Asbury is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and adjacent to the westside of the city of Dubuque. It is part of the Dubuque, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,943 at the 2020 census. Asbury is the second-largest city in Dubuque County, surpassing Dyersville to become the second-largest in the 2010 U.S. Census count. The city is largely a bedroom community, made up of subdivisions whose residents work in Dubuque or Peosta.
History
Asbury was settled beginning in the 1830s, at first by Methodists. The city is named after British-born Bishop Francis Asbury, one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. The city was incorporated in 1933, following the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution, which ended prohibition. The city incorporated to gain the legal standing necessary to sell alcohol, as liquor licenses were still forbidden in rural areas.
For most of its history, Asbury was very small, much like hundreds of other towns in rural Iowa. In the 1960 census, Asbury still had only 71 residents. During this time, the City of Dubuque grew immensely, and the sprawl reached the Asbury area beginning in the 1960s. By 1970, Asbury had 410 residents and had grown fast enough to become the fastest growing city in the state of Iowa.
The city council works on the advice of a number of citizen committees, including the following: Building Code Commission, Park & Recreation Board, Planning & Zoning Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment, and the Water Board. In addition, Asbury sends commissioners to the Eastern Iowa Housing Authority.
Asbury has 3 city departments: Public Safety (police & fire), Public Works, and Parks.
In the Iowa General Assembly, Asbury is represented by Senator Carrie Koelker (Republican), and Representative Shannon Lundgren (Republican) in the Iowa House of Representatives. At the federal level, it is within Iowa's 1st congressional district, represented by Ashley Hinson (R) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Asbury, and all of Iowa, are represented by U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R) and Joni Ernst (R).
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
The city operates four parks and pedestrian and mountain bike trails. The parks include: Althaus Wetland & Nature Preserve, Asbury Park, Cloie Creek Park, and Maple Hills Park. The trail runs from Asbury Rd. to Maple Hills Park, and is part of Asbury's plan for having a citywide trail network.
Economy
Serving primarily as a bedroom community, Asbury has only a small local economy. Most of its residents commute to work in Dubuque. Only a handful of businesses operate within the City of Asbury, however, this number has grown in recent years, along with an expanding population. Most people who do work in Asbury either are employed by the city government, or in the service-related businesses along Asbury and Saratoga Roads.