Pella (Iowa)

Pella is a city in Marion County, Iowa, United States, with a population of 10,352 at the time of the 2010 census. It is forty miles southeast of Des Moines. Pella is the home of Central College, as well as several manufacturing companies, including Pella Corporation and Vermeer Manufacturing Company.HistoryIn 1847, 800 Dutch immigrants led by Dominee (Minister) Hendrik (Henry) P. Scholte settled the area known as Pella. The name "Pella" is a reference to Perea, where the Christians of Jerusalem had found refuge during the Roman–Jewish war of 70; the name was selected because the Dominee and the rest were also seeking religious freedom. It was the childhood home of Wyatt Earp, whose father Nicholas Porter Earp had settled on a farm near Pella. His brothers Warren and Morgan were born in Pella.GeographyAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.73sqmi, all of it land.