Dysart, Iowa

Dysart is a city in Tama County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,303 at the 2000 census. The Mayor of Dysart is currently Don E. Lyons.

Geography

Dysart is located at (42.168831, -92.308165).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,303 people, 529 households, and 358 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,034.5 people per square mile (399.3/km²). There were 571 housing units at an average density of 453.4/sq mi (175.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.47% White, 0.31% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population.

There were 529 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 24.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,857, and the median income for a family was $45,774. Males had a median income of $34,063 versus $22,368 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,203. About 4.4% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Dysart strives to maintain educational excellence at its kindergarten thorugh fifth grade elementary: Dysart-Geneseo Elementary School. Dysart-Geneseo consolidated with La Porte City in 1987 to become the Union Community School District. Students from Dysart and La Porte City now join together in sixth grade at Union Middle School, which hosts the sixth through eighth grades. Finally, students attend high school at Union High School in La Porte City.

Union High School is the home of the Knights, who were the 2001 and 2007 Iowa State Girls Cross Country Team Champions. In addition, Union High School is also well known for its fine arts programs, especially the Speech Team, which has collected numerous All-State Musical Theatre banners. These banners are equivalent to a state championship in high school speech competition.