Poweshiek County, Iowa

Poweshiek County, Iowa

Location in the state of Iowa

Iowa's location in the U.S.
Founded 1843
Seat Montezuma
Largest city Grinnell
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

586.17 sq mi (1,518 km²)
585.03 sq mi (1,515 km²)
1.14 sq mi (3 km²), 0.19%
Population
 - (2010)
 - Density

18,914
32/sq mi (12/km²)
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.poweshiekcounty.org
Footnotes: Population [1]

Poweshiek County is a county located in southeastern part of the U.S. state of Iowa along Interstate 80, between Des Moines and Iowa City. It is named for the Indian chief of the Fox tribe who signed the treaty ending the Black Hawk War. The population was 18,914 in the 2010 census, an increase from 18,815 in the 2000 census.[1][2] The city of Montezuma is the county seat. [3]

Contents

History

Poweshiek County was formed in 1843. It was named for the chief of the Fox Indians. The Poweshiek County Courthouse, completed in 1859, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[4]

Government

The current County Supervisors are LaMoyne Gaard, Doug Shutts, and Ellie Snook; all are Democrats.

Education

Poweshiek County is also home to Grinnell College, a small liberal arts college founded in 1846.

Healthcare

Poweshiek County is served by Grinnell Regional Medical Center, an acute care hospital licensed for 81 beds. GRMC was established in 1967 after the merger of two hospitals.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 586.17 square miles (1,518.2 km2), of which 585.03 square miles (1,515.2 km2) (or 99.81%) is land and 1.14 square miles (3.0 km2) (or 0.19%) is water.[5] It is drained by the north fork of Skunk River, which crosses the southwest corner, and by English River and other streams.[6]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1850 615
1860 5,668 821.6%
1870 15,581 174.9%
1880 18,936 21.5%
1890 18,394 −2.9%
1900 19,414 5.5%
1910 19,589 0.9%
1920 19,910 1.6%
1930 18,727 −5.9%
1940 18,758 0.2%
1950 19,344 3.1%
1960 19,300 −0.2%
1970 18,803 −2.6%
1980 19,306 2.7%
1990 19,033 −1.4%
2000 18,815 −1.1%
2010 18,914 0.5%
Iowa Data Center [2]

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 18,914 in the county, with a population density of 32.3300/sq mi (12.4827/km2). There were 8,949 housing units, of which 7,555 were occupied.[1]

2000 census

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 18,815 people, 7,398 households, and 4,882 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 8,556 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.74% White, 0.55% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. 1.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,398 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 12.8% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,836, and the median income for a family was $46,599. Males had a median income of $32,781 versus $22,465 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,629. About 6.2% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

See also

References

External links

Iowa portal