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Calhoun County, Iowa facts for kids

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Calhoun County
Calhoun County Courthouse
Central School in Lake City
Carnegie Library in Lake City
Corn field near Somers
Clockwise from top: Calhoun County Courthouse in Rockwell City, the former Lake City Public Library, a grain elevator in the small town of Somers rises from a field at sunset, and the historic Central School in Lake City
Map of Iowa highlighting Calhoun 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 1855
Named for John C. Calhoun
Seat Rockwell City
Largest city Lake City
Area
 • Total 572 sq mi (1,480 km2)
 • Land 570 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Water 2.1 sq mi (5 km2)  0.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 9,927
 • Density 17.355/sq mi (6.701/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 4th

Calhoun County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,927. Its county seat is Rockwell City.

History

Calhoun County was formed on January 15, 1851 from open land originally named Fox County. It was renamed in 1853 after the seventh US Vice President secessionist John C. Calhoun. When the tracks of the Illinois Central Railroad were laid through the county in 1870, the county seat was moved from Lake City to Rockwell City. The first train reached Rockwell City on August 7, 1882 and the population count doubled in the same year. The first courthouse, built of wood, burned to the ground in 1884 and the county government moved into a nearby hotel. In 1913, the current courthouse was built.

On July 6, 1893, Pomeroy was struck by a tornado that measured F5 on the Fujita scale. With a damage path 500 yards (460 m) wide and 55 miles (89 km) long, the tornado destroyed about 80% of the homes in Pomeroy. The tornado killed 71 people and injured 200.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 572 square miles (1,480 km2), of which 570 square miles (1,500 km2) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) (0.4%) is water.

Major highways

  • US 20 (IA).svg U.S. Highway 20
  • Iowa 4.svg Iowa Highway 4
  • Iowa 7.svg Iowa Highway 7
  • Iowa 175.svg Iowa Highway 175

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 147
1870 1,602 989.8%
1880 5,595 249.3%
1890 13,107 134.3%
1900 18,569 41.7%
1910 17,090 −8.0%
1920 17,783 4.1%
1930 17,605 −1.0%
1940 17,584 −0.1%
1950 16,925 −3.7%
1960 15,923 −5.9%
1970 14,287 −10.3%
1980 13,542 −5.2%
1990 11,508 −15.0%
2000 11,115 −3.4%
2010 9,670 −13.0%
2020 9,927 2.7%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2018
CalhounCountyIowaPop2020
Population of Calhoun County from US census data

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 9,927 in the county, with a population density of 17.3722/sq mi (6.7074/km2). 97.22% of the population reported being of one race. 91.88% were non-Hispanic White, 1.53% were Black, 2.38% were Hispanic, 0.24% were Native American, 0.26% were Asian, 0.08% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 3.63% were some other race or more than one race. There were 4,771 housing units of which 4,070 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 9,670 in the county, with a population density of 16.96/sq mi (6.55/km2). There were 5,108 housing units, of which 4,242 were occupied.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Calhoun County is divided into sixteen townships:

  • Butler
  • Calhoun
  • Cedar
  • Center
  • Elm Grove
  • Garfield
  • Greenfield
  • Jackson
  • Lake Creek
  • Lincoln
  • Logan
  • Reading
  • Sherman
  • Twin Lakes
  • Union
  • Williams

Population ranking

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

county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 Lake City City 1,727
2 Rockwell City City 1,709
3 Manson City 1,690
4 Pomeroy City 662
5 Farnhamville (partially in Webster County) City 371
6 Lohrville City 368
7 Twin Lakes CDP 334
8 Lytton (mostly in Sac County) City 315
9 Somers City 113
10 Knierim City 60
11 Rinard City 52
12 Jolley City 41
13 Yetter City 34

See also

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

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