Editing Buena Vista County, Iowa

{{short description|County in Iowa, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Buena Vista County
 | state                = Iowa
 | ex image             = Buena Vista County Courthouse 20120930 IMG 8837.JPG
 | ex image size        = 240px
 | ex image cap         = Buena Vista County Courthouse
 | seal                 = 
 | founded year         = 1851
 | founded date         = 
 | seat wl              = Storm Lake
 | largest city wl      = Storm Lake
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 580
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 575
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 5.3
 | area percentage      = 0.9
 | population_as_of     = 2020
 | population_total     = 20823
 | population_density_sq_mi = auto
 | time zone            = Central
 | footnotes            = 
 | web                  = https://buenavistacounty.iowa.gov/
 | district             = 4th
 | named for            = [[Battle of Buena Vista]]
}}

'''Buena Vista County''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|juː|n|ə|_|ˈ|v|ɪ|s|t|ə}}; {{IPA|es|ˈbwena ˈβista|lang)}}) is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Iowa]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 20,823.<ref name=cen2020>{{cite web |title=2020 Census State Redistricting Data |url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/01-Redistricting_File--PL_94-171/Iowa/ |website=census.gov |publisher=United states Census Bureau |access-date=August 12, 2021}}</ref> Its [[county seat]] is [[Storm Lake, Iowa|Storm Lake]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }}</ref> The county is named for the final victory of Field General [[Zachary Taylor]] in the [[Mexican–American War]].

Buena Vista County comprises the Storm Lake, IA [[Micropolitan Statistical Area]].

==History==
Buena Vista County was formed on January 15, 1851, from open land. It was named in memory of the [[Battle of Buena Vista]] in the Mexican-American War ending in 1848; the victorious United States annexed considerable territory as a result.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q_lKAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA12 |title=History of the Origin of the Place Names in Nine Northwestern States |year=1908 |pages=12}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|580|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|575|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|5.3|sqmi}} (0.9%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> The [[Raccoon River|North Raccoon River]] originates in the county, north of [[Marathon, Iowa|Marathon]].

===Major highways===
* [[File:US 71.svg|x20px]] [[U.S. Route 71 in Iowa|U.S. Highway 71]]
* [[File:Circle sign 3.svg|x20px]] [[Iowa Highway 3]]
* [[File:Circle sign 7.svg|x20px]] [[Iowa Highway 7]]
* [[File:Elongated circle 10.svg|x20px]] [[Iowa Highway 10]]
* [[File:Elongated circle 110.svg|x20px]] [[Iowa Highway 110]]

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Clay County, Iowa|Clay County]] (north)
* [[Pocahontas County, Iowa|Pocahontas County]] (east)
* [[Sac County, Iowa|Sac County]] (south)
* [[Cherokee County, Iowa|Cherokee County]] (west)

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1860= 57
|1870= 1585
|1880= 7537
|1890= 13548
|1900= 16975
|1910= 15981
|1920= 18556
|1930= 18667
|1940= 19838
|1950= 21113
|1960= 21189
|1970= 20693
|1980= 20774
|1990= 19965
|2000= 20411
|2010= 20260
|2020= 20823
|estyear=2023
|estimate=20567
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2023">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 2, 2024}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 13, 2014}}</ref><br />1790–1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=July 13, 2014}}</ref> 1900–1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ia190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 13, 2014}}</ref><br />1990–2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 13, 2014}}</ref> 2010-2018<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/19/19021.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607014752/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/19/19021.html|archive-date=June 7, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}
[[File:BuenaVistaCountyIowaPop2020.png|thumb|right|alt=Population of Buena Vista County from US census data]]

===2020 census===
The 2020 census recorded a population of 20,823 in the county, with a population density of {{Pop density|20823|579.152815|sqmi|km2}}. 89.44% of the population reported being of one race. There were 8,141 housing units of which 7,447 were occupied.<ref name=cen2020/>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Buena Vista County Racial Composition<ref>{{Cite web|title =P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Buena Vista County, Iowa|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Buena%20Vista%20County,%20Iowa&t=Race%20and%20Ethnicity&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (NH)
|11,377
|54.63%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (NH)
|550
|2.7%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]] (NH)
|29
|0.14%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]] (NH)
|1,889
|9.1%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]] (NH)
|614
|3%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]] (NH)
|429
|2.1%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|5,925
|28.5%
|}

[[File:BuenaVistaCountyIA2022PopPyr.png|thumb|left|2022 US Census [[population pyramid]] for Buena Vista County from [[American Community Survey|ACS]] 5-year estimates]]

===2010 census===
The 2010 census recorded a population of 20,260 in the county, with a population density of {{Pop density|20260|571|sqmi|km2}}. There were 8,237 housing units, of which 7,522 were occupied.<ref name="USCB">{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST05&prodType=table|title=Population and Housing Occupancy Status: 2010 - State &ndash; County|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] American FactFinder|access-date=March 8, 2011|archive-date=September 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929225050/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST05&prodType=table|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 20,411 people, 7,499 households, and 5,121 families residing in the county. The [[population density]] was {{convert|36|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people}}. There were 8,145 housing units at an average density of {{convert|14|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The racial makeup of the county was 88.00% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 0.35% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.13% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 4.33% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.01% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 5.75% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.42% from two or more races. 12.54% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.

2005 Census estimates of the racial origins of Buena Vista County's population indicated it had the lowest percentage of non-Hispanic Whites of any county in Iowa. The non-Hispanic whites constituted 76.1% of the county's population, with African-Americans being 1.3%, Asians 3.9% and Latinos 18.6% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/19/19021.html |title=Buena Vista County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=October 31, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607014752/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/19/19021.html |archive-date=June 7, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

There were 7,499 households, out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.50% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.70% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.40% under the age of 18, 12.20% from 18 to 24, 25.40% from 25 to 44, 20.20% from 45 to 64, and 16.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,300, and the median income for a family was $41,549. Males had a median income of $29,172 versus $20,252 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $16,042. About 7.60% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 12.60% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.

==Law enforcement==
[[File:IA - Buena Vista County Sheriff.png|thumb|right|200px]]
Law enforcement is the responsibility of the Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office (BVSO). The department provides law enforcement services for all areas of [[Buena Vista County]], as well as providing for courthouse security, operating the county jail, and performing civil procedures. The current Sheriff is Kory Elston.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bvcountyiowa.com/index.php/auditor/bv_county_elected_officials|title=Buena Vista County|website=www.bvcountyiowa.com|access-date=February 3, 2018|archive-date=February 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204000248/http://www.bvcountyiowa.com/index.php/auditor/bv_county_elected_officials|url-status=dead}}</ref> The staff includes a mix of full-time deputies and reserve deputies.

The Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office is located at 411 Expansion Blvd in Storm Lake, Iowa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bvsheriff.com/ |title=Buena Vista County Sheriff |access-date=June 15, 2009 |publisher=Buena Vista County, Iowa}}</ref>

Reserve officers from the Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office received the Donald H. Mackaman Outstanding Unit Award at the 2013 state reserve conference.<ref>{{cite web |title=BV County Sheriff Reserve Officers Bring Home Honors |work=Storm Lake Pilot Tribune |date=April 29, 2013 |url=http://www.stormlakepilottribune.com/story/print/1964207.html |access-date=May 6, 2013 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924110720/http://www.stormlakepilottribune.com/story/print/1964207.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Communities==

===Cities===
{{div col}}
* [[Albert City, Iowa|Albert City]]
* [[Alta, Iowa|Alta]]
* [[Lakeside, Iowa|Lakeside]]
* [[Linn Grove, Iowa|Linn Grove]]
* [[Marathon, Iowa|Marathon]]
* [[Newell, Iowa|Newell]]
* [[Rembrandt, Iowa|Rembrandt]]
* [[Sioux Rapids, Iowa|Sioux Rapids]]
* [[Storm Lake, Iowa|Storm Lake]]
* [[Truesdale, Iowa|Truesdale]]
{{div col end}}

===Townships===
Buena Vista County is divided into sixteen [[Township (United States)|townships]]:
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Barnes Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa|Barnes]]
* [[Brooke Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa|Brooke]]
* [[Coon Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa|Coon]]
* [[Elk Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa|Elk]]
* [[Fairfield Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa|Fairfield]]
* [[Grant Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa|Grant]]
* [[Hayes Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa|Hayes]]
* [[Lee Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa|Lee]]
* [[Lincoln Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa|Lincoln]]
* [[Maple Valley Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa|Maple Valley]]
* [[Newell Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa|Newell]]
* [[Nokomis Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa|Nokomis]]
* [[Poland Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa|Poland]]
* [[Providence Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa|Providence]]
* [[Scott Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa|Scott]]
* [[Washington Township, Buena Vista County, Iowa|Washington]]
{{div col end}}

===Population ranking===
The population ranking of the following table is based on the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]] of Buena Vista County.<ref name=cen2020/>

'''†''' ''county seat''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Rank
!City/Town/etc.
!Municipal type
!Population (2020 Census)

|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 1
|'''†''' '''[[Storm Lake, Iowa|Storm Lake]]'''
| City
| 11,269
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 2
|'''[[Alta, Iowa|Alta]]'''
| City
| 2,087
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 3
|'''[[Newell, Iowa|Newell]]'''
| City
| 906
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 4
|'''[[Sioux Rapids, Iowa|Sioux Rapids]]'''
| City
| 748
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 5
|'''[[Lakeside, Iowa|Lakeside]]'''
| City
| 700
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 6
|'''[[Albert City, Iowa|Albert City]]'''
| City
| 677
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 7
|'''[[Marathon, Iowa|Marathon]]'''
| City
| 230
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 8
|'''[[Rembrandt, Iowa|Rembrandt]]'''
| City
| 209
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 9
|'''[[Linn Grove, Iowa|Linn Grove]]'''
| City
| 163
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 10
|'''[[Truesdale, Iowa|Truesdale]]'''
| City
| 69
|}

==Politics==
Buena Vista County has mostly voted Republican throughout its history, only failing to back the party's candidates in a presidential election eight times throughout its history. The first of these instances was in 1912 when the Republican vote was split between incumbent [[William Howard Taft]] & former President [[Theodore Roosevelt]], who won a majority of the county's votes as a third-party candidate. Five of the instances were national landslides for the Democratic Party in all four of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s victories as well as [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]'s 1964 landslide. The other two Democratic victories were in 1948 as [[Harry S. Truman]] narrowly won the county & statewide by a similar margin, & 40 years later in 1988 as [[Michael Dukakis]] was boosted statewide by the 1980s farm crisis despite his national landslide loss.
{{PresHead|place=Buena Vista County, Iowa|whig=no|source1=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=April 25, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP/Whig vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|4,962|2,462|113|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|5,056|2,961|150|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|4,903|2,856|519|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|4,554|3,700|129|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|4,223|4,075|122|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|4,887|3,520|83|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|4,354|3,297|326|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|3,636|3,420|909|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|3,863|3,374|2,020|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|4,170|4,580|75|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|5,193|4,109|103|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|5,272|3,468|936|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|5,126|4,227|214|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|5,685|3,460|136|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|5,599|3,051|400|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|3,747|5,245|5|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|6,351|3,637|8|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|6,470|4,083|10|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|7,539|3,254|20|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|3,959|4,340|194|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|3,993|4,277|39|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|4,576|4,784|39|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|3,334|5,287|164|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|3,162|4,835|213|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|5,087|2,609|74|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|3,812|683|2,782|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|4,927|1,204|139|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1916|Republican|2,045|1,454|65|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1912|Progressive|755|921|1,959|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|2,337|1,054|153|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|2,483|605|172|Iowa}}
{{PresRow|1900|Republican|2,632|936|126|Iowa}}
{{PresFoot|1896|Republican|2,568|1,178|51|Iowa}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Iowa}}
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Buena Vista County, Iowa]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
<!-- for current and future use if material is uploaded -->
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050324013459/http://co.buena-vista.ia.us/ Buena Vista County government's website]
* [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~claydickinsoncosks/index.html Genealogy: Buena Vista County Iowa History & Heritage Project]

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Buena Vista County, Iowa
|North     = [[Clay County, Iowa|Clay County]]
|Northeast =
|East      = [[Pocahontas County, Iowa|Pocahontas County]]
|Southeast =
|South     = [[Sac County, Iowa|Sac County]]
|Southwest =
|West      = [[Cherokee County, Iowa|Cherokee County]]
|Northwest =
}}

{{Buena Vista County, Iowa}}
{{Iowa}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|42|44|06|N|95|09|01|W|region:US-IA_type:adm2nd_source:dewiki|display=title}}

[[Category:Buena Vista County, Iowa| ]]
[[Category:1851 establishments in Iowa]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1851]]