Buena Vista County, Iowa: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 17:49, 28 February 2025

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Buena Vista County (Template:IPAc-en; Template:IPA) is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,823.<ref name=cen2020>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Storm Lake.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</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>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 (0.9%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> The North Raccoon River originates in the county, north of Marathon.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Clay County (north)
Pocahontas County (east)
Sac County (south)
Cherokee County (west)

Demographics

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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 Template:Pop density. 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/>

Buena Vista County Racial Composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	11,377	54.63%
Black or African American (NH)	550	2.7%
Native American (NH)	29	0.14%
Asian (NH)	1,889	9.1%
Pacific Islander (NH)	614	3%
Other/Mixed (NH)	429	2.1%
Hispanic or Latino	5,925	28.5%

File:BuenaVistaCountyIA2022PopPyr.png

2022 US Census population pyramid for Buena Vista County from ACS 5-year estimates

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 20,260 in the county, with a population density of Template:Pop density. There were 8,237 housing units, of which 7,522 were occupied.<ref name="USCB">Template:Cite web</ref>

2000 census

As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 20,411 people, 7,499 households, and 5,121 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 8,145 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 88.00% White, 0.35% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 4.33% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 5.75% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. 12.54% of the population were Hispanic or 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>Template:Cite web</ref>

There were 7,499 households, out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.50% were 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

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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>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</ref>

Communities

Cities

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Townships

Buena Vista County is divided into sixteen townships: Template:Div col

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Population ranking

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

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Storm Lake	City	11,269
2	Alta	City	2,087
3	Newell	City	906
4	Sioux Rapids	City	748
5	Lakeside	City	700
6	Albert City	City	677
7	Marathon	City	230
8	Rembrandt	City	209
9	Linn Grove	City	163
10	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. Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot

References

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External links

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