Van Buren County, Iowa

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Van Buren County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census the population was 7,203, making it the state's tenth-least populous county.<ref name=cen2020>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Keosauqua,<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> which contains the oldest continuously operational courthouse in the state of Iowa, and second-oldest in the United States.

History

File:VanBurenCoIowa2.jpg

Plaque on the Van Buren County courthouse, indicating its age and historic status.

Van Buren County was formed on December 7, 1836, as a part of Wisconsin Territory, and was split off from Des Moines County. It was named for President Martin Van Buren. It became a part of Iowa Territory (later the state of Iowa) when that territory was organized on July 4, 1838.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The county's courthouse was built in September 1843 in the style of Greek Revival and stands as Iowa's oldest, and the nation's second-oldest, courthouse in operation.<ref>Van Buren County Template:Webarchive</ref> Template:Clear left

"The Honey War" refers to a colorful episode in Van Buren County's history when the State of Missouri and Wisconsin Territory border came into dispute. Missouri attempted to collect taxes from residents north of the disputed Sullivan Line of 1816, which residents said was not rightfully theirs to tax. The sheriff of Van Buren County subsequently arrested and jailed the sheriff from Kahoka, Missouri, and Missourians were charged with "stealing honey from bee trees" in what is now Lacey-Keosauqua State Park. Each governor sent troops to resolve the problem but no bloodshed resulted. The matter was turned over to the U.S. Congress for arbitration.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The dispute, however, was not resolved until 1846, when Iowa became a state. Congress ruled "in favor of Iowa, allowing the original Sullivan line of 1816 to remain intact".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Van Buren County is also home to Iowa's oldest community theater group still in operation, the "Van Buren Players," founded in 1963.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (1.2%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Jefferson County (north)
Henry County (northeast)
Lee County (east)
Clark County, Missouri (southeast)
Scotland County, Missouri (southwest)
Davis County (west)

Demographics

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File:VanBurenCountyIowaPop2020.png

Population of Van Buren County from US census data

2020 census

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2022 US Census population pyramid for Van Buren County from ACS 5-year estimates

The 2020 census recorded a population of 7,203 in the county, with a population density of Template:Pop density. 97.24% of the population reported being of one race. 94.53% were non-Hispanic White, 0.39% were Black, 1.58% were Hispanic, 0.10% were Native American, 0.33% were Asian, 0.00% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 3.07% were some other race or more than one race. There were 3,500 housing units, of which 2,984 were occupied.<ref name=cen2020/>

2010 census

As of the census<ref name="USCB">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2010, there were 7,570 people, 3,108 households, and 2,058 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Pop density people per square mile. There were 3,670 housing units at an average density of Template:Pop density per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 98.3% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. 1.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,108 households, out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 33.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18 and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.3 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males.

As of the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the county was $31,094, and the median income for a family was $36,420. Males had a median income of $27,379 versus $20,925 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,748. About 8.70% of families and 12.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.00% of those under age 18 and 15.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

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Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Townships

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Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Van Buren County.<ref name=cen2020/>

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Keosauqua	City	936
2	Farmington	City	579
3	Milton	City	380
4	Birmingham	City	367
5	Bonaparte	City	359
6	Stockport	City	272
7	Cantril	City	224
8	Douds	CDP	156
9	Leando	CDP	121
10	Mount Sterling	CDP	33