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Wright County, Iowa facts for kids

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Wright County
Wright County Courthouse
Map of Iowa highlighting Wright 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 January 15, 1851
Named for Silas Wright
Seat Clarion
Largest city Eagle Grove
Area
 • Total 582 sq mi (1,510 km2)
 • Land 580 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Water 1.8 sq mi (5 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 12,943
 • Density 22.239/sq mi (8.586/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 4th

Wright County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,943. The county seat is Clarion. The county organization became effective in January 1851, and is believed to be named either after Silas Wright, a governor of New York, or Joseph Albert Wright, a governor of Indiana.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 582 square miles (1,510 km2), of which 580 square miles (1,500 km2) is land and 1.8 square miles (4.7 km2) (0.3%) is covered by water. The terrain is generally undulating. The county is intersected by the Boone and Iowa Rivers

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1870 2,392
1880 5,062 111.6%
1890 12,057 138.2%
1900 18,227 51.2%
1910 17,951 −1.5%
1920 20,348 13.4%
1930 20,216 −0.6%
1940 20,038 −0.9%
1950 19,652 −1.9%
1960 19,447 −1.0%
1970 17,294 −11.1%
1980 16,319 −5.6%
1990 14,269 −12.6%
2000 14,334 0.5%
2010 13,229 −7.7%
2020 12,943 −2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2018
WrightCountyIowaPop2020
Population of Wright County from US census data

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 12,943 in the county, with a population density of 22.2002/sq mi (8.5715/km2). 93.48% of the population reported being of one race. 62.95% were non-Hispanic White, 0.58% were Black, 18.50% were Hispanic, 0.66% were Native American, 0.53% were Asian, 0.06% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 16.71% were some other race or more than one race. There were 6,260 housing units, of which 5,404 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 13,229 in the county, with a population density of 22.7803/sq mi (8.7955/km2). There were 6,529 housing units, of which 5,625 were occupied.

Wright County Fair

The first Wright County Fair was held in Clarion. The old fairgrounds were located where Clarion's USA Healthcare Center stands today. For some unknown reason, in 1924, the fair in Clarion closed. It was moved to Goldfield in 1925 and then to its present location in Eagle Grove in 1926. The Wright County Fair was later renamed the Wright County District Junior Fair. Entries are open to children in Hamilton, Humboldt, Webster, Hardin, Franklin, and Wright Counties.

Communities

Population ranking

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

county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 Eagle Grove City 3,583
2 Clarion City 2,850
3 Belmond City 2,376
4 Goldfield City 635
5 Dows (partially in Franklin County) City 538
6 Woolstock City 168
7 Rowan City 158
8 Galt City 32

Education

Primary and secondary

There are three school districts in Wright County with three high schools: Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Community School District K-12 Enrollment 954 Eagle Grove Community School District K-12 Enrollment 836 Belmond-Klemme Community School District K-12 Enrollment 793

Tertiary

Iowa State University maintains an extension office in Clarion. Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City, and Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls are all within driving distance of Wright County. Iowa Central Community College began offering ICN Polycom classes in Clarion and Eagle Grove in 2015.

See also

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

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