Onawa, Iowa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Onawa is a city in Monona County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,091 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Monona County^GR6.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Interesting facts
4 Points of interest
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Onawa is located at 42°1′39″N, 96°5′47″W (42.027490, -96.096513)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.7 km² (4.9 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 3,091 people, 1,329 households, and 796 families residing in the city. The population density was 243.1/km² (629.1/mi²). There were 1,452 housing units at an average density of 114.2/km² (295.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 97.86% White, 0.03% African American, 1.16% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.03% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 1.07% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,329 households out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.89.

Population spread: 22.8% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 25.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,796, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $27,981 versus $20,292 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,928. About 3.3% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Interesting facts

The Eskimo Pie was created in Onawa in 1920 by Chris Nelson, an ice cream shop owner. A young customer couldn't decide between an ice cream sandwich and a chocolate bar, so Nelson created a chocolate covered ice cream bar. The original product was called the "I-Scream-Bar". The creation was put on a stick in 1934. In 1921 Nelson entered into an agreement with Russell Stover to market and produce the product. The handwritten agreement is part of a display at the Monona County Historical Museum in Onawa.

Onawa was the site of a POW camp for captured German soldiers, sometime between 1944 and 1946. Historical documents indicate there were never more than 50 POWs in camp. A larger camp existed near the central Iowa town of Algona, and housed as many as 5,400 German POWs.

[edit] Points of interest

The city's main claim to fame it that it has the widest main street in the United States-about 75 feet wide. An Indian Casino is located a few miles west on the Missouri River. It is the largest town, on the Iowa side of the river, between Council Bluffs and Sioux City.

Onawa is located in the Loess Hills region of western Iowa, a unique geological and environmental area. Nearby are such natural areas as Lewis & Clark State Park, Preparation Canyon State Park and the Loess Hills State Forest.