Shelby County, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shelby County
U.S. county
Shelby County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1851
Named for	Isaac Shelby
Seat	Harlan
Largest city	Harlan
Area
• Total	598 sq mi (1,550 km2)
• Land	598 sq mi (1,550 km2)
• Water	0.6 sq mi (2 km2)  0.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,746
• Density	19.642/sq mi (7.584/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th

Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,746. The county seat is Harlan. Its name is in honor of Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentucky.

History

Shelby County was formed on January 15, 1851. It was named after General Isaac Shelby, a hero in the American Revolutionary War and the first Governor of Kentucky.

Early settling in Shelby County began in 1848 in Galland’s Grove. On February 4, 1855, Shelbyville was designated the county seat. In April, 1859, the seat was moved to Harlan. One year later the first courthouse was erected and a second courthouse was constructed in 1875. In 1892, the construction of the present courthouse was begun, this time of stone and three storeys high. The construction was completed in 1893 with the dedication on September 14. The 1892 Shelby County Courthouse and the surrounding buildings are all listed in the National Register of Historic places effective September 23, 1994. In 1978, the building was extensively restored and still serves as the courthouse.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 591 square miles (1,530 km²), of which 591 square miles (1,530 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) (0.1%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 59
• Iowa Highway 37
• Iowa Highway 44
• Iowa Highway 173
• Iowa Highway 191

Adjacent counties

• Crawford County (north)
• Audubon County (east)
• Cass County (southeast)
• Pottawattamie County (south)
• Harrison County (west)

Demographics

Population of Shelby County from US census data

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 11,746 in the county, with a population density of 19.6271/sq mi (7.5781/km²). 96.51% of the population reported being of one race. 90.06% were non-Hispanic White, 0.45% were Black, 3.51% were Hispanic, 0.47% were Native American, 0.42% were Asian, 0.03% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 5.07% were some other race or more than one race. There were 5,421 housing units, of which 4,981 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 12,167 in the county, with a population density of 20.5931/sq mi (7.9510/km²). There were 5,542 housing units, of which 5,085 were occupied.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

• Corley
• Jacksonville

Other unincorporated places

• Botna

Townships

Population ranking

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

† county seat

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Shelby (Iowa) para niños