Lamoni, Iowa

Lamoni, Iowa
City
Location of Lamoni, Iowa
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Decatur
Area
• Total	3.3 sq mi (8.5 km2)
• Land	3.2 sq mi (8.3 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	1,125 ft (343 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	2,444
• Density	761.1/sq mi (293.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	50140
Area code	641
FIPS code	19-42960
GNIS feature ID	0458214

Lamoni is a city in Decatur County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,444 at the 2000 census. Lamoni is the home of Graceland University, affiliated with the Community of Christ.

The city is a significant historic area for the Community of Christ church with the Liberty Hall museum. In 1870 a stewardship association of church members, known as the Order of Enoch, purchased over three thousand acres (12 km²) of land in southern Iowa as a place for gathering.

City

The city was named after Lamoni, a pacifist king mentioned in the Book of Mormon. Church headquarters relocated to the emerging community in 1881 and Joseph Smith III made Liberty Hall his home. Four church presidents of the Community of Christ (then called the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) lived in Liberty Hall. The church was headquartered in Lamoni, Iowa, and Liberty Hall was a center of social and religious life for the community. During the next 60 years, Liberty Hall served as a home for the aged, a farmhouse, CCC Headquarters, and a private residence. Now restored to its 1900-1905 Victorian style, Liberty Hall reflects the culture of the large, middle class Smith family living in a small, mid-western town as well as the heritage of Community of Christ. Tours are available March through December.

Lamoni was named to the list of "Best 100 cities for Young People" in the nation by Americas Promise [1]

"Lamoni received the 100 Best honor, in part, because of their collaborative programs on behalf of children and youth. The city is proud of its 'small town, rural work ethic' and works to ensure that young people learn responsibility, teamwork, and leadership skills in the community. One example of innovative thinking in regard to young people in Lamoni is the Across Ages mentoring program that matches at-risk middle school youth with senior adults in the community." [2]

Among the significant structures in Lamoni are the Roy A. Cheville Chapel, Closson Physical Education Center, Shaw Center for the Performing Arts, Frederick Madison Smith Library, and the Higdon Administration Building, all on the Graceland University Campus.

Recently, the Lamoni area has also become home to a sizable Amish community.

Geography

Lamoni is located at 40°37′21″N 93°56′1″W (40.622563, -93.933739)Template:GR. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²), of which, 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (1.83%) is water.

Cimate

Lamoni has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa).

Climate data for Lamoni
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Source: Weather Channel

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 2,444 people, 818 households, and 428 families residing in the city. The population density was 761.1 people per square mile (294.0/km²). There were 904 housing units at an average density of 281.5/sq mi (108.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.86% White, 2.95% African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.60% Asian, 0.41% Pacific Islander, 0.82% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.78% of the population.

There were 818 households out of which 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.6% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the city the population was spread out with 15.1% under the age of 18, 39.6% from 18 to 24, 13.9% from 25 to 44, 15.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,735, and the median income for a family was $41,926. Males had a median income of $27,875 versus $20,781 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,105. About 10.5% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable natives

• Eddie Watt — Major League Baseball pitcher

External links

• Official City Website