Norwalk, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Norwalk, Iowa
City
Location of Norwalk, Iowa
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Counties	Polk, Warren
Area
• Total	11.91 sq mi (30.84 km2)
• Land	11.55 sq mi (29.93 km2)
• Water	0.35 sq mi (0.92 km2)
Elevation	886 ft (270 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	12,799
• Estimate  (2023)	14,873
• Density	1,107.66/sq mi (427.68/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	50211
Area code(s)	515
FIPS code	19-57675
GNIS feature ID	2395273

Norwalk is a city in Iowa, a state in the United States. Most of Norwalk is in Warren County, but a small part reaches into Polk County. In 2020, about 12,799 people lived here. Norwalk is close to the bigger city of Des Moines and is just south of the Des Moines International Airport.

History of Norwalk

How Norwalk Began

The first people settled in the Norwalk area around 1846. One of them, Samuel Crow, made his home near the North River. The very first building in what is now Norwalk was a log cabin built by Samuel Snyder.

The next year, more families moved to the small town, which was then called Pyra. A post office opened there on June 18, 1856. George W. Swan planned out the town and built a hotel. Mr. Swan was born in Norwalk, Connecticut. He also worked with a newspaper in Norwalk, Ohio. Because of this, he changed the town's name to Norwalk.

Railroads and Growth

The first railroad came to Norwalk in 1882. It was a narrow track that went from Des Moines to Cainsville, Missouri. In the 1890s, a company connected to the Burlington Railroad bought it. They made the tracks wider to fit regular trains. Farmers mostly used this train to send their animals to markets. The train line stopped running in 1947. This happened after a big flood damaged the bridge over the North River.

Norwalk in the 1900s

Norwalk officially became a city in 1900. Adam Stiffler was its first mayor. At that time, the city was only one square mile big. Phone service started in Norwalk in 1903.

Norwalk has grown a lot over the years by adding new areas. One of the first new areas was added in 1969. More land was added in the 1970s and 1980s, making the city much bigger. Norwalk continues to grow today. The city is known for having three golf courses. Two of these, Echo Valley and The Legacy, are built within neighborhoods.

Norwalk in the 2000s

On March 5, 2022, a strong tornado hit Norwalk. It caused damage to many homes and buildings in the city.

Norwalk's Neighborhoods and Developments

Norwalk has several important neighborhoods and development areas.

Lakewood

The Lakewood and Echo Valley Estates neighborhoods joined Norwalk on April 1, 1989. The Lakewood area began in 1965 around a lake called Lake Colchester. The south side of the lake has almost 600 homes. The north side is being planned for more future buildings.

Echo Valley

The Echo Valley area started in the early 1970s. It has many homes mixed with the Echo Valley Country Club golf course. This area is thought to be one of the nicer parts of town. In 2017, Echo Valley hosted a big Home Show Expo, bringing many visitors to the area.

The Legacy

The Legacy is a golf course community. It used to be called Colonial Meadows. It has 18 golf holes that are good enough for professional players. There are also over 900 homes for different budgets. More shops and businesses are coming to this area, which is now the center of the city. It includes businesses along Iowa Highway 28. It also has a special circular road that was finished in 2018.

Rolling Green and Warrior Run

The southeast part of Norwalk includes the Warrior Run golf course. It also has several new neighborhoods being built. These will add hundreds of homes to the city. Rolling Green will have over 250 homes. The Warrior Run Estates area will add at least 100 more.

McAninch Sports Complex and Norwalk Business Center

These two areas were planned together. The McAninch Sports Complex hosts softball, baseball, and soccer games. The Norwalk Business Center has many industrial businesses. These include meat processing, stone cutting, building materials, and electronics making. Windsor Windows is building a very large factory there. Michael Foods also announced a new distribution center. This will bring $85 million in investment to the city. It will be the biggest single taxpayer in Warren County.

Norwalk's Geography

Norwalk covers about 11.09 square miles (28.72 square kilometers). Most of this is land, about 10.74 square miles (27.82 square kilometers). The rest, about 0.35 square miles (0.91 square kilometers), is water.

Norwalk holds a special record for Iowa. It had the most rainfall in 24 hours for any town in the state. More than 9 inches (23 cm) of rain fell between June 9 and 10, 2011.

Population of Norwalk

Norwalk's Population in 2020

In 2020, about 12,799 people lived in Norwalk. There were 4,699 households, which are groups of people living together. About 3,472 of these were families. The city had about 1,108 people per square mile (427.8 per square kilometer).

Most people in Norwalk were White (91.6%). Other groups included Black or African American (1.4%), Asian (1.1%), and Native American (0.1%). About 3.3% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.

The average age in Norwalk was 35.3 years old. About 31.2% of residents were under 20. About 12.5% were 65 years old or older. The city had slightly more females (51.1%) than males (48.9%).

Norwalk's Population in 2010

In 2010, Norwalk had 8,945 people. There were 3,261 households. The city had about 833 people per square mile (321.2 per square kilometer).

Most people were White (96.9%). About 2.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The average age was 34.3 years. About 30.2% of people were under 18. About 8.7% were 65 or older.

Education in Norwalk

The public schools in Norwalk are part of the Norwalk Community School District.

Sister City

Norwalk has a "sister city" relationship with Vushtrri, a city in Kosovo. This connection started in 2017. Sister cities often share culture and ideas.

Notable People from Norwalk

Some famous people have connections to Norwalk:

• Matt Dermody – A pitcher who played in Major League Baseball.
• Joel Hanrahan – Also a pitcher in Major League Baseball.
• Jason Momoa – An actor, known for many movies and TV shows. He was originally from Hawaii.
• Brandon Routh – An actor.
• Jeremy Stephens – A mixed martial arts fighter who used to compete in the UFC.

See also

In Spanish: Norwalk (Iowa) para niños