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Sheldon, Iowa

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Sheldon, Iowa
City
Motto: 
Families Come First
Location of Sheldon, Iowa
Location of Sheldon, Iowa
Country United States
State Iowa
CountiesO'Brien, Sioux
Government
 • MayorKatricia Meendering
Area
 • Total4.5 sq mi (11.64 km2)
 • Land4.5 sq mi (11.64 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation
1,427 ft (435 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total5,188
 • Density1,153.9/sq mi (445.5/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
51201
Area code712
FIPS code19-72390
GNIS feature ID0461558

Sheldon is a city in O'Brien and Sioux Counties in the U.S. state of Iowa, along the Floyd River. The population was 5,188 at the 2010 census; it is the largest city in O'Brien County.

History and culture

Sheldon was founded in 1872 and named after the railroad man Israel Sheldon. It was early a strategic location on the rail for businesses from as far away as Minneapolis and Omaha. Today, the city is at the crossroads of Iowa Highway 60 and U.S. Highway 18. In 1961, the city made headlines when it was revealed that Burnice Geiger had embezzled more than two million dollars from her father's bank. Today, the city is most known for its annual display of marigolds and the moniker of its local schools' athletic teams - the ORABS. Sheldon High School also hosts the Sheldon High School Summer Theatre program. Sheldon is the home of Northwest Iowa Community College and Village Northwest Unlimited. Sheldon, Iowa was briefly mentioned in the Jack Kerouac novel On the Road. (Shelton, Iowa is mentioned on page 18 as the place that Eddie hates ever since he stepped out on the platform to smoke, and references Davenport and the Rock Island train, so this is most likely a fictional town near the Quad Cities.) Sheldon was also mentioned on page 13 of the Tim O'Brien book If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home: "Together we watched trombones and crepe-paper floats move down mainstreet. The bands and floats represented Sheldon, Tyler, Sibley, Jackson, and a dozen other neighboring towns". The local football team made it to the State football game in 2005 but got 2nd while the 2010 team made it to the semi-finals but lost. These two teams were the best in school history. In 2009, the volleyball team got 2nd while in 2011 they made it to state. These two are the best teams in school besides the 2011 team who was ranked #2 in the state but lost to the #1 team in the regional finals which stopped them from going to state.

Geography

Sheldon is located at 43°10′52″N 95°50′53″W / 43.18111°N 95.84806°W / 43.18111; -95.84806 (43.181180, -95.848123).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.5 square miles (11.64 km²), all of it land.None of the area is covered with water.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1880730—
18901,478102.5%
19002,28254.4%
19102,94128.9%
19203,48818.6%
19303,320−4.8%
19403,76813.5%
19504,0016.2%
19604,2516.2%
19704,5356.7%
19805,00310.3%
19904,904−2.0%
20004,9140.2%
20105,1885.6%
Iowa Data Center [1]

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 5,188 people, 2,213 households, and 1,300 families residing in the town. The population density was 1153.9 people per square mile (445.5/km²). There were 2,365 housing units at an average density of 526 per square mile (203.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.7% White, 0.6% African American, 1.1% Asian, 3.7% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.5% of the population.

There were 2,213 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.3% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.4 years. The gender makeup of the city was 50.7% male and 49.3% female.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,058, and the median income for a family was $43,346. Males had a median income of $31,026 versus $20,604 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,254. About 3.6% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Sheldon is served by the Sheldon Community Schools. [3]

Sheldon is home to the Sheldon Christian School, a private Christian school that serves grades preschool through eighth grade. [3]

Sheldon is home to the St. Patrick's Catholic School, a private Catholic school that serves grades preschool through eighth grade. [4]

Sheldon is home to Northwest Iowa Community College, a two year associates degree community college. [5]

Notable people

Media

Sheldon is home to a KIWA-AM, and KIWA-FM, and to Iowa Information, Inc., publishers of the Sheldon Mail-Sun and The N'West Iowa REVIEW. The latter has been named the state's Newspaper of the Year 13 times and named the best weekly in the United States by the National Newspaper Association from 2000 to 2005 and again in 2007.

References

  1. ^ "Data from the 2010 Census". State Data Center of Iowa. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-5-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ a b "Sheldon Community Schools". Sheldon Community Schools. Retrieved January 21, 2012. Cite error: The named reference "SCS" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ "St. Patrick's Catholic School". St. Patrick's Catholic School. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  5. ^ "NWICC". Northwest Iowa Community College. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  6. ^ "Tom Brands Profile". hawkeyesports.com. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  7. ^ "Terry Brands Profile". hawkeyesports.com. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  8. ^ "PAPERS OF EUGENE L. BURDICK". University of Iowa Libraries. c2003. Retrieved 2010-12-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Alfred A. G. Kruger Biography". USA Track & Field. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  10. ^ "Archbishop Dennis Marion Schnurr". Catholic Hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  11. ^ "Judicial Branch Chapter 3" (PDF). Iowa Government. p. 7. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  12. ^ "George Alexander Kelly". JRank Psychology Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2011-08-01.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sheldon, Iowa.


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