Montour, Iowa

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Montour, Iowa
Location of Mountour, Iowa
Location of Mountour, Iowa
Coordinates: 41°58′50″N 92°42′56″W / 41.98056, -92.71556
Country United States
State Iowa
County Tama
Area
 - Total 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km²)
 - Land 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km²)
 - Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation 846 ft (258 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 285
 - Density 630.0/sq mi (243.3/km²)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 50173
Area code(s) 641
FIPS code 19-53670
GNIS feature ID 0459196

Montour is a city in Tama County, Iowa, United States. The population was 285 at the 2000 census.

Like many small Iowa towns, Montour's water tower is its primary visual landmark
Like many small Iowa towns, Montour's water tower is its primary visual landmark

Contents

[edit] History

Montour was founded near the villages of Indian Village and Butlerville on the east side of Indian Creek upon the elevated bench on the south side of the Iowa River around 1864. Dr. Doe, (probably the first physician of Indiantown), built a seven-by-nine dry goods store in Indiantown. When the railroad came near, he moved his store to it and thus started the first business in Montour (at this time called Orford). Daniel Hempy built the first residence in the new village,and several houses from Indiantown were brought in following it, rolled in upon wheels. When C. J. STEVENS moved his lumber trade and agricultural machinery to Orford (or Montour) in the spring of 1865, the town had a total of seven houses. In April, trains did not stop without flaggings, the train men throwing off the mail, as it passed through.

Montour grew to be a thriving community with churches, a high school, hotels, general stores, gas stations and even at one point a car dealership. In the past 30 years, most of these have faded away. The high school was incorporated into the Tama County School system in the '50s, became an elementary school in the 80s and, with dwindling attendance, closed its doors completely in 2003.

[edit] The Town Today

Montour is mostly a residential and farming community, and has a small population. Though at times having had several businesses, today it has a sparse few. Rube's Steakhouse, with its "grill your own" concept and large cuts of meat, is one of these holdouts. Since its founding in 1973, Rube's has grown steadily. It defies its small town placement, attracting visitors from across the state and around the world.

[edit] Geography

Montour is located at 41°58′50″N, 92°42′56″W (41.980506, -92.715618)[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1.2 km²), all of it land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 285 people, 116 households, and 85 families residing in the city. The population density was 630.0 people per square mile (244.5/km²). There were 124 housing units at an average density of 274.1/sq mi (106.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.49% White, 2.46% Native American, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.35% of the population.

There were 116 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 109.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,000, and the median income for a family was $43,500. Males had a median income of $34,375 versus $21,979 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,786. About 2.6% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.0% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty five or over.

[edit] References

  1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links