Elkader, Iowa
| Elkader, Iowa | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Motto: Keystone of NE Iowa | |
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| Coordinates: 42°51′21″N 91°24′11″W / 42.85583°N 91.40306°WCoordinates: 42°51′21″N 91°24′11″W / 42.85583°N 91.40306°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Iowa |
| County | Clayton |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2) |
| • Land | 1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 732 ft (223 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,273 |
| • Density | 1,049.0/sq mi (405.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 52043 |
| Area code(s) | 563 |
| FIPS code | 19-24690 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0456303 |
Elkader is a city in Clayton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,273 at the 2010 census, down from 1,465 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Clayton County.[1]
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[edit] History
The city is named after Algerian leader Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri. When the community was platted in 1846, the founders, Timothy Davis, John Thompson, and Chester Sage decided to name it for the young Algerian who was leading his people in resisting the French colonial takeover of Algeria.[2]
The town featured in a WAMU World View documentary; "Couscous and cultural diplomacy". It is a documentary which focuses on an openly gay couple, who settled in Elkader, and opened an Algerian-American restaurant. One of the couple is Algerian. The documentary describes how the openly gay couple have largely been accepted as part of the community yet wrestle with cultural adaptation, American identity, and small town politics, as well as many of the personal issues they experienced post 9/11.[3]
The city was one of many in Iowa affected by the Great Iowa Flood of 2008, with flood waters from the Turkey River reaching historic levels.[4]
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2), all of it land.
[edit] Demographics
| Elkader Historical Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1860 | 440 | — |
| 1870 | 697 | +58.4% |
| 1880 | 851 | +22.1% |
| 1890 | 745 | −12.5% |
| 1900 | 1,321 | +77.3% |
| 1910 | 1,181 | −10.6% |
| 1920 | 1,223 | +3.6% |
| 1930 | 1,382 | +13.0% |
| 1940 | 1,556 | +12.6% |
| 1950 | 1,584 | +1.8% |
| 1960 | 1,526 | −3.7% |
| 1970 | 1,592 | +4.3% |
| 1980 | 1,688 | +6.0% |
| 1990 | 1,510 | −10.5% |
| 2000 | 1,465 | −3.0% |
| Source: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. | ||
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 1,465 people, 645 households, and 403 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,049.0 people per square mile (404.0/km²). There were 693 housing units at an average density of 496.2 per square mile (191.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.25% White, 0.20% African American, 0.07% Native American, and 0.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.07% of the population.
There were 645 households out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 27.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 80.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,857, and the median income for a family was $41,830. Males had a median income of $28,235 versus $19,550 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,785. About 2.7% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Notable people
- Jack Dittmer, Major League Baseball second baseman, Boston/Milwaukee Braves (now Atlanta) franchise.
- Francis John Dunn, Roman Catholic bishop
- Donald Harstad, novelist
- Leonard G. Wolf, U.S. Representative from Iowa
- Timothy Davis, town founder and member of congress for Iowa
[edit] Sister city
Elkader has one sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International:
[edit] See also
Saint Joseph's Church
[edit] References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ The History of Elkader, Iowa
- ^ "Couscous and cultural diplomacy" a radio documentary about a gay couple starting an Algerian restaurant in homage to a 19th century independence fighter Emir Abd al-Qader . (ABC Radio National)
- ^ Great Iowa Flood of 2008#Elkader
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Elkader, Iowa |
- Explore Elkader Portal style website, Government, Business, Attractions and more
- Central Community Schools
- CS Studios IA
- Empire special - Islam and America on Al Jazeera English, contains a video clip about Elkader (43:20 - 45:10 min)
- Out and About Iowa, report on Elkader in the column Out and About Iowa of the The Iowa Journal (Iowa Public TV)
- City-Data Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Elkader
- "Couscous and cultural diplomacy" a radio documentary about a gay couple starting an Algerian restaurant in homage to a 19th century independence fighter Emir Abd al-Qader . (ABC Radio National)
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