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Cedar County, Iowa facts for kids

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Cedar County
Cedar County Courthouse
Cedar County Courthouse
Map of Iowa highlighting Cedar 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 1837
Named for Cedar River
Seat Tipton
Largest city Tipton
Area
 • Total 582 sq mi (1,510 km2)
 • Land 579 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Water 2.5 sq mi (6 km2)  0.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 18,505
 • Density 31.796/sq mi (12.276/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 2nd

Cedar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,505. Its county seat is Tipton. The county is named for the Cedar River, which runs through the county.

Cedar County is located between the Cedar Rapids, Quad Cities and Iowa City metropolitan areas, areas also known as the "Tri-Metro" county. It is the only Iowa county which shares the name of a tree.

Cedar County was the focus of the Iowa Cow War of 1931.

History

Cedar County was formed on December 21, 1837, from sections of Dubuque County. It was named for the Cedar River.

In 1840, the City of Tipton, the current county seat, was established.

Before the American Civil War, the area around West Branch was an active focal point of the Underground Railroad, a network for the freeing of slaves from the southern states.

The former US President Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) was born in West Branch in Cedar County.

The Cedar County Sheriff's House and Jail is believed to be the last jail and residence combination still in use when it closed in 2001. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 582 square miles (1,510 km2), of which 579 square miles (1,500 km2) is land and 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2) (0.4%) is water. Rock Creek flows through Cedar County.

Major highways

  • I-80.svg Interstate 80
  • US 6 (IA).svg U.S. Highway 6
  • US 30 (IA).svg U.S. Highway 30
  • Iowa 38.svg Iowa Highway 38
  • Iowa 130.svg Iowa Highway 130

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1850 3,941
1860 12,949 228.6%
1870 19,731 52.4%
1880 18,936 −4.0%
1890 18,253 −3.6%
1900 19,371 6.1%
1910 17,765 −8.3%
1920 17,560 −1.2%
1930 16,760 −4.6%
1940 16,884 0.7%
1950 16,910 0.2%
1960 17,791 5.2%
1970 17,655 −0.8%
1980 18,635 5.6%
1990 17,444 −6.4%
2000 18,187 4.3%
2010 18,499 1.7%
2020 18,505 0.0%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2018
CedarCountyIowaPop2020
Population of Cedar County from US census data

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 18,505 in the county, with a population density of 31.7402/sq mi (12.2550/km2). 96.29% of the population reported being of one race. 91.92% were non-Hispanic White, 0.45% were Black, 2.50% were Hispanic, 0.28% were Native American, 0.34% were Asian, 0.01% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 4.51% were some other race or more than one race. There were 8,190 housing units of which 7,594 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 13,956 in the county, with a population density of 31.89/sq mi (12.31/km2). There were 8,064 housing units, of which 7,511 were occupied.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Cedar County is divided into seventeen townships:

  • Cass
  • Center
  • Dayton
  • Fairfield
  • Farmington
  • Fremont
  • Gower
  • Inland
  • Iowa
  • Linn
  • Massillon
  • Pioneer
  • Red Oak
  • Rochester
  • Springdale
  • Springfield
  • Sugar Creek

Population ranking

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

county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 Tipton City 3,221
2 Wilton (mostly in Muscatine County) City 2,802
3 West Branch (partially in Johnson County) City 2,322
4 Durant (partially in Muscatine and Scott Counties) City 1,832
5 Mechanicsville City 1,146
6 Clarence City 974
7 Lowden City 789
8 Stanwood City 684
9 Bennett City 405
10 Rochester CDP 133

Notable people

See also

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

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