Spencer, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Spencer, Iowa
City
Location of Spencer, Iowa
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Clay
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
Area
• Total	11.11 sq mi (28.77 km2)
• Land	10.95 sq mi (28.35 km2)
• Water	0.16 sq mi (0.42 km2)
Elevation	1,312 ft (400 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,325
• Density	1,034.53/sq mi (399.43/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	51301, 51343
Area code(s)	712
FIPS code	19-74280
GNIS feature ID	0465608

Spencer is a city in the state of Iowa, United States, and the county seat of Clay County. It is located at the confluence of the Little Sioux and Ocheyedan rivers. The population was 11,325 in the 2020 census, an increase from 11,317 in 2000. Spencer has a notable Clay County Fair, held annually in September, which averages more than 300,000 visitors each year.

The town's late library cat, Dewey Readmore Books, became known throughout the world before his death in 2006. He was immortalized in the book Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron, director of the library, and Bret Witter.

History

The first house was built in what is now Spencer in 1866, and the first store was opened in the area in 1869.

Spencer was platted as a town in 1871. In 1878, Spencer experience growth when the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway was built into the settlement.

Geography

Spencer's longitude and latitude coordinates
in decimal form are 43.145318, 95.147209.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.18 square miles (28.96 km²), of which, 11.01 square miles (28.52 km²) is land and 0.17 square miles (0.44 km²) is water. At one point Great Lakes Airlines was headquartered in Summit Township, Clay County, near Spencer.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 11,233 people, 5,018 households, and 3,009 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,020.3 inhabitants per square mile (393.9/km²). There were 5,431 housing units at an average density of 493.3 per square mile (190.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.0% White, 0.5% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.5% of the population.

There were 5,018 households, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.0% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.80.

The median age in the city was 41.5 years. 23% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.3% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 19.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

Arts and culture

In 2004, the U.S. federal government placed Spencer's downtown business district on the National Register of Historic Places. Also in 2004, the State Historical Society of Iowa certified the Spencer Downtown Cultural District as one of the initial eight such projects across the state. Spencer's proposal for this designation included remodeling the old Spencer Middle School building into a multi-purpose facility with a senior citizen center, affordable housing units, and a restored facade. Future work on the old Middle School project involves restoration of the historic auditorium. Also part of the State Historical Society designation is the city's renovation of its Grand Avenue bridge to include commissioned stained glass plates in an Art Deco style.

Current cultural attractions in Spencer include the Spencer Community Theater, the Parker Historical Museum, public art displays, and the Bogenrief Glass Studio. Arts on Grand is a nonprofit organization supporting local area artists with a gallery shop, exhibits, classes, workshops, tours, fundraising events, and other activities. The Curiel-Reynolds School of Visual Arts (CRVA) relocated from Detroit to Spencer in 2007.

Spencer is the site of the library where Dewey Readmore Books was the cat in residence from January 18, 1988, until November 29, 2006. His story is told in Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter.

Education

The Spencer Community School District operates public schools.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Roadway

U.S. Routes 18 and 71 run concurrently for approximately three miles through Spencer.

Air travel

The Spencer Municipal Airport is located three miles (5 km) northwest of the business district of Spencer. Great Lakes Airlines was formerly headquartered there. At the height of Great Lake's service, the airline provided non-stop flights to several locations in the continental United States using Beechcraft 1900D and EMB Brasilia aircraft. The airline has since relocated to Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The fixed-base operator is Leading Edge Aviation. They provide aircraft charters, rentals and flight instruction.

Notable people

• Dewey Readmore Books, Library Cat
• Michelle D. Johnson Lieutenant General in the United Air Force and 19th Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy
• Connie Kunzmann, professional basketball player
• Vicki Myron, co-author of Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
• Roger Neumann, jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer, arranger, and music educator
• Ronald Roskens, academic
• Robert Suderburg, composer, conductor, and pianist
• Robin Thede, actress and comedian, host of The Rundown; creator of and actress on A Black Lady Sketch Show
• Richard L. Tierney, author and poet
• Linda Wejcman, Minnesota legislator

See also

In Spanish: Spencer (Iowa) para niños