Sioux Center, Iowa

Sioux Center, Iowa
City
Official seal of Sioux Center, Iowa Seal
Location of Sioux Center, Iowa
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Sioux
Area
• Total	5.3 sq mi (13.7 km2)
• Land	5.3 sq mi (13.7 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,463 ft (446 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	6,002
• Density	1,134.9/sq mi (438.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	51250
Area code	712
FIPS code	19-73290
GNIS feature ID	0461652

Sioux Center is a city in Sioux County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,002 at the 2000 census; a special census in 2005 counted 6,327 residents.

Geography

Sioux Center is located at 43°4′36″N 96°10′24″W (43.076546, -96.173214)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.3 square miles (13.7 km²), all of it land.

Sioux Center is 1,445 feet above sea level. It is located on the north to south ridge, or spine, of western Iowa. The eastern side of Sioux Center drains to the Floyd River. The western side of Sioux Center drains to the Big Sioux River. This "divide" is profoundly unnoticeable. The area within a ten mile radius of Sioux Center has been divided into sections of a square mile each. The gravel and paved roads marking the sections do not swerve or contour for the slight hills or valleys. North of town, the BNSF railroad has a very broad curve in which it crosses highway 75 twice in the space of one mile.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 6,002 people, 1,831 households, and 1,351 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,134.9 people per square mile (438.1/km²). There were 1,933 housing units at an average density of 365.5/sq mi (141.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.58% White, 0.15% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.62% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.67% of the population.

There were 1,831 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.0% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 27.1% from 18 to 24, 20.7% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,775, and the median income for a family was $51,039. Males had a median income of $35,821 versus $20,025 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,912. About 4.9% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

In 2000, 66.6% of Sioux Center residents identified as being of Dutch heritage. This was the largest percentage of Dutch Americans of any place in the country.

Business and Industry

Sioux Center commerce, like many smaller towns in this area of Iowa, is dominated by agri-business. The quality of the farmland and its ability to produce high yields of corn and soybeans is the natural resource that propels the economy. The availability of these high quality grains leads to production of high quality beef and pork. Many of the larger employers in the area supply support materials to grain and animal production, process the results of grain and animal production, or provide services to the people involved in agricultural supply, production, and processing. The tallest and the largest structures in town are grain storage facilities. The Pella Windows factory is an exception to this rule.

Some of the larger employers in the town are, but not limited to: AEA Northwest, Ag Partners, Ambank, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedical Inc, Dordt College, Fareway Foods, Farmer's Co-op Society, Golden Crisp Premium Foods, Hy-Vee Foods, Interstates Construction, Jesco, Link Manufacturing, Kroese & Kroese, Pella Windows, Plumbing and Heating Wholesale Inc, Nemschoff Chairs, Sioux Automation Center, Sioux Center Community Hospital, Sioux Center Community Schools, Sioux Preme Egg Plant, Sioux Preme Packing, TransOva, Vet Pharm, and Walmart.

The Centre Mall is the focus of the downtown retail commerce area. South of town Walmart and Hy-vee anchor another commerce pocket. Most store fronts are in close proximity to highway 75. Recently, Spanish speaking people have opened a restaurant, grocery store, and clothing store.

Sioux Center continues to have rail service. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad's main line runs parallel to highway 75 through Sioux Center. There are several rail spurs and a BNSF equipment station. Grain is the main rail transported commodity.

A Walmart SuperCenter has recently opened near the original Walmart.

Notable natives

• Vern Den Herder, player on the undefeated Miami Dolphins NFL team of 1972

Annual events

Early in June the city hosts "Summer Celebration" which features a car show and cruise night as well as other miscellaneous events. The "pork feeders" host an annual picnic in the central park. Additionally, in 2007, the Sioux-perman triathlon was inaugurated, being held in early May.

Culture

Sioux Center is home to the Northwest Iowa Symphony Orchestra. Their concert hall is the Dordt College chapel known as the B.J. Haan Auditorium. The orchestra is composed mostly of volunteers from the NW corner of Iowa. Some of the principals are paid positions. The orchestra also offers scholarships and opportunities for developing musicians from the local schools and colleges. The orchestra is directed by Dr. Henry Duitman. Dr. Duitman is currently a professor of music at Dordt College. [1]

Education

Sioux Center is the home of Dordt College. Dordt's 1300 students are drawn predominately from the local area, but a Canadian student body is also evident. Dordt's engineering and education programs are a typical draw for many students.

The Sioux Center Community School district educates nearly 1,000 students. The school is one of the few non-consolidated schools in northwest Iowa. The kindergarten through 4th grade Kinsey Elementary School posted an all time high enrollement (over 425) in the fall of 2007. The elementary building and the middle school completed additional construction projects in the past year.

Sioux Center Christian School educates approx. 360 students grades K-8.

The sports teams of Dordt College and Sioux Center Community Schools (SCCS) enjoy a friendly, yet heated, rivalry with the teams of Orange City. Dordt College and Northwestern College, sponsored by sister Christian denominations the RCA and the CRC, complete in soccer, volleyball, and basketball. Dordt College recently started a football program, fielding a Junior Varsity team in the fall of 2007. Maurice Orange City Floyd Valley High School (MOC-FV) competes spiritedly with SCCS in football, volleyball, basketball and others. MOC-FV is a small division 3A school and SCCS is a large division 2A school. The fan base of the colleges tend to follow church affiliation, but the fan base of the public high schools more follows geography.

Recent events

On July 31, 2007, a semitruck tanker carrying gasoline exploded at about 4:45 pm. A half-mile radius evacuation was made shortly after the explosion. The driver of the truck was severely burned and later died in the hospital. The explosion occurred while fuel was being loaded from rail tankers to the semitruck. The rail yard where the explosion happened is very near to the center of Sioux Center. In close proximity to the explosion were several rail tankers containing gasoline, denatured ethanol, and anhydrous ammonia. Firefighters responded from most of the area towns. The truck tanker was completely lost. Firefighting operations concentrated on keeping the other rail cars of fuel cool. [2]

The inaugural Sioux-perman Triathlon was held on May 5, 2007. Alex Baldwin finished first overall in the men's division with a time of 1:06:12, while Heather Fent-Reed's 1:19:25 time placed her at the top of the women's division. Both times will be considered course records in this inaugural event.[3]

In July of 2003 the Sioux Center Public library was destroyed via firework vandalism in the book drop-box. Volumes, records, and equipment were destroyed. The building was a total loss and was razed. The Greater Sioux County Genealogical Society used the library for its records. Temporarily, the library is housed in the gymnasium of the Community Center--which in former times was part of the Sioux Center Community Schools. A new library is in early construction stages and is predicted to be finished in 2008.

The city is in the process of sorting out the role Highway 75 plays as the main transportation artery in Sioux Center's development. In former times Hwy 75 ran four lanes. Safety, excessive speed, the need for turning lanes, and a reputation for cruising led to a modification. Currently, Hwy 75 is a running two lane, with a center turn lane and generous parallel parking on both sides of the street. While this has solved some problems, it has created others. At certain times of the day there is too much traffic for the configuration to handle. Traffic can bog down for more than a mile.

External links

• http://www.iowa.gov/educate
• http://www.siouxcenterchamber.com
• http://www.siouxcenter.org
• Sioux Center Panorama Project