Melbourne (Iowa) 3.97

Melbourne is a city in Marshall County, Iowa, United States. The population was 830 at the 2010 census.HistoryThe town of Melbourne was platted February 23, 1882, by Milwaukee Land Company, in section 6 of Logan Township and was incorporated December 30, 1895. Melbourne was the only town in Marshall County to be served continuously by two major railroads. Melbourne's growth was rapid and made possible by three railroads and the population increased to 423 by 1910. Melbourne suffered the worst disaster in the town's history when a fire consumed the whole business district in 1903; then in 1981 the southern end of town was destroyed by a tornado.The mayor of Melbourne from 1984 until 1998 was Bill Crews, an openly gay man who came out of the closet in 1993. At the time, Melbourne was believed to be the smallest municipality in the United States to have an openly gay mayor.GeographyMelbourne is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.57sqmi, all land.Demographics2010 censusAs of the census of 2010, there were 830 people, 322 households, and 218 families residing in the city. The population density was 1456.1PD/sqmi. There were 354 housing units at an average density of 621.1/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.6% White, 0.4% African American, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.