Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States.[1] The population was 8,172 at the 2000 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S. Route 52.
History
Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum
Originally settled by the Day Family in 1849, Decorah has become popular as a center for Norwegian-American culture originating from a high number of Norwegian settlements beginning in the 1850s. Since 1862 it has been the home of Luther College, a liberal arts institution affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Each July Decorah is also the host of Nordic Fest, a celebration of Norwegian culture with ethnic dancing, food, and music. Decorah is also the home of the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, the largest museum in the country devoted to one single immigrant group. Until 1972, one of the largest Norwegian language newspapers in the nation was published in Decorah, the Decorah Posten.
The city was named for Chief Waukon Decorah, a Winnebago who cooperated with American settlers during the Black Hawk War and whose people were subsequently forced out of Wisconsin into Northeast Iowa. Waukon, immediately east, seat of Allamakee County, is also named for him.
Economy
Winneshiek County Courthouse, which additionally holds the offices for the supervisors and county officers of Winneshiek County.
Historic
Milwaukee Road Depot; it is now used as a chiropractic office. Historic photo seen
here.
Despite its rural location, Decorah has managed to acquire a strong economic base in Northeast Iowa through several diverse employers. The city boasts strong employment numbers from Luther College and several national corporations. Decorah has a low unemployment rate and real estate values in the city are high. In 2000, the average home value in Decorah was $96,000, which followed only Pella, Orange City, and Sioux Center as the highest for smaller, rurally located communities in the state.
Residents of Decorah often frequent other commercial hubs in the tri-state area for many needs. Rochester, Minnesota, La Crosse, Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, and the Twin Cities are very popular spots for shopping, entertainment, and dining.
Decorah is home to Seed Savers Exchange, a heirloom plant farm and preservation organization, as well as the StoryPeople headquarters where the colorful works of Brian Andreas are reproduced and shipped around the world.
Media
Radio
- KLNI-FM 88.7 (Minnesota Public Radio News)
- KLCD-FM 89.5 (Classical Minnesota Public Radio)
- K247BF-LP 97.3 (Translator for KWVI)
- K257CI-LP 99.3 (Translator for KQYB-FM)
- KDEC-FM 100.5
- K268AF-LP 101.5 (Translator for KFSI)
- KVIK-FM 104.7 "K-Viking Gold"
- KDEC-AM 1240
- KWLC-AM 1240 (Luther College)
Other nearby stations Include:
- KHPP-AM 1160 (Waukon, IA)
- KNEI-FM 103.5 (Waukon, IA)
- KROC-FM 106.9 (Rochester, MN)
Geography
Decorah is located at 43°18′06″N 91°47′25″W / 43.30167°N 91.79028°W / 43.30167; -91.79028 (43.301795, -91.790218),[2] within the Driftless Area, where the Upper Iowa River flows through the city to find a mouth as a cliff-clinging tributary of the Upper Mississippi River. The city's setting makes it popular for a variety of outdoor activities including canoeing and trout fishing. Natural features include Dunning's Spring, Ice Cave, and Siewers Spring. The city is home to several parks built on bluffs, particularly Phelps Park, Palisades Park, and Pulpit Rock. Until 2003, Decorah was home to the Nor-Ski Runs Ski Area, a community attraction since the 1960s. Decorah is located about 15 miles (20 km) away from the Minnesota - Iowa border. It is the easternmost major community located along U.S. Route 52 in Iowa.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.4 square miles (16.7 km²), of which, 6.4 square miles (16.6 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.47%) is water.
Demographics
| Decorah Historical Population |
| Year |
Pop. |
%± |
| 1860 |
1,920 |
— |
| 1870 |
2,110 |
9.9% |
| 1880 |
2,951 |
39.9% |
| 1890 |
2,801 |
−5.1% |
| 1900 |
3,246 |
15.9% |
| 1910 |
3,592 |
10.7% |
| 1920 |
4,039 |
12.4% |
| 1930 |
4,581 |
13.4% |
| 1940 |
5,303 |
15.8% |
| 1950 |
6,060 |
14.3% |
| 1960 |
6,435 |
6.2% |
| 1970 |
7,237 |
12.5% |
| 1980 |
8,068 |
11.5% |
| 1990 |
8,063 |
−0.1% |
| 2000 |
8,172 |
1.4% |
| Source: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. |
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 8,172 people, 2,819 households, and 1,561 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,275.9 people per square mile (492.2/km²). There were 2,968 housing units at an average density of 463.4/sq mi (178.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.99% White, 1.13% African American, 0.10% Native American, 1.60% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.30% of the population. 34.0% were of Norwegian, 30.3% German, 5.4% English and 5.2% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 2,819 households out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.6% were non-families. 37.1% 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 2.13 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the city the population was spread out with 15.0% under the age of 18, 31.4% from 18 to 24, 17.8% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 81.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,485, and the median income for a family was $49,668. Males had a median income of $33,362 versus $22,399 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,351. About 2.7% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Decorah is part of the Decorah Community School District in Winneshiek County.
Notable natives and residents
References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "William H. Foege to receive Public Welfare Medal, Academy's highest honor". National Academy of Sciences. 26 January 2005. http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=01262005. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
External links
