Sac City, Iowa

Sac City, Iowa
City
Location of Sac City, Iowa
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Sac
Area
• Total	4.9 sq mi (12.7 km2)
• Land	4.9 sq mi (12.7 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,217 ft (371 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	2,368
• Density	483.0/sq mi (186.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	50583
Area code	712
FIPS code	19-69645
GNIS feature ID	0460882

Sac City is a city in Sac County, Iowa, United States, situated on the rolling hills along the valley of the North Raccoon River, in one of the prime agricultural regions of the United States. The population was 2,368 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Sac CountyTemplate:GR.

History

Sac City was first platted in 1855 by Joshua Keith Powell of Fort Dodge, Iowa. The town was so named because the Sac and Fox Indians (sometimes known as the Sauk and Fox; the names "Sac" and "Sauk" are interchangeable) were in possession of the land at the time of the Louisiana Purchase. The City of Sac City was incorporated nineteen years later, in 1874.

Judge Eugene Criss, credited with being the father of Sac City, left Wisconsin and crossed the Mississippi River in the early months of 1855 by covered wagon. He was in search of waterpower and had the desire to establish a settlement in a new and untried country. Deciding upon the North Raccoon River to begin his settlement, Judge Criss proceeded to erect the first log cabin in Sac City, establish himself in the hotel business, as well as keep a stage station and general store for nearby settlers.

As early as 1859, there was talk of building a railroad through Sac County, but the first railroad did not come through Sac City until 1879. The railroad companies refused to lay tracks through undeveloped or mildly developed areas, and Sac City did not meet the requirements. The railroad companies demanded communities be far enough advanced to provide a quick return to capital before they would construct a steam and iron highway through the area. When it came, the railroad benefited Sac City incredibly. The Chicago & Northwestern connected Sac City, Wall Lake, Auburn, Odebolt, Lake View, Early, and Schaller as well as the cities where crops were sold.

The first Sac County Fair was held in 1871 on ten acres of ground east of Sac City that had been purchased by the Sac County Agricultural Society the same year. The fair was one of the biggest events of the year and brought people in wagons and buggies from miles around to see the harness races, livestock exhibits, produce, needlework, and art goods.

The Sac City Chautauqua Association was organized in December 1904 with 120 members. The Association brought many fine programs to the community, and because transportation was still slow and laborious, many families stayed in tents on the grounds for the entire Chautauqua session, about eight or nine days. At first the meetings were held in a tent, but by 1908, the citizens of Sac City built a Chautauqua Building in which to hold their meetings, and which is now the only one left of its kind in the state of Iowa.

Today

Now in the 21st century Sac City has celebrated its Sesquicentennial and is a safe and family-oriented community with a wonderful mixture of old and new: award winning schools, a recreation center with indoor pool, a new outdoor swimming pool and aquatic park, a recently built public library, and beautiful tree-lined streets filled with turn-of-the-20th-century architecture, from grand Victorian homes to the historic Sac County courthouse.

The business district is complemented by specialty shops, antique stores, and restaurants. Sac City is home to a wood products manufacturer, metal fabrication plant, wholesale garden products distributor, popcorn distributor, textile firms and a variety of other businesses.

Best Places to Live in Rural America

In February 2007, in its third annual list of the “Best Places to Live in Rural America”, Progressive Farmer magazine placed Sac County as #7 in the overall rankings.

Geography

Sac City is located at 42°25′16″N 94°59′42″W (42.421154, -94.995083)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²), of which, 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²) of it is land and 0.20% is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 2,368 people, 1,082 households, and 642 families residing in the city. The population density was 483.0 people per square mile (186.6/km²). There were 1,209 housing units at an average density of 246.6/sq mi (95.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.61% White, 0.34% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.

There were 1,082 households out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.70.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.1% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 29.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,300, and the median income for a family was $39,139. Males had a median income of $25,409 versus $19,137 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,229. About 7.9% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.4% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Landmarks

• Sac County Courthouse - Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• Monument Square - Features a monument to the soldiers of the Union Army

Airport

The Sac City Municipal Airport (KSKI) is located approximately 2.5 miles south of the central business district. Access to the airport is provided by U.S. Highway 20, State Highway 196 and County Roads D42 and M54. The Airport is located on 136 acres owned by the City of Sac City. The established elevation is 1250 feet above sea level (MSL).

The Sac City Municipal Airport is a Class III Airport with a concrete main runway (18/36) 4,100 feet and 75 ft. wide with a crosswind runway of 44 ft. by 2,667 ft. The secondary runway (14/32) surface is blacktop.

Library

The Sac City Public Library contains over 20,000 volumes, magazines, films, educational, videos, and computers available to the public. Patrons may make use of the children's wing, an adult wing, a periodical room, computer room, group study area, individual study area and the children's activity area. Through association with the Iowa Library Network, additional volumes contained in libraries throughout the state may be obtained.

Loring Hospital

Loring Hospital opened its doors in September 1950. Throughout the years, Loring has continued to grow and add services to provide healthcare to Sac County and the surrounding area. Loring Hospital is a Critical Access Hospital with 25 beds.

Popcorn Ball

Sac City is home to the world's largest popcorn ball, which weighs 3,100 pounds and is housed in its own building.

External links

• Official Sac City website