Eldon, Iowa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eldon is a city in Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 998 at the 2000 census. Eldon was the site of the two-story farmhouse in painter Grant Wood's "American Gothic" (1930).

Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold (who was born in nearby Ottumwa, Iowa) opened Roseanne and Tom's Big Food Diner, specializing in loosemeat sandwiches (similar to the specialty of the Lanford Lunch Box, which was owned by the Connor family on the ABC sitcom Roseanne), in Eldon. The restaurant was short-lived, operating from March 13, 1993, until 1995. (The couple divorced in 1994.)

[edit] Geography

Eldon is located at 40°55′4″N, 92°13′13″W (40.917702, -92.220395)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.0 km² (1.1 mi²). 2.9 km² (1.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.88% is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 998 people, 438 households, and 275 families residing in the city. The population density was 341.0/km² (884.3/mi²). There were 470 housing units at an average density of 160.6/km² (416.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.20% White, 0.40% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.50% of the population.

There were 438 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,950, and the median income for a family was $37,250. Males had a median income of $29,261 versus $20,573 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,495. About 11.4% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 15.9% of those age 65 or over.