Denison, Iowa

Denison, Iowa
City
Downtown Denison
Location of Denison, Iowa
Coordinates: 42°1′2″N 95°21′4″W / 42.01722°N 95.35111°W / 42.01722; -95.35111Coordinates: 42°1′2″N 95°21′4″W / 42.01722°N 95.35111°W / 42.01722; -95.35111
Country	USA
State	Iowa
County	Crawford
Area[1]
• Total	6.57 sq mi (17.02 km2)
• Land	6.54 sq mi (16.94 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2)
Elevation	1,283 ft (391 m)
Population (2010)[2]
• Total	8,298
• Estimate (2012[3])	8,387
• Density	1,268.8/sq mi (489.9/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	51442
Area code(s)	712
FIPS code	19-19945
GNIS feature ID	0455880

Denison is a city in Crawford County, Iowa, United States, along the Boyer River. The population was 8,298 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Crawford County.^[4]

History

Denison was laid out in 1856; the town was incorporated in 1875.^[5] Denison was named for its founder, J. W. Denison.^[6][7]

Government

Denison is governed by a mayor and a five-member city council^[8][9]

Mayor

The Denison Mayor is the chief executive officer of the city and presiding officer of the city council.^[10] The Denison Mayor serves a 2-year term.^[9] The current mayor of Denison is Dan Leinen. (Elected: November 3, 2015 | Term: December 31, 2017) ^[11]

Former Mayors of Denison:

1. Brad Bonner
2. Dennis Fineran
3. Nathan Mahrt
4. Ken Livingston
5. Loren Schultz
6. Ralph Bilsten
7. Ralph Borcherding
8. Keith Duncan
9. Don Stehr

City Council

Denison City Council members serve overlapping four-year terms.^[12] The council consists of one representative from each of the city's three wards, plus two at-large representatives.

The members of the Denison City Council are:

Administration

Denison's City Administrator is Terry Crawford.

The City of Denison is organized into the following departments: Administration, Public Works, Library, Aquatic Center, Fire Department, Police Department, and Conference Center.

Public Meetings

The minutes and agenda for each city council meeting are available in advance on the city's website.^[13]

Geography

Aerial view of Denison from the southwest, 2012

Denison is located at 42°1′2″N 95°21′4″W / 42.01722°N 95.35111°W / 42.01722; -95.35111 (42.017187, −95.351124).^[14]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.57 square miles (17.02 km²), of which, 6.54 square miles (16.94 km²) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km²) is water.^[1]

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 8,298 people, 2,816 households, and 1,866 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,268.8 inhabitants per square mile (489.9/km²). There were 2,968 housing units at an average density of 453.8 per square mile (175.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.6% White, 2.3% African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 23.0% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 42.1% of the population.

There were 2,816 households of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.7% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.36.

The median age in the city was 32.6 years. 29% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.5% were from 25 to 44; 21.3% were from 45 to 64; and 13.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.7% male and 49.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[16] of 2000, there were 7,339 people, 2,674 households, and 1,756 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,185.5 people per square mile (457.8/km²). There were 2,837 housing units at an average density of 458.3 per square mile (177.0/km²). The racial makeup as reported by the Census was 86.92% White, 1.59% African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 9.02% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.36% of the population.

Racial diversity in Dension has been increasing since the mid-1980s. According to a New York Times article, 20% of Denison's high-school age children were nonwhite in 2005, compared to approximately 50% of kindergarteners.^[17]

There were 2,674 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.08.

Age spread: 26.0% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,187, and the median income for a family was $41,362. Males had a median income of $30,145 versus $20,538 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,391. About 6.1% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

The book on Denison

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dale Maharidge depicts a changing Denison in the early twenty-first century in his book Denison, Iowa: Searching for the Soul of America Through the Secrets of a Midwest Town. This book features photographs by Maharidge's photographic partner and fellow Pulitzer-winner, Michael Williamson.

Notable people

• Kyle Borland, NFL player
• Charles Congden Carpenter, naturalist and herpetologist
• Clarence Duncan Chamberlin, aviation pioneer
• James Perry Conner (1851–1924) five-term US Representative from 1900–1909^[18]
• Chuck Darling, member of Olympic basketball team which won the gold medal in 1956.
• Jim Garrison, New Orleans District Attorney who investigated some of the Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories
• Arthur C. Greene (1881-1958), member of the Iowa House of Representatives^[19]
• James E. Hansen, head of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies
• Donna Reed, Academy Award-winning actress; the Donna Reed Foundation's headquarters are likewise in Denison.
• Brandon Scherff, Offensive Tackle for the Washington Redskins.
• L.M. Shaw (1848–1932) 17th Governor of Iowa and United States Secretary of the Treasury^[20]

National Register of Historic Places

• Carey House
• Clarence D. Chamberlin House
• Crawford County Courthouse
• Park Motel
• William A. McHenry House
• Yellow Smoke Park Bridge

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Denison, Iowa.

• Official Denison City Website
• Denison Community Schools The Monarchs
• City Data Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Denison, Iowa

Municipalities and communities of Crawford County, Iowa, United States County seat: Denison Cities Arion Aspinwall Buck Grove Charter Oak Deloit Denison Dow City Kiron Manilla Ricketts Schleswig Vail Westside Townships Boyer Charter Oak Denison East Boyer Goodrich Hanover Hayes Iowa Jackson Milford Morgan Nishnabotny Otter Creek Paradise Soldier Stockholm Union Washington West Side Willow Unincorporated communities Berne Boyer Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties