Carlisle, Iowa

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Carlisle, Iowa
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto = The Natural Choice

imagesize =
image_caption =


image_

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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location of Carlisle, Iowa


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name =
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 =
subdivision_type2 = Counties
subdivision_name2 = Warren, Polk
government_footnotes =
government_type = Mayor-council government
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Ruth Randleman
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title = Founded
established_date = 1851

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 11.2
area_land_km2 = 11.2
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 4.3
area_land_sq_mi = 4.3
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 3497
population_density_km2 = 311.9
population_density_sq_mi = 807.8

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 260
elevation_ft = 853
latd = 41 |latm = 30 |lats = 4 |latNS = N
longd = 93 |longm = 29 |longs = 25 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 50047
area_code = 515
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 19-10765
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0455166
website =
footnotes =

Carlisle is a city in Warren and Polk counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 3,497 at the 2000 census. The city is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The city received considerable media attention in 1997 when Carlisle residents Kenny and Bobbi McCaughey (pronounced "McCoy") became the parents of the world's first surviving set of septuplets.

History

The original settlement in the Carlisle area was called Dudley and was located at Keokuk’s Bend on the Des Moines River, approximately 3 miles east of present day Carlisle. Dudley was founded by John Griffin, the Assistant Surgeon of the Fort Des Moines Dragoons and laid out by Jeremiah Church in February, 1846 several months before the City of Fort Des Moines was first laid out in July, 1846. Dudley was destroyed by the great flood of 1851. That same year the settlement was relocated to the present site of Carlisle and surveyed by James Laverty for Jeremiah Church and Daniel Moore on the Moore homestead. The original town plat was the area bounded by School Street (then called South Street) on the south, Garfield Street (then called East Street) on the east, Elm Street (then called North Street) on the north and Fourth Street on the west. It was renamed Carlisle, after the city of the same name in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.

During the 1860’s the Iowa and Minnesota Railroad acquired right of way for a planned railroad line from Des Moines to the state line and eventually to Kansas City. The right of way was transferred to the Des Moines, Indianola and Missouri Railroad Company which constructed a line from Des Moines through Carlisle to Indianola in 1871. A branch to Winterset was added in 1872. These lines were consolidated into the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company in 1880.

In 1912-13 the Saint Paul and Kansas City Short Line Railroad Company established the short line junction at Dean Avenue and SE 18th Street in Des Moines and constructed another line south through Carlisle. It extended through Hartford and Beech to Allerton, Iowa and became known as the short line between Des Moines and Kansas City. It was leased to the Rock Island and eventually consolidated into the Rock Island system in 1948. During the 1950s it was the route of the Twin Star Rocket passenger train between the Twin Cities and Houston. The Winterset branch was abandoned in 1958. Although the Indianola branch was abandoned in 1998, it was successfully rail-banked and converted into the Summerset bicycle/pedestrian trail. The Rock Island went bankrupt in 1979 and the Chicago and North Western Railroad acquired the main line. The CNW merged with the Union Pacific Railroad in 1995. The UP currently operates 12 to 15 trains daily through Carlisle and the line is known as the “spine line” because it parallels the spine of the North American continent.

Carlisle’s original downtown was located on Market Street between 1st and 3rd Street but with the coming of the railroad in 1871, it was moved to its present location along School and First Streets. As the settlement began to grow the Bank of Carlisle was founded in 1895 and by the early 20th century, general stores, drugstores, hardware stores, livery stables, a hotel, a bakery, a barber shop, a doctor’s office, a harness shop, a blacksmith shop and other businesses.

The first industry in the area was the Parmelee Lumber and Flour Mill which was built in 1843 at the foot of Watts Hill on the Middle River just east of Carlisle and operated into the 1870’s. This mill provided lumber and shingles for the original buildings at Fort Des Moines. The Keeney Hoover mill was established near the original highway ford on the North River in the 1840’s. The Carlisle Grist Mill which later became the Nicholson Flouring Mill was established in 1856 just east of downtown. The Nicholson Mill later burned to the ground in the great fire of 1888.

Another major industry took advantage of the clay deposits along the North River. McKissick Brick and Tile operated on the west side of the tracks from 1908 to 1930 and Carlisle Brick and Tile operated on the east side of the tracks from 1936 into the 1960’s. In the 1950’s the Heartland Coop grain elevator and the General Mills flour mill and packaged foods plant were established at Avon and later annexed into Carlisle.

The current city administrator of Carlisle is Neil Ruddy, who has held the post since 1997.

Geography

Carlisle is located at coor dms|41|30|4|N|93|29|25|W|city (41.501203, -93.490351)GR|1, between the North and Middle Rivers, near their confluences with the Des Moines River. [DeLorme (1998). "Iowa Atlas & Gazetteer". Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-214-5.] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.3 square miles (11.2 km²).None of the area is covered with water.

The Summerset Trail has its northern terminus at Carlisle. [Warren County Conservation Board. [http://www.warrenccb.org/areas/st/st.html Summerset Trail.] ]

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 3,497 people, 1,338 households, and 974 families residing in the city. The population density was 807.8 people per square mile (311.8/km²). There were 1,379 housing units at an average density of 318.6/sq mi (123.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.06% White, 0.17% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population.

There were 1,338 households out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,528, and the median income for a family was $53,924. Males had a median income of $39,286 versus $26,162 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,467. About 2.8% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Carlisle School District maintains a middle school campus in Hartford and a high school/elementary school campus in Carlisle. A new middle school campus is being developed in conjunction with a major residential and commercial development along Scotch Ridge Road. The Carlisle Schools offer a year round variety of athletic and cultural events and the students consistently outperform the state and national averages in both college entrance exam scores and graduation percentages. The class sizes also consistently rank below the state and national averages. The district’s school-to-work program provides students with hands-on job experience before they graduate. The new Middle School is currently open for grades sixth through eighth.

References

External links

* [http://www.smalltownpapers.com/listCRL.htm The Carlisle Citizen - Local newspaper]
* [http://www.carlisle-ia.gov City of Carlisle]
* [http://www.carlisleiachamber.org/ Carlisle Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.carlisle.k12.ia.us Carlisle Community School District]