Rockford, Iowa
Encyclopedia
Rockford is a city in Floyd County
, Iowa
, United States
, at the confluence of the Shell Rock
and Winnebago
Rivers. The population was 907 at the 2000 census.
in decimal form are 43.052833, -92.949203.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 907 people, 380 households, and 248 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,439.5 people per square mile (555.9/km²). There were 417 housing units at an average density of 661.8 per square mile (255.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.57% White, 0.33% African American, 0.11% Native American, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.33% of the population.
There were 380 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples
living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,143, and the median income for a family was $40,875. Males had a median income of $30,288 versus $20,417 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $15,455. About 8.0% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.3% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
Fossil and Prairie Park Center is a nature center
located just west of Rockford. Originally a clay pit for the now-defunct Rockford Brick and Tile Company, the Floyd County acquired the property in 1990 and it is currently open to the public as a County Park.
A great number of fossil marine species are present within the Devonian
strata of the Park, but the abundance of brachiopod
s is noteworthy. What makes this location special is that the calcareous ocean-bottom sediment
that was deposited here never turned to hard stone as it does almost everywhere else in the region. This allows the fossils to weather out as discrete, often complete museum-grade specimens. Also, this is one of the few geological preserves in the United States where admission is free and collecting fossils for private use is allowed.
Floyd County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 16,303 in the county, with a population density of . There were 7,526 housing units, of which 6,886 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...
, at the confluence of the Shell Rock
Shell Rock River
The Shell Rock River is a tributary of the Cedar River in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa in the United States. Via the Cedar and Iowa rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River. The United States Board on Geographic Names settled on "Shell Rock River" as the stream's name...
and Winnebago
Winnebago River
The Winnebago River is a river in northern Iowa. It is a tributary of the Shell Rock River, part of the Cedar River watershed that flows via the Iowa River to the Mississippi River. The Winnebago River rises in Winnebago County, Iowa north of Leland and flows south through Forest City, then east...
Rivers. The population was 907 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Rockford's longitude and latitude coordinatesin decimal form are 43.052833, -92.949203.
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 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.
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 907 people, 380 households, and 248 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 1,439.5 people per square mile (555.9/km²). There were 417 housing units at an average density of 661.8 per square mile (255.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.57% White, 0.33% African American, 0.11% Native American, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.33% of the population.
There were 380 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% 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, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,143, and the median income for a family was $40,875. Males had a median income of $30,288 versus $20,417 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 $15,455. About 8.0% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.3% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
Geology
Rockford is in close proximity to a world-class fossil collecting locale. The Floyd CountyFloyd County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 16,303 in the county, with a population density of . There were 7,526 housing units, of which 6,886 were occupied.-2000 census:...
Fossil and Prairie Park Center is a nature center
Nature center
A nature center is an organization with a visitor center or interpretive center designed to educate people about nature and the environment. Usually located within a protected open space, nature centers often have trails through their property. Some are located within a state or city park, and...
located just west of Rockford. Originally a clay pit for the now-defunct Rockford Brick and Tile Company, the Floyd County acquired the property in 1990 and it is currently open to the public as a County Park.
A great number of fossil marine species are present within the Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
strata of the Park, but the abundance of brachiopod
Brachiopod
Brachiopods are a phylum of marine animals that have hard "valves" on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs. Brachiopod valves are hinged at the rear end, while the front can be opened for feeding or closed for protection...
s is noteworthy. What makes this location special is that the calcareous ocean-bottom sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
that was deposited here never turned to hard stone as it does almost everywhere else in the region. This allows the fossils to weather out as discrete, often complete museum-grade specimens. Also, this is one of the few geological preserves in the United States where admission is free and collecting fossils for private use is allowed.
Notable people
- Jeremy DaviesJeremy DaviesFather Jeremy Davies , an English Roman Catholic priest whose parish is based around Old Hall Green, is a former doctor and also a leading exorcist....
, actor - FredFred DuesenbergFrederick Samuel Duesenberg was a German-born American automobile pioneer designer, manufacturer and sportsman.-Life:...
(1876–1932) and August DuesenbergAugust DuesenbergAugust Samuel Duesenberg was a German-American automobile pioneer manufacturer.-Biography:Duesenberg was born in Kirchheide, Lippe-Detmold. His large family emigrated to the United States when he was five, settling in Rockford, Iowa.In the 1890s, August Duesenberg started building and racing...
(1879–1955) automobile manufacturers - Robert James WallerRobert James WallerRobert James Waller is an American author, also known for his work as a photographer and musician.-Life:Waller received his B.A. and M.A. from University of Northern Iowa . He received his Ph.D...
(1939– ) Dean of the School of Business at University of Northern IowaUniversity of Northern IowaThe University of Northern Iowa is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has...
, author and photographer most notably the book The Bridges of Madison CountyThe Bridges of Madison CountyThe Bridges of Madison County is a 1992 best-selling novel by Robert James Waller which tells the story of a married but lonely Italian woman, living in 1960s Madison County, Iowa, who engages in an affair with a National Geographic photographer from Bellingham, Washington who is visiting Madison... - Petty Officer Jon T. Tumilson (1976-2011) Navy Seal died in Afghanistan
External links
- Rockford city website
- Rockford Public Library website
- Information on Rockford Fossil and Prairie Center
- City-Data Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Rockford