limb was blown down on a fence along with some other damage in the area. A transformer blew out, knocking out power. |
| July 1995 | Hail | Polk City | $2,000 | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $1,000 | From a Schoolnet site. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Hail | Polk City | $1,000 | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Polk City | $1,000 | no account filed |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | - | Snapped Tree branches, roughly 4 to 5 inches in diameter. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | - | Large tree down in Polk City. Time estimated by radar. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | - | Strong winds with large tree branch down. Time estimated by social media time and radar. |
| April 2022 | Funnel Cloud | Polk City | - | Funnel cloud observed near Saylorville Lake. |
| April 2022 | Heavy Rain | Polk City | - | Storm total of 2.98 inches of rain. Light rain continues. |
| April 2022 | Heavy Rain | Polk City | - | Storm total of 3.41 inches of rain. Rain continues. |
| August 2022 | Heavy Rain | Polk City | - | A 24 hour rainfall total of 2.96 inches. |
| November 2022 | Heavy Rain | Polk City | - | A 24 hour rain total of 2.17 inches. |
| July 2021 | Heavy Rain | Polk City | - | A 24 hour rain total of 2.62 inches. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | - | NWS Employee reports wind gusts near 60 mph in Polk City with branches down. |
| July 2021 | Hail | Polk City | - | Golf ball to egg sized hail at the NWS office in Johnston. Minor damage to vehicles. |
| July 2020 | Heavy Rain | Polk City | - | NWS Des Moines office measured 2.71 inches of rain in 3 hours. |
| May 2019 | Heavy Rain | Polk City | - | CoCoRaHS observer recorded heavy rainfall of 2.45 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| May 2018 | Hail | Polk City | - | Amateur radio operator reported up to penny sized hail from about 4:56 am to 5 am. |
| May 2018 | Heavy Rain | Polk City | - | NWS office recorded heavy rainfall of 1.72 inches over the last 24 hours, including 1.45 inches since 1 am. |
| July 2018 | Heavy Rain | Polk City | - | NWS employee reported heavy rainfall of 5.14 inches. Due to database entry limitation, beginning time coded as midnight CST. Actual estimated start time of 530pm CDT on June 30th. |
| July 2018 | Heavy Rain | Polk City | - | NWS Des Moines recorded heavy rainfall of 3.8 inches over the last 24 hours. Due to database entry limitation, beginning time coded as midnight CST. |
| July 2018 | Heavy Rain | Polk City | - | CoCoRaHS observer recorded heavy rainfall of 5.47 inches over the last 24 hours. Due to database entry limitation, beginning time coded as midnight CST. |
| September 2018 | Heavy Rain | Polk City | - | CocoRaHS observer recorded heavy rainfall of 3.44 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| March 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Polk City | - | NWS employee estimated 50-60 mph wind gusts at NWS office in Des Moines. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corydon (historical) | 2.1 miles | 17 | |
| Polk City Junction | 2.3 miles | 12 | |
| Crocker | 2.3 miles | 12 | |
| Andrews | 2.7 miles | 13 | |
| Herrold | 3.7 miles | 17 | |
| Camp Dodge | 5.0 miles | 17 | |
| Alleman | 6.3 miles | 11 | |
| Ankeny | 6.4 miles | 16 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Polk City | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1914726 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 460351. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.







