Malvern, Iowa
City in the United States in Mills County
About Malvern
Malvern is a city in Mills County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,046 at the time of the 2020 census. The Wabash Trace—a railroad converted to a bicycle trail—passes through Malvern. The Mills County Fair is held here, although Glenwood is the county seat. Malvern is the largest town in the eastern half of the county.
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How Malvern is governed
Form of government not yet listed.
0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Malvern
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
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The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
Administration & departments
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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- Website
- malvernia.com
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Population over time
From 1,142 in 2010 to 1,046 in 2020 (−8.4%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,046 |
| 2010 | 1,142 |
History
The pioneer village of Milton was established in the fall of 1869 in Silver Creek Township. It was later renamed Malvern when it was discovered that there was already another Milton, Iowa. It was one of four communities in the area that came into existence with the completion of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad on November 18, 1869.
John D. Paddock and his bride were the first residents of Malvern. They arrived in September and put up a small 1+1⁄2-story building that served as their home and the community's first store.
The completion of the railroad soon brought a flood of new residents and business enterprises. White Cloud, a town of perhaps 200 persons and a variety of businesses, was located about where the present Wabash Trace Nature Trail crosses the Nishnabotna River three miles southeast of Malvern. It soon closed down when the new railroad was built two miles north. Several business enterprises and White Cloud residents moved to Malvern.
Malvern grew almost explosively in its first two years. In its fifth year, Mr. Paddock reported in his "Brief History of Malvern", it had a population of 800. It served a particularly productive farming area. It soon had a number of factories, including a hog packing plant, an electric generation plant (in 1892) which permitted a municipal water system, In 1880, Silver Creek Township was partitioned, which created Malvern Township containing all land within the town, so economic investment could be concentrated within the community, without burdening the surrounding Silver Creek Township farmers. Malvern started a school system in 1870, a county fair in 1873, a Chautauqua in 1905, built the town library in 1916 and the present Liberty Memorial Community Building in 1926. In the early part of the twentieth century, a varied poultry industry developed that at one time furnished employment for up to 200 persons.
When the “good roads” movement came to Iowa, the town was omitted from Highway 34, causing some economic stress. At the time it also had the Wabash and Tabor & Northern Railroads, which were also having some economic stress. The town experienced additional stress in the 1950s when much of Iowa's poultry industry moved to Arkansas.
The success of the Malvern community has always been linked to agriculture in many ways. When fewer family farms and farm workers, became the norm, in the 1960s, 1970s, and especially the difficult 1980s, the economy of Malvern suffered as well, losing many of the established businesses that had so long lined the streets in this community.
Today Malvern is a rural community with a golf course, swimming pool, new library and Carnegie Conference Center, agricultural businesses and government offices, a bank, physician's offices, Mills County Fair Grounds, the Wabash Trace Nature Trail, and numerous other businesses.
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