BlockBefore

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.

Polk City within Polk County

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

Population over time

2 figures

Polk 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.

YearPeople Change
20103,418
20205,543+2,125 (+62%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

8 surveys from 12 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

14 since 2006

Regional 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/undetermined8
Equipment and vehicle use4
Debris and open burning2

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
3 August 2013Missing data/not specified/undetermined10 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
8 July 2015Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
30 July 2017Debris and open burningunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
5 June 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
25 June 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
17 June 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
7 May 2017Debris and open burningunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
19 May 2016Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural ResourcesCAMP DODGE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Polk County

Mines and quarries near this place

5 within 5 miles

Regional 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Bradshaw PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Jester Park PitsSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Lehman PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Long PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
UnknownSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Polk County

Storms near this place

60 of 88 shown

Regional 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 2013Thunderstorm WindPolk City1 hurtTen inch diameter tree branches blown down in Polk City.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindPolk City$150,000A 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 2019FloodPolk City$100,000Bike trail bridge over Beaver Creek damaged/destroyed from ice and flooding.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindPolk City$100,000Corrugated 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 2007Flash FloodPolk City$100,000no account filed
September 2018Flash FloodPolk City$50,000Public stated that Highway 17 northbound is underwater and closed approximately 1 mile north of Granger.
June 2001HailPolk City$50,000no account filed
May 1993Thunderstorm WindPolk City$50,000no account filed
April 2022Tornado (EF1)Polk City$25,000QLCS 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 2004Thunderstorm WindPolk City$25,000no account filed
May 2004Thunderstorm WindPolk City$25,000no account filed
May 2004Thunderstorm WindPolk City$25,000no account filed
June 2002Thunderstorm WindPolk City$25,000no account filed
May 2000HailPolk City$25,000no account filed
April 2001HailPolk City$15,000no account filed
June 2013Thunderstorm WindPolk City$10,000Off duty NWS employee reports 4 inch tree limbs down in town.
June 2008Flash FloodPolk City$10,000Report of water over the road on Highway 17 and 122nd ave near the Des Moines River bridge.
May 2007Thunderstorm WindPolk City$10,000no account filed
May 2000FloodPolk City$10,000no account filed
June 2014Thunderstorm WindPolk City$5,000Wind gust estimated at 65 MPH.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindPolk City$5,000Trees were blown down.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindPolk City$5,000Winds at the NWS office were measured at 70 MPH with small hail. Winds lasted 5 minutes and were still going on.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindPolk City$5,000Ten inch diameter trees down.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindPolk City$5,000Several 10 inch diameter tree limbs down.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindPolk City$5,000no account filed
July 2008Thunderstorm WindPolk City$5,000no account filed
June 2007Thunderstorm WindPolk City$5,000no account filed
May 2000HailPolk City$5,000no account filed
May 2000HailPolk City$5,000no account filed
May 2000HailPolk City$5,000no account filed
July 2009HailPolk City$3,000no account filed
June 2009Thunderstorm WindPolk City$3,000no account filed
June 2009Thunderstorm WindPolk City$3,000no account filed
May 2000HailPolk City$3,000no account filed
July 2012Thunderstorm WindPolk City$2,000A 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 1995HailPolk City$2,000no account filed
May 2013Thunderstorm WindPolk City$1,000From a Schoolnet site.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindPolk City$1,000no account filed
July 2008HailPolk City$1,000no account filed
May 2000HailPolk City$1,000no account filed
May 2024Thunderstorm WindPolk City-Snapped Tree branches, roughly 4 to 5 inches in diameter.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindPolk City-Large tree down in Polk City. Time estimated by radar.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindPolk City-Strong winds with large tree branch down. Time estimated by social media time and radar.
April 2022Funnel CloudPolk City-Funnel cloud observed near Saylorville Lake.
April 2022Heavy RainPolk City-Storm total of 2.98 inches of rain. Light rain continues.
April 2022Heavy RainPolk City-Storm total of 3.41 inches of rain. Rain continues.
August 2022Heavy RainPolk City-A 24 hour rainfall total of 2.96 inches.
November 2022Heavy RainPolk City-A 24 hour rain total of 2.17 inches.
July 2021Heavy RainPolk City-A 24 hour rain total of 2.62 inches.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindPolk City-NWS Employee reports wind gusts near 60 mph in Polk City with branches down.
July 2021HailPolk City-Golf ball to egg sized hail at the NWS office in Johnston. Minor damage to vehicles.
July 2020Heavy RainPolk City-NWS Des Moines office measured 2.71 inches of rain in 3 hours.
May 2019Heavy RainPolk City-CoCoRaHS observer recorded heavy rainfall of 2.45 inches over the last 24 hours.
May 2018HailPolk City-Amateur radio operator reported up to penny sized hail from about 4:56 am to 5 am.
May 2018Heavy RainPolk City-NWS office recorded heavy rainfall of 1.72 inches over the last 24 hours, including 1.45 inches since 1 am.
July 2018Heavy RainPolk 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 2018Heavy RainPolk 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 2018Heavy RainPolk 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 2018Heavy RainPolk City-CocoRaHS observer recorded heavy rainfall of 3.44 inches over the last 24 hours.
March 2017Thunderstorm WindPolk City-NWS employee estimated 50-60 mph wind gusts at NWS office in Des Moines.

Every storm recorded in Polk County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Corydon (historical)2.1 miles17
Polk City Junction2.3 miles12
Crocker2.3 miles12
Andrews2.7 miles13
Herrold3.7 miles17
Camp Dodge5.0 miles17
Alleman6.3 miles11
Ankeny6.4 miles16

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 CityAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1914726The 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.