Sheldon, Iowa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sheldon is a city in Iowa, along the Floyd River. The population was 4,914 at the 2000 census. This makes it the largest city in O'Brien County. A small portion of the community rests in Sioux County.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History and culture
4 Famous Sheldonites
5 Local Media
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Sheldon is located at 43°10′52″N, 95°50′53″W (43.181180, -95.848123)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.4 km² (4.4 mi²). None of the area is covered with water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 4,914 people, 2,006 households, and 1,285 families residing in the city. The population density was 432.2/km² (1,119.6/mi²). There were 2,126 housing units at an average density of 187.0/km² (484.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.48% White, 0.43% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.81% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.56% of the population.

There were 2,006 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,058, and the median income for a family was $43,346. Males had a median income of $31,026 versus $20,604 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,254. About 3.6% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History and culture

Sheldon was founded in 1872 and named after the railroad man Israel Sheldon. It was early a strategic location on the rail for businesses from as far away as Minneapolis and Omaha. Today, the city is at the crossroads of Iowa Highway 60 and U.S. Highway 18. In 1961, the city made headlines when it was revealed that Burnice Geiger had embezzled more than two million dollars from her father's bank. Today, the city is most known for its annual display of marigolds and the moniker of its local schools' athletic teams - the ORABS. Sheldon High School also hosts the Sheldon High School Summer Theatre program. Sheldon is the home of Northwest Iowa Community College and Village Northwest Unlimited. Sheldon, Iowa was briefly mentioned in the Jack Kerouac novel On The Road.

[edit] Famous Sheldonites

Sheldon is the birthplace of 2006 Republican Lieutenant Governor candidate Bob Vander Plaats. Also, three Olympians are graduates of Sheldon High School, including 1996 gold medalist Tom Brands, 2000 bronze medalist Terry Brands. and 2004 competitor A.G. Kruger.

[edit] Local Media

Sheldon is home to a KIWA-AM, and KIWA-FM, and to Iowa Information, Inc., publishers of the Sheldon Mail-Sun and The N'West Iowa REVIEW. The latter has been named the state's Newspaper of the Year 13 times and named the best weekly in the United States by the National Newspaper Association from 2000 to 2005.