Algona, Iowa
Encyclopedia
Algona is a city in and the county seat
of Kossuth County
, Iowa
, United States
. The population was 5,741 at the 2000 census
. Ambrose A. Call State Park
is located two miles southwest of the city.
Between 1869 and 1875 the community was the location of Algona College
, an institution sponsored by the Methodist Church.
In 1894, Algona, along with other Iowa communities such as Dysart
and Wesley
, became part of the project known as the "Orphan Train
s". As New York City
saw booming immigration, it also inevitably saw a rise in the number of orphans in its asylums. Unable to provide adequate care for them, it saw fit to ship nearly 100,000 westward to start a new life with families across America. Algona itself welcomed nearly 100 orphans into the town, many of whom remained lifelong residents.
From 1902 to 1903, Algona played host to the Algona Brownies
, a Negro League barnstorming team. Despite winning the league title in 1903, the team disbanded that same year.
The Henry Adams Building
, designed by Louis Sullivan
in 1913 is located at the northwest corner of East State and Moore streets. Although not designed to be a bank, the building is nonetheless considered to be one of Sullivan's "Jewell Boxes," a series of banks built in the Midwest from 1909 through 1919.
Algona was the site of a German prisoner of war
camp during World War II
. From 1943 to 1946 Camp Algona housed nearly 10,000 prisoners, many of whom were put to work on farms owned by Americans who were fighting overseas. A museum now commemorates the camp's history and features a nativity scene built by the POWs.
A destructive F3 tornado
killed two people and destroyed a large part of Algona on June 28, 1979 about 7:15 PM. The tornado moved in a south-southeast direction through Algona. Severe damage was done to the central business district and a number of homes were rendered uninhabitable. Near F4 damage was reported in some locations. There was about 15 minutes warning and the tornado sirens were sounded well before the arrival of the tornado. The fact that it was still daylight also contributed to the relatively low death count from this destructive storm.
In 2003, Algona drew national attention when it announced the purchase of the world's largest Cheeto. It was meant as a plan to bring tourism to the town to see the Cheeto by a local radio DJ.
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²), of which 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) (0.44%) is water.
of 2000, there were 5,741 people, 2,434 households, and 1,550 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,279.4 people per square mile (493.7/km²). There were 2,640 housing units at an average density of 588.3 per square mile (227.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.38% White, 0.09% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races
, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population.
There were 2,434 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples
living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,207, and the median income for a family was $41,210. Males had a median income of $31,504 versus $20,667 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,979. About 7.9% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
(named after the first bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sioux City) and Seton Elementary (named for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
).
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Kossuth County
Kossuth County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 15,543 in the county, with a population density of . There were 7,486 housing units, of which 6,697 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 5,741 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. Ambrose A. Call State Park
Ambrose A. Call State Park
Ambrose A. Call State Park is a state park of Iowa, USA, that commemorates the first settler in Kossuth County. The park preserves rugged hills of old-growth forest on the East Fork of the Des Moines River.-History:...
is located two miles southwest of the city.
History
Algona was founded in 1854 by two brothers, Ambrose and Asa Call, who named the city after the native word for "Algonquin waters".Between 1869 and 1875 the community was the location of Algona College
Algona College
Algona College an American institution of higher education operated in the city of Algona, in Kossuth County, Iowa, between 1869 and 1875. The college was associated with the Methodist Episcopal Church. Iowa historian and author, Harvey Ingham, wrote a history of the college in 1925 and reported...
, an institution sponsored by the Methodist Church.
In 1894, Algona, along with other Iowa communities such as Dysart
Dysart, Iowa
Dysart is a city in Tama County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,303 at the 2000 census. The Mayor of Dysart is currently Don E. Lyons.-Geography:Dysart is located at ....
and Wesley
Wesley, Iowa
Wesley is a city in Kossuth County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 467.-Geography:Wesley is located at ....
, became part of the project known as the "Orphan Train
Orphan Train
The Orphan Train was a social experiment that transported children from crowded coastal cities of the United States to the country's Midwest for adoption. The orphan trains ran between 1854 and 1929, relocating an estimated 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children...
s". As New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
saw booming immigration, it also inevitably saw a rise in the number of orphans in its asylums. Unable to provide adequate care for them, it saw fit to ship nearly 100,000 westward to start a new life with families across America. Algona itself welcomed nearly 100 orphans into the town, many of whom remained lifelong residents.
From 1902 to 1903, Algona played host to the Algona Brownies
Algona Brownies
The Algona Brownies were an independent interracial baseball team that played in the 1902 and 1903 seasons. They were based in Algona, Iowa, and was primarily made up of former members of the Chicago Unions, Columbia Giants, and Chicago Union Giants teams...
, a Negro League barnstorming team. Despite winning the league title in 1903, the team disbanded that same year.
The Henry Adams Building
Henry Adams Building
The Henry Adams Building , located in Algona, Iowa, was designed by Louis Sullivan in 1912....
, designed by Louis Sullivan
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henri Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism" He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an...
in 1913 is located at the northwest corner of East State and Moore streets. Although not designed to be a bank, the building is nonetheless considered to be one of Sullivan's "Jewell Boxes," a series of banks built in the Midwest from 1909 through 1919.
Algona was the site of a German prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camp during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. From 1943 to 1946 Camp Algona housed nearly 10,000 prisoners, many of whom were put to work on farms owned by Americans who were fighting overseas. A museum now commemorates the camp's history and features a nativity scene built by the POWs.
A destructive F3 tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
killed two people and destroyed a large part of Algona on June 28, 1979 about 7:15 PM. The tornado moved in a south-southeast direction through Algona. Severe damage was done to the central business district and a number of homes were rendered uninhabitable. Near F4 damage was reported in some locations. There was about 15 minutes warning and the tornado sirens were sounded well before the arrival of the tornado. The fact that it was still daylight also contributed to the relatively low death count from this destructive storm.
In 2003, Algona drew national attention when it announced the purchase of the world's largest Cheeto. It was meant as a plan to bring tourism to the town to see the Cheeto by a local radio DJ.
Geography
Algona is located at 43°4′13"N 94°13′47"W (43.070274, -94.229726) along the East Fork Des Moines RiverDes Moines River
The Des Moines River is a tributary river of the Mississippi River, approximately long to its farther headwaters, in the upper Midwestern United States...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²), of which 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) (0.44%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 5,741 people, 2,434 households, and 1,550 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,279.4 people per square mile (493.7/km²). There were 2,640 housing units at an average density of 588.3 per square mile (227.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.38% White, 0.09% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population.
There were 2,434 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,207, and the median income for a family was $41,210. Males had a median income of $31,504 versus $20,667 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,979. About 7.9% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
There are two school systems in Algona. The Algona Community School District oversees the public school system. Algona High School has students from Algona Middle School, as well as open-enrolled students from several nearby towns. The public elementary schools in Algona are Lucia Wallace Elementary, Bryant Elementary, and Bertha Godfrey Elementary School. The Catholic school system is made up of Bishop Garrigan High SchoolBishop Garrigan High School
Bishop Garrigan High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Algona, Iowa. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City.-Background:...
(named after the first bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sioux City) and Seton Elementary (named for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Elizabeth Ann Seton
Saint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was the first native-born citizen of the United States to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church . She established Catholic communities in Emmitsburg, Maryland....
).
Notable people
- Paul Bell - politician
- Dick DaleDick Dale (singer)Dick Dale is an American singer and musician, best known as a featured singer and saxophone player on the TV variety show The Lawrence Welk Show....
— former singer on the Lawrence WelkLawrence WelkLawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
show - Lester Dickinson — U.S. RepresentativeUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and U.S. SenatorUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Iowa - Denis MenkeDenis MenkeDenis John Menke is a former professional baseball infielder. He played all or part of thirteen seasons in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1974. He played for the Milwaukee Braves , Atlanta Braves , Houston Astros and Cincinnati Reds , all of the National League...
— Major League baseball player and coach - Brad NelsonBrad NelsonBradley John Nelson is a Minor League Baseball player who is currently in the Texas Rangers organization. He has played primarily first base and outfield. When he is not playing defensively he also serves as a designated hitter.-High school:Nelson played high school baseball at Bishop Garrigan...
— Minor League baseball player - J.L. Wilkinson - Owner of Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Baseball League
External links
- Official site
- City-Data Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Algona