kids encyclopedia robot

Butler County, Iowa facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Butler County
Butler County Courthouse
Butler County Courthouse
Map of Iowa highlighting Butler County
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Map of the United States highlighting Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Iowa
Founded 1851
Named for William Orlando Butler
Seat Allison
Largest city Parkersburg
Area
 • Total 582 sq mi (1,510 km2)
 • Land 580 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Water 1.6 sq mi (4 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 14,334
 • Density 24.629/sq mi (9.509/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 4th

Butler County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,334. Its county seat is Allison. The county was organized in 1854 and named for General William O. Butler.

History

Butler County was formed on January 15, 1851 from open land. It was named after Kentucky native William Orlando Butler, a general and hero of the Mexican–American War, who ran as Vice President of the United States in 1848. Until 1854, the county was governed by other counties. Only at this time did it have enough inhabitants to establish its own local government. The first court proceedings were conducted in a small log cabin of a settler. In 1858, the first courthouse was completed in Clarksville. After it was sold shortly thereafter to the local school district, it was used as a schoolhouse from 1863 until 1903.

Clarksville was the first county seat, from 1854 to 1860, after which Butler Center became the seat. Because locals became disenchanted with Butler Center (partially because of its inaccessibility during the winter), Allison was made the county seat on January 10, 1881.

When the tracks of the Dubuque and Dakota Railroad were laid through Allison, the seat was moved there on January 10, 1881. Allison was named after the Dubuque native Republican politician, lawyer and senator William B. Allison.

Butler County is the only county in Iowa that does not have any stop lights, a hospital, or a movie theatre. There are also no national fast food chains in Butler county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 582 square miles (1,510 km2), of which 580 square miles (1,500 km2) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2) (0.3%) is water.

Major highways

  • Iowa 3.svg Iowa Highway 3
  • Iowa 14.svg Iowa Highway 14
  • Iowa 57.svg Iowa Highway 57
  • Iowa 188.svg Iowa Highway 188

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 3,724
1870 9,951 167.2%
1880 14,293 43.6%
1890 15,463 8.2%
1900 17,955 16.1%
1910 17,119 −4.7%
1920 17,845 4.2%
1930 17,617 −1.3%
1940 17,986 2.1%
1950 17,394 −3.3%
1960 17,467 0.4%
1970 16,953 −2.9%
1980 17,668 4.2%
1990 15,731 −11.0%
2000 15,305 −2.7%
2010 14,867 −2.9%
2020 14,334 −3.6%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2018
ButlerCountyIowaPop2020
Population of Butler County from US census data

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 14,334 in the county, with a population density of 24.5860/sq mi (9.4927/km2). 97.49% of the population reported being of one race. 95.19% were non-Hispanic White, 0.18% were Black, 1.28% were Hispanic, 0.17% were Native American, 0.20% were Asian, 0.00% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 2.99% were some other race or more than one race. There were 6,536 housing units of which 5,992 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 14,867 in the county, with a population density of 25.63/sq mi (9.90/km2). There were 6,682 housing units, of which 6,120 were occupied.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Butler County is divided into sixteen townships:

  • Albion
  • Beaver
  • Bennezette
  • Butler
  • Coldwater
  • Dayton
  • Fremont
  • Jackson
  • Jefferson
  • Madison
  • Monroe
  • Pittsford
  • Ripley
  • Shell Rock
  • Washington
  • West Point

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Butler County.

county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 Parkersburg City 1,870
2 Clarksville City 1,439
3 Shell Rock City 1,296
4 Greene (partially in Floyd County) City 1,130
5 Aplington City 1,128
6 Allison City 1,029
7 Dumont City 637
8 New Hartford City 516
9 Bristow City 160
10 Aredale City 74

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Butler (Iowa) para niños

kids search engine
Butler County, Iowa Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.