Iowa Falls, Iowa

Iowa Falls, Iowa
City
Nickname:  The Scenic City
Location of Iowa Falls, Iowa
Coordinates: 42°31′N93°16′W / 42.517°N 93.267°W / 42.517; -93.267
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Hardin
Area [1]
• Total	5.46 sq mi (14.15 km2)
• Land	5.39 sq mi (13.95 km2)
• Water	0.08 sq mi (0.20 km2)
Elevation	1,106 ft (337 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,106
• Density	948.01/sq mi (366.06/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	50126
Area code	641
FIPS code	19-38640
GNIS feature ID	0457829
Website	www.cityofiowafalls.com

Main Street, Iowa Falls, Iowa, 1915

Iowa Falls is a city in Hardin County, Iowa, United States. Iowa Falls is the home of Ellsworth Community College. It is also a regional transportation center, located along U.S. Routes 20 and 65 and the Canadian National and Union Pacific Railroads. The population was 5,106 at the time of the 2020 census. ^[2]

History

Iowa Falls was laid out and platted in 1856. ^[3] Prior to being named Iowa Falls, the area had been known as Rocksylvania. However, due to the difficulty of pronunciation and spelling, it was then changed to Iowa Falls. ^[4] It was named from the falls on the Iowa River. ^[5]

The Illinois Central Railroad was built through Iowa Falls in 1866. ^[6]

The Metropolitan Opera House was built in 1899, it presented plays, operas, and vaudeville in the town during the first half of the twentieth century, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Iowa Falls Popcorn Stand, located in Estes Park, is the oldest popcorn stand in Iowa that is still running. ^[7] It was first opened on May 29, 1948 as "Louie's Korn Krib." ^[8]

Geography

Iowa Falls is located at 42°31′N93°16′W / 42.517°N 93.267°W / 42.517; -93.267 (42.5221, -93.2673). ^[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.44 square miles (14.09 km²), of which 5.36 square miles (13.88 km²) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.21 km²) is water. ^[10]

Iowa Falls is located at the point where the Iowa River flows through a limestone gorge 70 feet (21.34 m) deep between bluffs that rise another 50 feet (15.24 m). The falls themselves were also known as the "rapids of the Iowa." ^[11] The falls are now submerged by a dam built in 1926 that is 26 feet (7.92 m) feet high and 200 feet long and serves a hydroelectric power station that currently generates 1.5MW. ^{[12] [13]}

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Iowa Falls has a hot-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.

Climate data for Iowa Falls, Iowa, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	68 (20)	68 (20)	87 (31)	97 (36)	107 (42)	107 (42)	111 (44)	108 (42)	101 (38)	95 (35)	79 (26)	70 (21)	111 (44)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	46.6 (8.1)	51.7 (10.9)	67.5 (19.7)	81.4 (27.4)	87.4 (30.8)	91.8 (33.2)	92.6 (33.7)	90.6 (32.6)	89.0 (31.7)	82.5 (28.1)	67.2 (19.6)	51.1 (10.6)	94.1 (34.5)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	25.7 (−3.5)	30.6 (−0.8)	43.5 (6.4)	58.3 (14.6)	69.9 (21.1)	79.9 (26.6)	82.9 (28.3)	80.8 (27.1)	74.8 (23.8)	61.7 (16.5)	45.0 (7.2)	31.5 (−0.3)	57.1 (13.9)
Daily mean °F (°C)	16.9 (−8.4)	21.3 (−5.9)	33.9 (1.1)	46.8 (8.2)	58.8 (14.9)	69.1 (20.6)	72.6 (22.6)	70.2 (21.2)	62.7 (17.1)	50.0 (10.0)	35.3 (1.8)	23.2 (−4.9)	46.7 (8.2)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	8.1 (−13.3)	12.1 (−11.1)	24.4 (−4.2)	35.3 (1.8)	47.7 (8.7)	58.4 (14.7)	62.2 (16.8)	59.7 (15.4)	50.6 (10.3)	38.3 (3.5)	25.6 (−3.6)	14.9 (−9.5)	36.4 (2.5)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	−14.2 (−25.7)	−8.7 (−22.6)	3.1 (−16.1)	21.5 (−5.8)	33.5 (0.8)	46.7 (8.2)	51.9 (11.1)	49.9 (9.9)	36.0 (2.2)	23.2 (−4.9)	8.9 (−12.8)	−6.0 (−21.1)	−17.2 (−27.3)
Record low °F (°C)	−34 (−37)	−32 (−36)	−31 (−35)	3 (−16)	18 (−8)	34 (1)	36 (2)	31 (−1)	19 (−7)	−5 (−21)	−13 (−25)	−31 (−35)	−34 (−37)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	0.92 (23)	1.16 (29)	2.08 (53)	3.80 (97)	5.57 (141)	6.13 (156)	4.54 (115)	4.37 (111)	3.49 (89)	2.56 (65)	1.97 (50)	1.54 (39)	38.13 (968)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	7.1 (18)	7.1 (18)	4.5 (11)	1.3 (3.3)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	1.6 (4.1)	6.1 (15)	27.7 (69.4)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	6.7	6.2	7.5	10.6	12.8	11.5	8.8	9.4	8.3	8.5	6.6	7.1	104
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	5.0	4.4	2.2	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3	4.6	18.2
Source 1: NOAA [14]
Source 2: National Weather Service [15]

Demographics

Historical populations

Year	Pop.	±%
1880	955	—
1890	1,796	+88.1%
1900	2,840	+58.1%
1910	2,797	−1.5%
1920	3,954	+41.4%
1930	4,112	+4.0%
1940	4,425	+7.6%
1950	4,900	+10.7%
1960	5,565	+13.6%
1970	6,454	+16.0%
1980	6,174	−4.3%
1990	5,435	−12.0%
2000	5,193	−4.5%
2010	5,238	+0.9%
2020	5,106	−2.5%
Source: "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved March 29, 2020. and Iowa Data Center Source: U.S. Decennial Census [16] [2]

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, ^[17] there were 5,106 people, 2,146 households, and 1,235 families residing in the city. The population density was 948.1 inhabitants per square mile (366.1/km²). There were 2,422 housing units at an average density of 449.7 per square mile (173.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.1% White, 1.1% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 3.4% from other races and 5.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 6.6% of the population.

Of the 2,146 households, 26.1% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 6.3% were cohabitating couples, 30.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 20.8% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 42.5% of all households were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals, 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older.

The median age in the city was 40.7 years. 24.1% of the residents were under the age of 20; 8.4% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 21.8% were from 25 and 44; 21.9% were from 45 and 64; and 23.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 5,238 people, 2,207 households, and 1,295 families living in the city. The population density was 977.2 inhabitants per square mile (377.3/km²). There were 2,462 housing units at an average density of 459.3 per square mile (177.3/km²). The racial makup of the city was 94.0% White, 2.7% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.9%. ^[18]

Of the 2,207 households 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.3% were non-families. 37.1% of households were one person and 18.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.81.

The median age was 40.9 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.2% were from 25 to 44; 23.6% were from 45 to 64; and 22.4% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 5,193 people, 2,215 households, and 1,331 families living in the city. The population density was 1,043.1 inhabitants per square mile (402.7/km²). There were 2,412 housing units at an average density of 484.5 per square mile (187.1/km²). The racial makup of the city was 97.34% White, 1.21% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.42% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.04%. ^[19]

Of the 2,215 households 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 34.6% of households were one person and 18.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.81.

The age distribution was20.3% under the age of 18, 13.0% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.1% that were 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.

The median household income was $32,141 and the median family income was $42,279. Males had a median income of $31,216 versus $21,004 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,330. About 7.1% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Iowa Select Farms, Iowa's largest hog producer, is headquartered in Iowa Falls.

Education

Iowa Falls Community School District operates public schools.

Radio and Cable broadcasting

KIFG (Iowa River Radio) 95.3 FM, 1510 AM. An over-the-air cable system existed in Iowa Falls, similar to one in Iron Mountain, Michigan. A list of channels and what they rebroadcast:

K19DX (Lifetime) K33ED (Nickelodeon) K35EG (TBS)

K45EF (TLC) K49DZ (CMT) K51EP (A&E)

K55EG (TCM) K57GN K59FM (Headline News)

Notable people

• Nick Collison, NBA basketball player
• Joseph Gomer, Tuskegee airman
• Kurt Ploeger, former NFL player
• Bill Riley Sr., television personality
• Randy Schultz former NFL player
• Jim Trickey, football player
• Christopher Whitesell, writer
• Jim Whitesell, basketball coach
• John Whitesell, Hollywood director
• Patrick Whitesell, Hollywood agent and co-CEO of WME Entertainment
• Sean Whitesell, actor, writer, producer
• Jeff Hansen, pig farmer, founder of Iowa Select Farms

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hardin County, Iowa
• St. Matthew's by the Bridge Episcopal Church
• Metropolitan Opera House (Iowa Falls, Iowa)

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
2. "2020 Census State Redistricting Data". census.gov. United states Census Bureau. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
3. History of Hardin County, Iowa. Union Publishing Company. 1883. pp.  732.
4. "Settlement Era". www.iafalls.com. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
5. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  165.
6. Moir, William J. (1911). Past and Present of Hardin County, Iowa. Unigraphic. pp.  250.
7. "The Popcorn Stand | An Iowa Falls Tradition". www.thepopcornstand.com. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
8. "The Popcorn Stand | A long standing tradition". www.thepopcornstand.com. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
10. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
11. Samuel Walker Beyer, Geology of Hardin County, Iowa Geological Annual Report 10(1) 1899; pages 241-314, see particularly 254-255.
12. Iowa Falls Hydro Dam, Iowa Whitewater Coalition, 23 Jan. 2018.
13. Dam data sheet, Iowa Falls, State ID #1304, Renewable World Energies, 10 Sep. 2015.
14. "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
15. "NOAA Online Weather Data". National Weather Service. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
16. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
17. "2020 Census". United States Census Bureau.
18. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 11, 2012.
19. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.

External links

• City website