Allamakee County, Iowa

Allamakee County, Iowa
Allamakee County Court House
Location in the state of Iowa
Iowa's location in the U.S.
Founded	1847
Seat	Waukon
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	658.71 sq mi (1,706 km²) 639.56 sq mi (1,656 km²) 19.14 sq mi (50 km²), 2.91%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	14,330 22.4/sq mi (8.6/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.allamakee.ia.us
Footnotes: Population [1]

Allamakee County (pronounced AL-uh-muh-KEY) is the northeastern-most county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 14,330 in the 2010 census, a decline from 14,675 in 2000.^[1][2] Its county seat is Waukon.^[3]

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 658.71 square miles (1,706.1 km²), of which 639.56 square miles (1,656.5 km²) (or 97.09%) is land and 19.14 square miles (49.6 km²) (or 2.91%) is water.^[4]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

• Houston County, Minnesota (north)
• Vernon County, Wisconsin (northeast)
• Crawford County, Wisconsin (east)
• Clayton County (south)
• Winneshiek County (west)
• Fayette County (southwest)

History

Allamakee County was formed on February 20, 1847 from free territory. The first Allamakee County Courthouse, built in 1861, now serves as the Allamakee County Historical Museum. The present Allamakee County Court House was built in 1940. Both courthouse buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[5]

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 14,330 in the county, with a population density of 22.39/sq mi (8.65/km²). There were 7,617 housing units, of which 5,845 were occupied.^[1]

2000 census

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Allamakee County.

As of the census^[6] of 2000, there were 14,675 people, 5,722 households, and 3,931 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 7,142 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.88% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.82% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 3.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,722 households out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were married couples living together, 6.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 27.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.40% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 25.60% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 18.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 100.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,967, and the median income for a family was $40,589. Males had a median income of $26,122 versus $19,098 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,599. About 6.40% of families and 9.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.80% of those under age 18 and 8.10% of those age 65 or over.

Notable sites

View of the Mississippi from
Effigy Mounds National Monument

• Effigy Mounds National Monument is found in the southeast corner of the county.
• Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge encompasses the River.
• Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge, a collection of small, non-contiguous parcels harboring two endangered species.
• Yellow River State Forest is a four-season state park.

Hydrology and Geology

In the northern part of the county is the Upper Iowa River. In the southern part is the Yellow River. The eastern boundary is the Mississippi River. All offer scenic and recreational opportunities, particularly in Yellow River State Forest.

French Creek flows north of Waukon, outside the city limits. Paint Creek, named after Paint Rock Bluff, flows out of the south of Waukon. Norfolk creek originates in the western outskirts of Waukon and is effluent to the Yellow River. Clear Creek flows into Lansing. Village Creek flows through essentially rural terrain. All are tributary to the Mississippi River.

The landforms encountered in the county are very unlike those found in most of Iowa, which is on the whole is absent Glacial Drift. As part of the Driftless Area, the county was ice free during the last ice age, and as one progresses to the Mississippi River, the streams and rivers display high-walled canyons carved of Silurian period bedrock. This Driftless Area also includes parts of Clayton, Fayette, Winneshiek, Howard, Dubuque, and Jackson Counties.^[7]

Communities

Cities

Townships

Allamakee County is divided into eighteen townships:

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Local newspapers

• The Waukon Standard
• The Postville Herald-Leader

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Allamakee County, Iowa
• The Allamakee County Court House Article
• The former Allamakee County Courthouse now a museum

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Allamakee County, Iowa

Iowa portal

• Allamakee County Information
• Allamakee County Official Site
• Allamakee County Map
• Allamakee County Health and Demographic Data
• Waukon Standard (Newspaper)
• KNEI/KHPP Radio
• Allamakee County History Website

		Houston County, Minnesota	Vernon County, Wisconsin
	Winneshiek County		Crawford County, Wisconsin
		Allamakee County, Iowa
	Fayette County	Clayton County

v d e Municipalities and communities of Allamakee County, Iowa, United States County seat: Waukon Cities Harpers Ferry Lansing New Albin Postville‡ Waterville Waukon Townships Center Fairview Franklin French Creek Hanover Iowa Jefferson Lafayette Lansing Linton Ludlow Makee Paint Creek Post Taylor Union City Union Prairie Waterloo Unincorporated community Dorchester Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v d e  State of Iowa Des Moines (capital) Topics Index Geology Environment Archaeology Native Americans History Historic Places Iowans Visitor Attractions State Parks Delegations Demographics Governors Legislature Flag Seal Education Sports Area codes Regions Coteau des Prairies Des Moines metropolitan area Dissected Till Plains Driftless Area Great River Road Honey Lands Iowa Great Lakes Loess Hills Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area Quad Cities Siouxland Largest cities Ames Ankeny Bettendorf Burlington Cedar Falls Cedar Rapids Clinton Council Bluffs Davenport Des Moines Dubuque Fort Dodge Iowa City Marion Marshalltown Mason City Muscatine Ottumwa Sioux City Urbandale Waterloo West Des Moines Counties Adair Adams Allamakee Appanoose Audubon Benton Black Hawk Boone Bremer Buchanan Buena Vista Butler Calhoun Carroll Cass Cedar Cerro Gordo Cherokee Chickasaw Clarke Clay Clayton Clinton Crawford Dallas Davis Decatur Delaware Des Moines Dickinson Dubuque Emmet Fayette Floyd Franklin Fremont Greene Grundy Guthrie Hamilton Hancock Hardin Harrison Henry Howard Humboldt Ida Iowa Jackson Jasper Jefferson Johnson Jones Keokuk Kossuth Lee Linn Louisa Lucas Lyon Madison Mahaska Marion Marshall Mills Mitchell Monona Monroe Montgomery Muscatine O'Brien Osceola Page Palo Alto Plymouth Pocahontas Polk Pottawattamie Poweshiek Ringgold Sac Scott Shelby Sioux Story Tama Taylor Union Van Buren Wapello Warren Washington Wayne Webster Winnebago Winneshiek Woodbury Worth Wright

Coordinates: 43°17′12″N 91°22′27″W / 43.28667°N 91.37417°W / 43.28667; -91.37417