Maquoketa, Iowa

Maquoketa, Iowa
City
Nickname:  Timber City
Motto:  One of a Kind
Location of Maquoketa, Iowa
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Counties	Jackson, Clinton
Incorporated	1838
Government
• Mayor	Tom Messerli
Area
• Total	3.5 sq mi (9.0 km2)
• Land	3.4 sq mi (8.9 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	702 ft (214 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	6,112
• Density	1,773.3/sq mi (684.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	52060
Area code	563
FIPS code	19-49215
GNIS feature ID	0458789

Maquoketa (pronounced muh-COKE-it-uh) is a city in Clinton and Jackson counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. Located on the Maquoketa River, it is the county seat of Jackson County.Template:GR

U.S. Route 61 adjoins the city, and therefore benefits from traffic between Dubuque, Iowa and the Quad Cities. Iowa Highways 62 and 64 also pass through the city. Maquoketa Caves State Park is located a few miles northwest of the city.

The population was 6,112 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Maquoketa is located at 42°4′1″N 90°39′58″W (42.066901, -90.666238),Template:GR primarily in Jackson County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.0 km²), of which, 3.5 square miles (8.9 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.86%) is water.

History

Maquoketa was founded in 1838 with the building of a log cabin by J.E. Goodenow and Lyman Bates. Originally referred to as Springfield, its name was changed to Maquoketa which derives from the Native American words meaning Bear River on March 13 1844 due to numerous towns and cities already named Springfield. In 1853 the town became incorporated. The historic Hurstville Lime Kilns are located just north of the city.

Government

Mayors

• Tom Messerli (Current)
• Jack Rosenberg (Previous)

Chief Of Police

• Brad Koranda

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 6,112 people, 2,614 households, and 1,599 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,773.3 people per square mile (684.0/km²). There were 2,797 housing units at an average density of 811.5/sq mi (313.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.10% White, 0.16% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.34% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.

There were 2,614 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,984, and the median income for a family was $36,705. Males had a median income of $25,819 versus $19,421 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,360. About 9.1% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Superintendent

• Kim Huckstadt

High School

• Maquoketa Community High School grades 9 through 12

Middle School

• Maquoketa Middle School grades 6 through 8

Maquoketa Middle School

Elementary

• Briggs Elementary School grades 3 through 5
• Cardinal Elementary School Grades K through 2

Private

• Sacred Heart

Attractions

• Maquoketa Caves State Park
• Hurstville Lime Kilns

  

  Hurstville Lime Kilns located north of Maquoketa

• Jackson County Iowa Historical Society
• Clinton Engines Museum

Events

• Maquoketa Gold
• Oktoberfest (No longer held)
• Jackson County Fair
• Tractor Pulls & Dirt Track Racing

Notable natives

• Robert A. Millikan, Nobel Prize laureate
• William Welch (printer), started the manufacture of high school diplomas
• Norris Brown, Senator from Nebraska
• Craig Callahan, professional basketball player
• Herbert E. Hitchcock, Senator from South Dakota
• Matthew Luckiesh, physicist
• Junius Ralph Magee, former Methodist bishop
• Eben Martin, former U.S. Representative
• George Homer Ryan, former Governor of Illinois
• Sage Rosenfels, quarterback in the NFL
• Robert J. Osterhaus, former Iowa State Representative
• Mary Joy Stead, philanthropist
• Jerre Stead, philanthropist, author and business person

External links

• City website
• Community website
• Maquoketa Community School District
• Maquoketa Area Chamber of Commerce