Riverside, Iowa

Riverside is a small town located in rural Washington County, Iowa on the English River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 928. It is the future birthplace of the fictional character James T. Kirk.

Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, had mentioned in his book The Making of Star Trek that the character of Kirk had been born on March 22, 2228 in the state of Iowa, but he had not specified the actual location.

In March 1985, when the town was looking for a theme for its annual town festival, Steve Miller, a member of the Riverside City Council who had read Roddenberry's book, suggested to the council that Riverside should proclaim itself to be the future birthplace of Kirk. Miller's motion passed unanimously . The council later wrote to Roddenberry for his permission to be designated as the official birthplace of Kirk, and Roddenberry agreed.

The town now hosts an annual Riverside Trek Fest that includes such events as Star Trek-themed pet shows and Kirk look-alike contests. The 2003 festival featured a "Spockapalooza" battle of the bands, as well as well as a lawn mower "trektor" pull.

Geography

Riverside is located at 41°28'55" North, 91°34'36" West (41.481891, -91.576631)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.6 km² (1.0 mi²). 2.6 km² (1.0 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.

Riverside is approximately 20 miles south of Iowa City, and is alongside US Highway 218.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 928 people, 378 households, and 249 families residing in the city. The population density is 354.8/km² (921.6/mi²). There are 396 housing units at an average density of 151.4/km² (393.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 98.06% White, 0.54% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 0.32% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 378 households out of which 34.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% are married couples living together, 7.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% are non-families. 30.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.46 and the average family size is 3.08.

In the city the population is spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $41,080, and the median income for a family is $52,344. Males have a median income of $30,526 versus $26,645 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,744. 2.6% of the population and 1.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 1.8% are under the age of 18 and 8.9% are 65 or older.