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Van Buren County, Iowa facts for kids

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Van Buren County
Van Buren County Courthouse
Map of Iowa highlighting Van Buren 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 December 7, 1836
Named for Martin Van Buren
Seat Keosauqua
Largest city Keosauqua
Area
 • Total 491 sq mi (1,270 km2)
 • Land 485 sq mi (1,260 km2)
 • Water 5.7 sq mi (15 km2)  1.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 7,203
 • Density 14.670/sq mi (5.664/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 2nd

Van Buren County ( VAN-_-BURE-ən) is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census the population was 7,203, making it the state's tenth-least populous county. The county seat is Keosauqua, which contains the oldest continuously operational courthouse in the state of Iowa, and second oldest in the United States.

History

VanBurenCoIowa2
Plaque on the Van Buren County courthouse, indicating its age and historic status.

Van Buren County was formed on December 7, 1836 as a part of Wisconsin Territory, and was split off from Des Moines County. It was named for President Martin Van Buren. It became a part of Iowa Territory (later the state of Iowa) when that territory was organized on July 4, 1838.

The county's courthouse was built in September 1843 in the style of Greek Revival and stands as Iowa's oldest, and the nation's second oldest, courthouse in operation.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 491 square miles (1,270 km2), of which 485 square miles (1,260 km2) is land and 5.7 square miles (15 km2) (1.2%) is water.

Major highways

  • Iowa 1.svg Iowa Highway 1
  • Iowa 2.svg Iowa Highway 2
  • Iowa 16.svg Iowa Highway 16
  • Iowa 98.svg Iowa Highway 98

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1850 12,270
1860 17,081 39.2%
1870 17,672 3.5%
1880 17,043 −3.6%
1890 16,253 −4.6%
1900 17,354 6.8%
1910 15,020 −13.4%
1920 14,060 −6.4%
1930 12,603 −10.4%
1940 12,053 −4.4%
1950 11,007 −8.7%
1960 9,778 −11.2%
1970 8,643 −11.6%
1980 8,626 −0.2%
1990 7,676 −11.0%
2000 7,809 1.7%
2010 7,570 −3.1%
2020 7,203 −4.8%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2018
VanBurenCountyIowaPop2020
Population of Van Buren County from US census data

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 7,203 in the county, with a population density of 14.6895/sq mi (5.6716/km2). 97.24% of the population reported being of one race. 94.53% were non-Hispanic White, 0.39% were Black, 1.58% were Hispanic, 0.10% were Native American, 0.33% were Asian, 0.00% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 3.07% were some other race or more than one race. There were 3,500 housing units, of which 2,984 were occupied.

2010 census

USA Van Buren County, Iowa age pyramid
2000 Census Age Pyramid for Van Buren County

As of the census of 2010, there were 7,570 people, 3,108 households, and 2,058 families residing in the county. The population density was 15.614/sq mi (6.029/km2) people per square mile. There were 3,670 housing units at an average density of 7.570/sq mi (2.923/km2) per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 98.3% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. 1.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,108 households, out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 33.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18 and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.3 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males.

As of the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the county was $31,094, and the median income for a family was $36,420. Males had a median income of $27,379 versus $20,925 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,748. About 8.70% of families and 12.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.00% of those under age 18 and 15.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Townships

According to the 1850 US Census Records.

  • Birmingham Township
  • Bonaparte Township
  • Cedar Township
  • Chequest Township
  • Des Moines Township
  • Farmington Township
  • Harrisburg Township
  • Jackson Township
  • Keosauqua Township
  • Lick Creek Township
  • Union Township
  • Van Buren Township
  • Vernon Township
  • Village Township
  • Washington Township

Population ranking

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

county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 Keosauqua City 1,006
2 Farmington City 664
3 Birmingham City 448
4 Milton City 443
5 Bonaparte City 433
6 Stockport City 296
7 Cantril City 222
8 Douds CDP 152
9 Leando CDP 115
10 Mount Sterling CDP 36

See also

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

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