Story City, Iowa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Story City, Iowa | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Iowa |
| County | Story County |
| Incorporated | 1881 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Kenneth Peterson |
| Area | |
| - City | 2.4 sq mi (6.2 km²) |
| Elevation | 1,001 ft (305 m) |
| Population (2007) | |
| - City | 3,279 |
| - Density | 1,353/sq mi (3,504/km²) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Website: http://www.storycity.net/ | |
Story City is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States. Story City is located within the 'Ames, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area' which envelops all of the Story County, Iowa community and which, when held in conjunction with the 'Boone, Iowa Micropolitan Statistical Area', complements the larger 'Ames-Boone, Iowa Combined Statistical Area.' The population was 3,228 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 3,228 people, 1,321 households, and 816 families residing in the city. The population density was 515.0/km² (1,334.1/mi²). There were 1,377 housing units at an average density of 219.7/km² (569.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.76% White, 0.28% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.43% of the population.
There were 1,321 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 84.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,275, and the median income for a family was $51,493. Males had a median income of $33,500 versus $21,161 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,345. About 3.9% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] About Story City
Story City is located approximately 15 miles north of Ames, IA. Pella Windows Corporation and American Packaging are major employers in Story City. Many residents also travel to Ames to work which is home to large employers like Iowa State University and the National Animal Disease Center.
The city is immediately adjacent to Interstate 35 and offers a host of services for travelers who are unwilling to deviate far from a major thoroughfare for food, lodging and a taste of middle America with Scandinavian flair. Downtown also is home of one of Iowa's burgeoning E85 (Ethanol) gas stations, allowing environmentally and energy conscious travelers to fuel up their alternative energy vehicles without venturing far from I-35. Story City is located at the western boundary of the. Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area
Story City is the home of the Roland-Story Senior High School. Roland-Story High School's athletic teams are known as "The Norsemen" and participate in IHSAA level 2A sports.
Story City is also home to the annual Scandinavian Days celebration. The event occurs in the first week of June and features live music with a beer garden, rides and games, and partipcipants find themselves in an immersion of Nordic culture in the form of food and arts.
Downtown Story City is a thriving commercial district offering full-featured services and products. When visiting Story City, take time to visit some of the most notable cultural aspects of Story City:
- The Cottage on Broad.. A 4-star restaurant serving elegant continental cuisine and one of Iowa's premier dining locations.
- The Bistro An exceptional lunch location.
- RVP1875 A working museum building superior-quality utilitarian furniture with only the tools, techniques, and finishes of the 1800s.
- Story Theatre/Grand Opera House The oldest continually operating theatre in Iowa featuring Story County's largest screen. Enjoy a local theatre production and recently released movies.
- Viking Hotel & Restaurant. Enjoy a stay featuring European style amenities and dine at Story County's only restaurant featuring authentic German cuisine.
- Slim's Countryside Fruit Market. Locally and regionally grown produce
A 1913 antique carousel is located adjacent to the high school and community pool. It is open from from the Memorial Day Holiday (US) to the Labor Day Holiday (US).
The Story City Park is situated along the banks of the Skunk River, one of the premier recreational rivers in the State of Iowa. City Park is also home to a historic Works Progress Administration suspended bridge. It is the starting point for the Skunk River Canoe Trailproviding exceptional tubing, canoeing and kayaking opportunties, complete with new portage points and rapids.
The Skunk River Greenbelt Trail system begins just south of Story City immediately off of Interstate 35 on County Road E-18.
[edit] History & Culture
Story City was throughout much of its' early history known as Fairview. The named changed in 1857 when the town established a post office and discovered that Fairview was taken else where. The boundaries of "Old Fairview" are outlined by signs during Scandinavian Days, and is approximately in the northeast corner of current Story City with the southern boundary being Broad Street.
Story City was laid out to include Fairview in 1878, and officially incorporated in 1881. The railroad arrived in 1878 and connected the city to Ames by the narrow-gauge Des Moines & Minnesota and to Des Moines via the Chicago & Northwestern lines in Ames.
The City has deep historic and cultural ties to the Scandinavian countries of northern Europe of Denmark, Sweden and predominately Norway. A large contingent of the City's current population is descended from a major immigration of people from Nordic countries in the 1840s through 1860s. This is evident in the large number of Lutheran churches in the community, which historically had sermons in different languages (Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian) respective of the makeup of their congregations.
The nordic traditions of the community are evident in some of ethnic foods of the area. Popular and frequently served food items around Story City include:
- Kumla, potato dumpling made from finely cut potatoes mixed with flour, and typically served with boiled ham, ham broth, and plenty of butter.
- Lutefisk
- Kringle
- Lefse
[edit] External links
- http://www.storycity.net/
- Photos from around Story City on Flickr
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
