Muscatine, Iowa
Encyclopedia
Muscatine is a city in Muscatine County
, Iowa
, United States
. The population was 22,886 in the 2010 census, an increase from 22,697 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of Muscatine County
. The name Muscatine is unusual in that it is not used by any other city in the United States
.
Muscatine is the principal city of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area
(2000 census population 53,905), which includes all of Muscatine and Louisa
counties.
George Davenport
in 1833. Muscatine was incorporated as Bloomington in 1839; the name was changed to reduce mail delivery confusion, as there were several Bloomingtons in the Midwest. Before that, Muscatine had also been known as "Casey's Woodpile".
The name Muscatine is believed by some to have been named after the Mascouten
native American tribe. The Algonquian
-speaking Mascoutin were driven out of Michigan in approx 1642 by French and Natives, and they were believed to have been absorbed into the Meskwaki
(Fox
) and Sac
tribes by the early 18th century. In 1819 Muscatine Island was known as Mascoutin Island. An alternative theory is that the name is derived from a Siouan-language term meaning "Fire Island". Major William Williams, who was visiting when the town changed its name in 1849, wrote in his journal: "Muscatine in English is Fire Island," in his list of the meanings of Sioux Indian names.
Williams also wrote a brief description of the settlement:
From the 1840s to the Civil War
, Muscatine had Iowa's largest black community, consisting of fugitive slave
s from the South and free blacks who had migrated from the eastern states. One of the most prominent community leaders was Alexander Clark Sr., a Pennsylvania
native, barber
and eventually a wealthy timber salesman and real estate speculator. He was among the founders of the local AME Church, assisted fugitive slaves, and petitioned the state government to overturn racist laws before the war. In 1863, Clark helped organize Iowa's black regiment, the 60th United States Colored Infantry (originally known as the 1st Iowa Infantry, African Descent), though an injury prevented him from serving.
In 1868, he successfully desegregated Iowa's public schools by suing the Muscatine board after his daughter Susan was turned away from her neighborhood school. Eleven years later, his son Alexander Jr. became the first black graduate of the University of Iowa
College of Law, and its first black graduate from any department. Clark Sr. went to the college and became its second black graduate five years later, despite being 58 years old, saying that he wanted to serve “as an example to young men of his own race.” Clark rose to prominence in the Republican Party
, serving as a delegate to various state and national conventions.
In 1890, Clark was appointed ambassador to Liberia
by President Benjamin Harrison
. He was one of four Muscatine residents to be appointed as a diplomatic envoy between 1855 and 1900, a remarkable feat for a town of such small size: George Van Horne was consul at Marseilles, France
during the 1860s; Samuel McNutt served at Maracaibo
, Venezuela
in 1890; and Frank W. Mahin represented his country in Reichenberg
, Austria
in 1900.
Less than a year after arriving in Liberia, Clark died of fever. His body was returned to the US, where he was buried in Muscatine's Greenwood Cemetery. In 1975 the city moved his former house about 200 feet, to make room for a low-income apartment complex for senior citizens; the latter was named in his honor. The University of Iowa
's chapter of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) is named for the Clarks, as a testament to the accomplishments of father and son, and their places in the history of civil rights
in Iowa.
The writer Sam Clemens (better known by his pen-name Mark Twain
) lived in the city briefly during the summer of 1855 while working at the local newspaper, the Muscatine Journal, which was partly owned by his brother, Orion Clemens. He noted some recollections of Muscatine in his book Life on the Mississippi
:
In 1884 J.F. Boepple, a German immigrant, founded a pearl button
company. He produced buttons that looked like pearls by machine-punching them out of clam
shells harvested from the Mississippi River
. Muscatine's slogan, "Pearl of the Mississippi," refers to the days when pearl button manufacturing by the McKee Button Company was a significant economic contributor. In 1915, Weber & Sons Button Co., Inc. was the world's largest producer of fancy freshwater pearl buttons. From that time forward, Muscatine was known as "The Pearl Button Capital of the World". Weber is still manufacturing today, and celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2004. Muscatine is nearly as well known as the "Watermelon Capital of the World".
Muscatine was hit by an EF3 (Enhanced Fujita Scale 3
) tornado on June 1, 2007, which destroyed or damaged wide areas of the city.
, the city has a total area of 17.9 square miles (46.3 km²), of which, 16.8 square miles (43.6 km²) of it is land and 1.0 square miles (2.7 km²) of it (5.87%) is water.
Muscatine is primarily located on a series of bluffs and hills at a major west-south bend in the Mississippi River
. The river-bend gives the city roughly 260 degrees of riverfront. The "highland" area of the town is divided into three ridge-like hills by Papoose Creek and Madd Creek, each of which flow individually into the Mississippi in downtown Muscatine. The city's main roads follow these ridges and valleys in a spider-web-like fashion. Several large working-class neighborhoods and industrial sectors have been built on what is called "Muscatine Island". This flat, sandy expanse was largely underwater when a portion of the Mississippi River followed the course of the present-day Muscatine Slough. It is unclear when the river changed course. The hills, river, and island are all integral to the diversity of Muscatine's economy and housing sector. As the city's urbanized area develops, the areas of highest elevation in the "High Prairie" crescent (between the Cedar and Mississippi Rivers) are increasingly re-appropriated from agricultural land to suburban housing.
Positioned some 25 miles (30 minutes) from the Quad Cities, 38 miles (52 minutes) from Iowa City, IA and some 68 miles (75 minutes) from Cedar Rapids, IA, Muscatine is the smallest link in a non-contiguous populated area which surpassed 800,000 residents in the decade following the 2000 Census. The key feature of this region is that although the populated areas are non-contiguous, a high percentage of residents commute between the cities for work, particularly those in professional fields. Despite this relatively high regional density, Muscatine has maintained a small town-small city feel, remaining a family friendly community, while deferring to the larger cities around it for many commercial services and educational, medical and cultural advancements.
of 2000, there were 22,697 people, 8,923 households, and 6,040 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,348.1 people per square mile (520.4/km²). There were 9,375 housing units at an average density of 556.9 per square mile (214.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.40% White, 1.08% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.04% from other races
, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.30% of the population.
There were 8,923 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples
living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% 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 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,122, and the median income for a family was $45,366. Males had a median income of $36,440 versus $23,953 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $19,483. About 8.0% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
, Bridgestone Bandag, Heinz, Carver Pump, Monsanto, Muscatine Foods Corporation, Musco and The Stanley Group.
Headquartered in Muscatine, The HON Company
designs and manufactures office furniture including chairs, filing cabinet
s, workstations, tables
, desks and education furniture.
headed by a mayor
. The current mayor, Richard O'Brien, was first elected in 1993. The council consists of one representative from each of the city's five wards, plus two at-large representatives. The current city council members are, Philip Fitzgerald (Ward 1), Mark LeRette (Ward 2), Jerry Lange (Ward 3), Bob Bynum (Ward 4), Dyann Roby (Ward 5), Scott Natvig (At large), and Osama Shihadeh (At large).
is home to the Muscatine Muskies
. Muscatine Schools cover Muscatine, Fairport, and Montpelier, as well as rural areas of Letts, Fruitland, and Blue Grass.
Muscatine is home to Muscatine Community College
and the MCC Cardinals.
Print
The Muscatine Journal
newspaper circulates daily throughout the Muscatine area except on Sundays. It is commonly believed to have existed since 1840.
, which has been a long part of the city's history, and KMCS-FM, which has only been in the community since 1995. Cumulus Broadcasting's KBEA-FM
broadcasts from a tower near 10 Miles north of Muscatine.
Muscatine is located along two designated routes of Iowa's "Commercial-Industrial Network", U.S. Highway 61 and Iowa Highway 92. Highway 61 serves as a major agricultural-industry route to the south from Burlington, IA to Muscatine, where it becomes a heavy-industrial and major commuter route to the northeast between Muscatine and Davenport, IA. In conjunction with Iowa 92, which provides access to the Avenue of the Saints
(U.S. 218/IA 27) to the west and the lightly populated western Illinois via the Norbert Beckey Bridge to the east, Highway 61 serves as a shortcut for traffic from northeastern Missouri and southeastern Iowa en route to the Quad Cities
, Chicago, and points beyond. Several regional highway improvement projects are in the works to further establish and capitalize on this trade-route. Additionally, Muscatine is connected to Interstate 80
to the north by fifteen miles of Iowa Highway 38. Iowa Highway 22 also connects with U.S. 218/IA 27 to the west, and Davenport to the east.
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Muscatine County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 42,745 in the county, with a population density of . There were 17,910 housing units, of which 16,412 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 22,886 in the 2010 census, an increase from 22,697 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat
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 Muscatine County
Muscatine County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 42,745 in the county, with a population density of . There were 17,910 housing units, of which 16,412 were occupied.-2000 census:...
. The name Muscatine is unusual in that it is not used by any other city in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Muscatine is the principal city of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area
Muscatine micropolitan area
The Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in east central Iowa, anchored by the city of Muscatine....
(2000 census population 53,905), which includes all of Muscatine and Louisa
Louisa County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 11,387 in the county, with a population density of . There were 5,002 housing units, of which 4,346 were occupied.-2000 census:...
counties.
History
The European-American city of Muscatine began as a trading post founded by representatives of ColonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
George Davenport
George Davenport
Colonel George Davenport was a 19th-century American frontiersman, trader and US Army officer. A prominent and well-known settler in the Iowa Territory, he was one of the earliest settlers in Rock Island and spent much of his life involved in the early settlement of the Mississippi Valley and the...
in 1833. Muscatine was incorporated as Bloomington in 1839; the name was changed to reduce mail delivery confusion, as there were several Bloomingtons in the Midwest. Before that, Muscatine had also been known as "Casey's Woodpile".
The name Muscatine is believed by some to have been named after the Mascouten
Mascouten
The Mascouten were a tribe of Algonquian-speaking native Americans who are believed to have dwelt on both sides of the Mississippi River adjacent to the present-day Wisconsin-Illinois border....
native American tribe. The Algonquian
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
-speaking Mascoutin were driven out of Michigan in approx 1642 by French and Natives, and they were believed to have been absorbed into the Meskwaki
Meskwaki
The Meskwaki are a Native American people often known to outsiders as the Fox tribe. They have often been closely linked to the Sauk people. In their own language, the Meskwaki call themselves Meshkwahkihaki, which means "the Red-Earths." Historically their homelands were in the Great Lakes region...
(Fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
) and Sac
Sac
Sač is a large metal lid like a shallow bell with which dough for bread or meat to be baked are covered, and over which ashes and live coals are put...
tribes by the early 18th century. In 1819 Muscatine Island was known as Mascoutin Island. An alternative theory is that the name is derived from a Siouan-language term meaning "Fire Island". Major William Williams, who was visiting when the town changed its name in 1849, wrote in his journal: "Muscatine in English is Fire Island," in his list of the meanings of Sioux Indian names.
Williams also wrote a brief description of the settlement:
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Muscatine had Iowa's largest black community, consisting of fugitive slave
History of slavery in the United States
Slavery in the United States was a form of slave labor which existed as a legal institution in North America for more than a century before the founding of the United States in 1776, and continued mostly in the South until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in...
s from the South and free blacks who had migrated from the eastern states. One of the most prominent community leaders was Alexander Clark Sr., a Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
native, barber
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
and eventually a wealthy timber salesman and real estate speculator. He was among the founders of the local AME Church, assisted fugitive slaves, and petitioned the state government to overturn racist laws before the war. In 1863, Clark helped organize Iowa's black regiment, the 60th United States Colored Infantry (originally known as the 1st Iowa Infantry, African Descent), though an injury prevented him from serving.
In 1868, he successfully desegregated Iowa's public schools by suing the Muscatine board after his daughter Susan was turned away from her neighborhood school. Eleven years later, his son Alexander Jr. became the first black graduate of the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
College of Law, and its first black graduate from any department. Clark Sr. went to the college and became its second black graduate five years later, despite being 58 years old, saying that he wanted to serve “as an example to young men of his own race.” Clark rose to prominence in the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, serving as a delegate to various state and national conventions.
In 1890, Clark was appointed ambassador to Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
by President Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
. He was one of four Muscatine residents to be appointed as a diplomatic envoy between 1855 and 1900, a remarkable feat for a town of such small size: George Van Horne was consul at Marseilles, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
during the 1860s; Samuel McNutt served at Maracaibo
Maracaibo
Maracaibo is a city and municipality located in northwestern Venezuela off the western coast of the Lake Maracaibo. It is the second-largest city in the country after the national capital Caracas and the capital of Zulia state...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
in 1890; and Frank W. Mahin represented his country in Reichenberg
Reichenberg
Reichenberg may refer to the following places:*Reichenberg, the German name for Liberec, a town in the Czech Republic*Reichenberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany*Reichenberg, Bavaria, a municipality in Bavaria, Germany...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in 1900.
Less than a year after arriving in Liberia, Clark died of fever. His body was returned to the US, where he was buried in Muscatine's Greenwood Cemetery. In 1975 the city moved his former house about 200 feet, to make room for a low-income apartment complex for senior citizens; the latter was named in his honor. The University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
's chapter of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) is named for the Clarks, as a testament to the accomplishments of father and son, and their places in the history of civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
in Iowa.
The writer Sam Clemens (better known by his pen-name Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
) lived in the city briefly during the summer of 1855 while working at the local newspaper, the Muscatine Journal, which was partly owned by his brother, Orion Clemens. He noted some recollections of Muscatine in his book Life on the Mississippi
Life on the Mississippi
Life on the Mississippi is a memoir by Mark Twain, of his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War, and also a travel book, recounting his trip along the Mississippi many years after the War....
:
Button
In modern clothing and fashion design, a button is a small fastener, most commonly made of plastic, but also frequently of seashell, which secures two pieces of fabric together. In archaeology, a button can be a significant artifact. In the applied arts and in craft, a button can be an example of...
company. He produced buttons that looked like pearls by machine-punching them out of clam
Clam
The word "clam" can be applied to freshwater mussels, and other freshwater bivalves, as well as marine bivalves.In the United States, "clam" can be used in several different ways: one, as a general term covering all bivalve molluscs...
shells harvested from the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. Muscatine's slogan, "Pearl of the Mississippi," refers to the days when pearl button manufacturing by the McKee Button Company was a significant economic contributor. In 1915, Weber & Sons Button Co., Inc. was the world's largest producer of fancy freshwater pearl buttons. From that time forward, Muscatine was known as "The Pearl Button Capital of the World". Weber is still manufacturing today, and celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2004. Muscatine is nearly as well known as the "Watermelon Capital of the World".
Muscatine was hit by an EF3 (Enhanced Fujita Scale 3
Enhanced Fujita Scale
The Enhanced Fujita Scale rates the strength of tornadoes in the United States based on the damage they cause.Implemented in place of the Fujita scale introduced in 1971 by Ted Fujita, it began operational use on February 1, 2007. The scale has the same basic design as the original Fujita scale:...
) tornado on June 1, 2007, which destroyed or damaged wide areas of the city.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 17.9 square miles (46.3 km²), of which, 16.8 square miles (43.6 km²) of it is land and 1.0 square miles (2.7 km²) of it (5.87%) is water.
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. The river-bend gives the city roughly 260 degrees of riverfront. The "highland" area of the town is divided into three ridge-like hills by Papoose Creek and Madd Creek, each of which flow individually into the Mississippi in downtown Muscatine. The city's main roads follow these ridges and valleys in a spider-web-like fashion. Several large working-class neighborhoods and industrial sectors have been built on what is called "Muscatine Island". This flat, sandy expanse was largely underwater when a portion of the Mississippi River followed the course of the present-day Muscatine Slough. It is unclear when the river changed course. The hills, river, and island are all integral to the diversity of Muscatine's economy and housing sector. As the city's urbanized area develops, the areas of highest elevation in the "High Prairie" crescent (between the Cedar and Mississippi Rivers) are increasingly re-appropriated from agricultural land to suburban housing.
Positioned some 25 miles (30 minutes) from the Quad Cities, 38 miles (52 minutes) from Iowa City, IA and some 68 miles (75 minutes) from Cedar Rapids, IA, Muscatine is the smallest link in a non-contiguous populated area which surpassed 800,000 residents in the decade following the 2000 Census. The key feature of this region is that although the populated areas are non-contiguous, a high percentage of residents commute between the cities for work, particularly those in professional fields. Despite this relatively high regional density, Muscatine has maintained a small town-small city feel, remaining a family friendly community, while deferring to the larger cities around it for many commercial services and educational, medical and cultural advancements.
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 22,697 people, 8,923 households, and 6,040 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 1,348.1 people per square mile (520.4/km²). There were 9,375 housing units at an average density of 556.9 per square mile (214.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.40% White, 1.08% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.04% 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 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.30% of the population.
There were 8,923 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% 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, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% 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 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,122, and the median income for a family was $45,366. Males had a median income of $36,440 versus $23,953 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 $19,483. About 8.0% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Companies in Muscatine include HNI CorporationHNI Corporation
HNI Corporation is the second-largest office furniture manufacturer in the world, with its headquarters in Muscatine, Iowa U.S.AHNI is the leading gas and wood burning fireplace manufacturer and marketer in the United States....
, Bridgestone Bandag, Heinz, Carver Pump, Monsanto, Muscatine Foods Corporation, Musco and The Stanley Group.
Headquartered in Muscatine, The HON Company
The HON Company
The HON Company designs and manufactures office furniture including chairs, filing cabinets, workstations, tables, desks and education furniture...
designs and manufactures office furniture including chairs, filing cabinet
Filing cabinet
A filing cabinet is a piece of office furniture usually used to store paper documents in file folders. In the most simple sense, it is an enclosure for drawers in which items are stored. The two most common forms of filing cabinets are blocky files and diagonal files...
s, workstations, tables
Table (furniture)
A table is a form of furniture with a flat and satisfactory horizontal upper surface used to support objects of interest, for storage, show, and/or manipulation...
, desks and education furniture.
Points of interest
- Riverfront (which includes the Pearl City Station, Riverview Center, and "Mississippi Harvest" sculpture by Erik Blome)
- Mark Twain Scenic Overlook
- Kent Stein Park (which includes historic Tom Bruner Field)
- Weed Park and Aquatic Center
- Muscatine Community Stadium and the nearby Pearl City Rugby field
- Muscatine History and Industry Center
- Muscatine Art Center, including Musser Mansion and the Stanley Gallery
- Weed Mansion, Alexander G. Clark House, and many other historic homes dating back to the mid-19th century
- Two historic districts (Downtown and West Hill)National Register of Historic Places listings in Muscatine County, IowaThis is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Muscatine County, Iowa.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States...
are listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... - Discovery Park and Learning Center
- W. Joseph Fuller House
- St. Mathias Catholic
- Sinnett Octagon HouseSinnett Octagon HouseThe Sinnett Octagon House built in 1855 is an historic octagonal house in Muscatine, Iowa. The two-story brick home with wrap-around porch and windowed cupola is now used as an office building....
- Pearl Button Museum
Government
Muscatine is governed by a seven-member city councilCity council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
headed by a mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
. The current mayor, Richard O'Brien, was first elected in 1993. The council consists of one representative from each of the city's five wards, plus two at-large representatives. The current city council members are, Philip Fitzgerald (Ward 1), Mark LeRette (Ward 2), Jerry Lange (Ward 3), Bob Bynum (Ward 4), Dyann Roby (Ward 5), Scott Natvig (At large), and Osama Shihadeh (At large).
Education
Muscatine Community School DistrictMuscatine Community School District
The Muscatine community School District is located in Muscatine, Iowa. It also includes the Towns of Fairport and Montpelier, as well as Rural Areas of Letts and Blue Grass....
is home to the Muscatine Muskies
Muscatine High School
Muscatine High School is a four-year comprehensive high school located in Muscatine, Iowa. The school is part of the Muscatine Community School District, and has an enrollment of approximately 1,700 students in grades nine through twelve....
. Muscatine Schools cover Muscatine, Fairport, and Montpelier, as well as rural areas of Letts, Fruitland, and Blue Grass.
Muscatine is home to Muscatine Community College
Muscatine Community College
Muscatine Community College is a two-year college located in Muscatine, Iowa. Founded in 1929, MCC is the oldest college in the Eastern Iowa Community College District that also includes Clinton Community College and Scott Community College....
and the MCC Cardinals.
Muscatine Journal
The Muscatine Journal serves 25,000 adult readers in Muscatine and Louisa counties and is delivered to nearly 8,200 homes Monday through Saturday. The Post, its sister shopper publication, is delivered every Tuesday to nearly 16,000 households. Both publications are part of the Quad-Cities Group of...
newspaper circulates daily throughout the Muscatine area except on Sundays. It is commonly believed to have existed since 1840.
Radio
Prairie Radio Communications, a midwestern broadcasting company, has two radio stations in Muscatine. KWPC-AMKWPC
KWPC is a commercial radio station serving the Muscatine, Iowa area. The station broadcasts an Oldies format and also provides regular news, weather and sports coverage...
, which has been a long part of the city's history, and KMCS-FM, which has only been in the community since 1995. Cumulus Broadcasting's KBEA-FM
KBEA-FM
KBEA-FM is a radio station licensed to Muscatine, Iowa, whose format is Top 40. The station broadcasts at a power of 100 kW....
broadcasts from a tower near 10 Miles north of Muscatine.
Transportation
Muscatine is located along two designated routes of Iowa's "Commercial-Industrial Network", U.S. Highway 61 and Iowa Highway 92. Highway 61 serves as a major agricultural-industry route to the south from Burlington, IA to Muscatine, where it becomes a heavy-industrial and major commuter route to the northeast between Muscatine and Davenport, IA. In conjunction with Iowa 92, which provides access to the Avenue of the Saints
Avenue of the Saints
The Avenue of the Saints is a highway in the Midwestern United States that connects St. Paul, Minnesota, and St. Louis, Missouri.-Missouri:Within Missouri, the Avenue of the Saints is Interstate 64, U.S...
(U.S. 218/IA 27) to the west and the lightly populated western Illinois via the Norbert Beckey Bridge to the east, Highway 61 serves as a shortcut for traffic from northeastern Missouri and southeastern Iowa en route to the Quad Cities
Quad Cities
The Quad Cities is a group of five cities straddling the Mississippi River on the Iowa–Illinois boundary. These cities, Davenport and Bettendorf and Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline , are the center of the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area, which, as of 2010, had an estimated population of...
, Chicago, and points beyond. Several regional highway improvement projects are in the works to further establish and capitalize on this trade-route. Additionally, Muscatine is connected to Interstate 80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
to the north by fifteen miles of Iowa Highway 38. Iowa Highway 22 also connects with U.S. 218/IA 27 to the west, and Davenport to the east.
Notable people
- Lee AllenLee AllenLee Allen may refer to:*Lee Allen , wrestler and coach*Lee Allen , baseball historian*Lee Allen , saxophone player*Lee Allen , American artist and ocularist...
, medical illustratorMedical illustratorA medical illustrator is a professional artist who interprets and creates visual material to help record and disseminate medical, biological and related knowledge. Medical illustrators not only produce such material but can also function as consultants and administrators within the field of... - Norman G. Baker (1882–1958) Invented the Calliaphone, Established the Know the Naked Truth (KTNT) a border blasterBorder blasterA border blaster is a licensed commercial radio station that transmits at very high power from one nation to another. Border blasters should not be confused with international broadcast stations...
radio station - Ben BarkemaBen BarkemaBen Barkema is a Tight end for the Cleveland Browns. He played college football at Iowa State and was selected as an undrafted free agent by the Browns after the 2008 NFL draft.- References :*...
, Tight EndTight endThe tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
for the Cleveland BrownsCleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Barkema graduated in 2004 from Muscatine High SchoolMuscatine High SchoolMuscatine High School is a four-year comprehensive high school located in Muscatine, Iowa. The school is part of the Muscatine Community School District, and has an enrollment of approximately 1,700 students in grades nine through twelve....
. He then played for the Iowa State CyclonesIowa State CyclonesThe Iowa State Cyclones are the athletic teams of Iowa State University. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams in 12 sports.*Men's sports...
. - Terry BeattyTerry BeattyTerry Beatty is an artist who has worked as a penciler and inker in the comic book industry.-Career:Beatty is the artist and co-creator of the long-running private eye series, Ms. Tree...
, artist who has worked as a penciler and inker in the comic bookComic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
industry. - Ellis Parker ButlerEllis Parker ButlerEllis Parker Butler was an American author.Butler was born in Muscatine, Iowa. He was the author of more than 30 books and more than 2,000 stories and essays and is most famous for his short story "Pigs is Pigs", in which a bureaucratic stationmaster insists on levying the livestock rate for a...
, author - Alexander ClarkAlexander ClarkAlexander Clark was an African-American diplomat who served as United States Ambassador to Liberia. He was born in 1826 in Pennsylvania to parents who had been freed from slavery...
, an African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to LiberiaUnited States Ambassador to LiberiaThis is a record of Ambassadors of the United States to Liberia.Liberia, as a nation, had its beginnings in 1821 when groups of free blacks from the United States emigrated from the U.S. and began establishing colonies on the coast under the direction of the American Colonization Society...
. - C. Maxwell StanleyC. Maxwell StanleyClaude Maxwell "Max" Stanley was an American engineer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, peace activist, and world citizen. He founded Stanley Consultants, an engineering and consulting firm; co-founded HON Industries, an office furniture manufacturing company; and funded the Stanley Foundation, an...
, engineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
, entrepreneurEntrepreneurAn entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, philanthropistPhilanthropistA philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, founder of Stanley ConsultantsStanley ConsultantsStanley Consultants, Inc. is an American-based international engineering, construction, and environmental engineering services company with its headquarters in Muscatine, Iowa, U.S.A.. Stanley also has offices in 17 other locations in the U.S. and 10 countries...
, co-founder of HON IndustriesHNI CorporationHNI Corporation is the second-largest office furniture manufacturer in the world, with its headquarters in Muscatine, Iowa U.S.AHNI is the leading gas and wood burning fireplace manufacturer and marketer in the United States....
, and delegate to the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. - Max Allan CollinsMax Allan CollinsMax Allan Collins is an American mystery writer. He has written novels, screenplays, comic books, comic strips, trading cards, short stories, movie novelizations and historical fiction. He wrote the graphic novel Road to Perdition , created the comic book private eye Ms...
, author of screenplay of the movie Mommy, which was filmed in Muscatine's Wood Creek neighborhood in 1995. Also author of the graphic novelGraphic novelA graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
Road to PerditionRoad to PerditionRoad to Perdition is a 2002 American crime film directed by Sam Mendes. The screenplay was adapted by David Self, from the graphic novel of the same name by Max Allan Collins. The film stars Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, and Daniel Craig...
, which became a screenplay and was filmed in 2002, starring Tom HanksTom HanksThomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
and Jude LawJude LawDavid Jude Heyworth Law , known professionally as Jude Law, is an English actor, film producer and director.He began acting with the National Youth Music Theatre in 1987, and had his first television role in 1989...
. - Al GouldAl GouldAlbert Frank "Al" Gould , also known as "Pudgy", was an American Major League Baseball player who pitched two seasons for the Cleveland Indians of the American League...
, Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player for the Cleveland IndiansCleveland IndiansThe Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona... - Scot HalpinScot HalpinThomas Scot Halpin was an artist and musician noted for sitting in for The Who's Keith Moon during a rock concert at the Cow Palace in San Francisco...
, fan who filled in for drums with the Who when Keith MoonKeith MoonKeith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
collapsed during a performance at the Cow PalaceCow PalaceCow Palace is an indoor arena, in Daly City, California, situated on the city's border with neighboring San Francisco, notable as a sporting arena.-History:...
in San Francisco in 1973. - Jim Yong Kim (1959– ) President of Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth CollegeDartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, Co-founder and Executive Director of Partners In HealthPartners In HealthPartners In Health is a Boston, Massachusetts-based non-profit health care organization dedicated to providing a "preferential option for the poor". It was founded in 1987 by Dr. Paul Farmer, Ophelia Dahl, Thomas J. White, Todd McCormack, and Dr... - Ralph P. LoweRalph P. LoweRalph Phillips Lowe was the fourth Governor of Iowa.-Biography:Lowe was born in Warren County, Ohio. He settled in the town of Muscatine, and was selected as a representative to the Iowa state constitutional convention in 1844. He moved to Lee County at the end of the 1840s, and became the...
, fourth Governor of Iowa - Emmett LynnEmmett LynnEmmett Lynn was an American film actor. He appeared in over 140 films between 1940 and 1956.He was born in Muscatine, Iowa, and died in Hollywood, California from a heart attack.-Selected filmography:...
, actor - James Bradley OrmanJames Bradley OrmanJames Bradley Orman was an American politician and railroad builder. He served as the 12th Governor of Colorado from 1901 to 1903. He was a Democrat....
, former Governor of ColoradoGovernor of ColoradoThe Governor of Colorado is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Colorado General Assembly, to convene the... - Dame Margherita Roberti, internationally famous operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer who spent much of her childhood in Muscatine, including graduating from Muscatine High School. In 1970 she was knighted by the ItalianItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
government. - Phil VischerPhil VischerPhillip "Phil" Vischer is an American voice actor, animator, director, writer and puppeteer known for creating the computer-animated video series VeggieTales with partner and friend Mike Nawrocki...
, founder of the Christian series VeggieTalesVeggieTalesVeggieTales is an American series of children's computer animated films featuring anthropomorphic vegetables in stories conveying moral themes based on Christianity...
Sister cities
Crespo, ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
(emeritus) Drohobych
Drohobych
Drohobych is a city located at the confluence of the Tysmenytsia River and Seret, a tributary of the former, in the Lviv Oblast , in western Ukraine...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
Ichikawadaimon
Ichikawadaimon, Yamanashi
was a town located in Nishiyatsushiro District, Yamanashi, Japan.On October 1, 2005 Ichikawadaimon was merged with the towns of Mitama and Rokugō to form the new town of Ichikawamisato....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
Kislovodsk
Kislovodsk
Kislovodsk is a city in Stavropol Krai, Russia, which lies in the North Caucasian region of the country, between the Black and Caspian Seas. The closest airport is located in the city of Mineralnye Vody. Population:...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
Łomża, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Ludwigslust
Ludwigslust
Ludwigslust is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, 40 km south of Schwerin. It was the capital of the former district of Ludwigslust, and is part of the district Ludwigslust-Parchim since September 2011.-History:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Paraná, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
(emeritus) Paysandú
Paysandú
-Transportation:The city is served by Tydeo Larre Borges International Airport.-Climate:Paysandú has a humid subtropical climate, described by the Köppen climate classification as Cfa. Summers are warm to hot and winters are cool, with the occurrence of frosts and fog...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
(emeritus) Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
External links
- Official website of the City of Muscatine
- Muscatine Chamber of Commerce
- City Data Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Muscatine, Iowa