Whitten, Iowa
Encyclopedia
Whitten is a city in Hardin County
Hardin County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 17,534 in the county, with a population density of . There were 8,224 housing units, of which 7,296 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 160 at the 2000 census.

History

C.C. Whitten, an official for the Northwestern Railway System, bought 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of land to establish a town in 1880. Whitten was incorporated in 1882 with a population of 350. By 1914, Whitten was proud of its church membership of 170, its schools, three general stores, a blacksmith shop, restaurant, bank, produce house, implement store, and two doctors. In fact, Whitten was never without a doctor until 1973 when Dr. George Blaha died after serving the community for 60 years.

In the early 20th century, the city experienced several devastating fires which destroyed much of the town. The city rebuilt very little. Today, Whitten is one of many small Iowa towns struggling to survive.

In the 1980s, Whitten saw a brief growth spurt due in part by the consolidation of the school with Conrad
Conrad, Iowa
Conrad is a city in Grundy County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,055 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Waterloo–Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area...

. However, because of Whitten's lack of industry, young people quickly left the town seeking better opportunities.

Geography

Whitten is located at 42°15′41"N 93°0′27"W (42.261478, -93.007387).

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 census
Census
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 160 people, 56 households, and 43 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 293.6 people per square mile (114.4/km²). There were 63 housing units at an average density of 115.6 per square mile (45.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.50% White, 1.25% Asian, and 1.25% from two or more races.

There were 56 households out of which 42.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% 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, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the city the population was spread out with 33.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,656, and the median income for a family was $44,219. Males had a median income of $31,458 versus $21,250 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 $13,996. None of the families and 1.3% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 13.3% of those over 64.

Notable natives

  • Denise Long, women's professional basketball player
  • Raymond Boynton, painter

Twister

Part of the 1996 movie Twister starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton was shot just outside of Whitten. The famous scene with Hunt and Paxton taking cover in a farm pumphouse and strapping themselves down with a leather belt to avoid being blown away was filmed at an old Whitten farmhouse owned by the Haywood family.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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