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Poweshiek County, Iowa facts for kids

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Poweshiek County
Poweshiek County Courthouse
Map of Iowa highlighting Poweshiek 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 1843
Named for Poweshiek, Meskwaki chief
Seat Montezuma
Largest city Grinnell
Area
 • Total 586 sq mi (1,520 km2)
 • Land 585 sq mi (1,520 km2)
 • Water 1.1 sq mi (3 km2)  0.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 18,662
 • Density 31.846/sq mi (12.296/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 1st

Poweshiek County is a county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,662. The county seat is Montezuma. The county is named for the chief of the Fox tribe who signed the treaty ending the Black Hawk War. It lies along Interstate 80 between Des Moines and Iowa City. Poweshiek County's largest city is Grinnell.

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.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 586 square miles (1,520 km2), of which 585 square miles (1,520 km2) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) (0.2%) is water. It is drained by the north fork of Skunk River, which crosses the southwest corner, and by English River and other streams.

Major highways

  • I-80.svg Interstate 80
  • US 6.svg U.S. Highway 6
  • US 63.svg U.S. Highway 63
  • Iowa 21.svg Iowa Highway 21
  • Iowa 85.svg Iowa Highway 85
  • Iowa 146.svg Iowa Highway 146

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
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%
2020 18,662 −1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2018
PoweshiekCountyIowaPop2020
Population of Poweshiek County from US census data

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 18,662 in the county, with a population density of 31.7989/sq mi (12.2776/km2). 96.55% of the population reported being of one race. 89.38% were non-Hispanic White, 1.76% were Black, 2.83% were Hispanic, 0.35% were Native American, 1.19% were Asian, 0.11% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 4.37% were some other race or more than one race. There were 8,906 housing units, of which 7,536 were occupied.

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.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

  • Holiday Lake

Other communities

  • Ewart

Population ranking

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

county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 Grinnell City 9,218
2 Brooklyn City 1,468
3 Montezuma City 1,462
4 Victor (mostly in Iowa County) City 893
5 Holiday Lake CDP 433
6 Malcom City 287
7 Deep River City 279
8 Barnes City (partially in Mahaska County) City 176
9 Searsboro City 148
10 Hartwick City 86
11 Guernsey City 63

Education

Poweshiek County is served by three community school districts:

District Location Num of
campuses

(inc. parochial)

Num of
students
Student–
teacher
ratio
High school District
web site
BGM Community School District
(Brooklyn–Guernsey–Malcom)
Brooklyn 1 537 - BGM BGM
Grinnell–Newburg Community School District Grinnell 6 1,750 - Grinnell Grinnell
Montezuma Community School District Montezuma 1 512 - Montezuma Montezuma

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

There is one private school in the county, Central Iowa Christian School, in Grinnell.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Poweshiek para niños

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