Storm Lake, Iowa

Storm Lake, Iowa
City
Location of Storm Lake, Iowa
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Buena Vista
Area
• Total	4.0 sq mi (10.4 km2)
• Land	4.0 sq mi (10.4 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,421 ft (433 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	10,076
• Density	2,521.2/sq mi (973.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	50588
Area code	712
FIPS code	19-75630
GNIS feature ID	0462017

Storm Lake is a city in Buena Vista County, Iowa, United States. The population was 10,076 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Buena Vista CountyTemplate:GR. Storm Lake is home to Buena Vista University, originally Buena Vista College. Tyson Foods operates a large hog slaughterhouse here, and Sara Lee has a turkey processing plant.

Geography

Storm Lake is located at 42°38′37″N 95°12′7″W (42.643493, -95.201968)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.0 square miles (10.4 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 10,076 people, 3,466 households, and 2,207 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,521.2 people per square mile (972.6/km²). There were 3,706 housing units at an average density of 927.3/sq mi (357.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.68% White, 0.53% African American, 0.17% Native American, 7.82% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 9.55% from other races, and 2.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.05% of the population.

There were 3,466 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 18.0% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,270, and the median income for a family was $42,236. Males had a median income of $27,321 versus $20,869 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,150. About 8.0% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

Storm Lake is cited as an example of the demographic transition that is occurring in the United States. What once was an all-white community in 1990 has become increasingly diverse as the result of immigration. This has become the case all across Iowa, which in 1990 was virtually all-White but by 2000 has seen an increase in the Hispanic population by nearly 200%.

Education

Storm Lake has one main school district which is composed of 1 high school, 1 middle school (grades 5-8) , and 4 (grades K-4) elementaries. Currently a new elementary is undergoing construction. There is also a private K-12 school district system run by St. Mary's Catholic church and a K-4 Concordia Lutheran elementary. Storm Lake has an increasingly diverse community. In the school district, over 50% of students are hispanic, and over 10% are asian. Most students are coming from California and rural areas of Mexico because of new job opportunities. And because 40% of the district's students are migrant, the schools struggle to match needs set by the No Child Left Behind Act. However, the school district is known throughout the state for its excellence in fine arts. In 2003, the Iowa Music Educators Association (IMEA) awarded Storm Lake the Exemplary Music Program of the year. In 2006, Buena Vista University created a documentary about the Storm Lake music program and its accomplishments called "Notes: A Noteworthy Story of Music." Storm Lake schools also excel in art, speech, and the National History Day competition.

Notable Residents

Gene Hackman, actor

External links

• School district website