Jump to content

Lee County, Iowa

From Niidae Wiki
Revision as of 18:20, 28 April 2025 by 2600:1000:b18b:5dc7:7102:bec1:9b5c:76b3 (talk)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

File:Lee County Savings Bank.jpg
Historic Lee County Savings Bank

Lee County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,555.<ref name=cen2020>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seats are Fort Madison and Keokuk: It is the only county in Iowa with more than one county seat. Lee County is part of the Fort Madison–Keokuk, IA–IL–MO Micropolitan Statistical Area. It was established in 1836.

History

[edit]

Fort Madison dates to the War of 1812. Lee County was the location of the Half-Breed Tract, established by treaty in 1824. Allocations of land were made to American Indian descendants of European fathers and Indian mothers at this tract. Originally the land was to be held in common. Some who had an allocation lived in cities, where they hoped to make better livings.Template:Citation needed Lee County as a named entity was formed on December 7, 1836, under the jurisdiction of Wisconsin Territory. It would become a part of Iowa Territory when it was formed on July 4, 1838.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Large-scale European-American settlement in the area began in 1839, after Congress allowed owners to sell land individually.Template:Citation needed Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) under the direction of Brigham Young fled persecutions in Missouri to settle in Illinois and Iowa. Nauvoo, across the border in Hancock County, Illinois, became the main center of Latter-day Saints settlement, but there was also a Latter Day Saints stake organized in Lee County under the direction of John Smith, the uncle of Joseph Smith, land that was sold to them by Isaac Galland in 1839.

Lee has two county seats—Fort Madison and Keokuk.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The latter was established in 1847 when disagreements led to a second court jurisdiction.<ref>North Lee County Historical Society, Museums USA, accessed August 11, 2008</ref> Lee County's population grew to about 19,000 in 1850, the first US census, to 37,000 per the 3rd census in 1870, peaking at 44,000 people in 1960. It has continuously decreased since and as of 2020, 33,555 people lived there, comparable to the years between 1860 and 1870.<ref name=census/>

Name

[edit]

There is no consensus about the derivation of the name "Lee." It has been variously proposed that the county was named for Marsh, Delevan & Lee, of Albany, New York, and the 'New York Land Company', who owned extensive interests in the Half-Breed Tract in the 1830s; Robert E. Lee, who surveyed the Des Moines Rapids; or Albert Lea, who helped explore the interior of Iowa.<ref name=lee1879>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Naming of Iowa Counties. The Annals of Iowa. 36 (1962), 395-400. ISSN 0003-4827</ref>Template:Rp

Geography

[edit]
File:Mississippi River, Lee County, Iowa and the "Half Breed Tract" historic map detail, from- Iowa 1905 Census Map Indian Terr Accessions (cropped).jpg
Lee County, Iowa and the "Half Breed Tract" historic map detail from a 1905 Iowa Census Map

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 (4.0%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> The lowest point in the state of Iowa is located on the Mississippi River in Keokuk in Lee County, where it flows out of Iowa and into Missouri and Illinois.

Major highways

[edit]

Transit

[edit]

Adjacent counties

[edit]

Demographics

[edit]

Template:US Census population

File:LeeCountyIowaPop2020.png
Population of Lee County from US census data

2020 census

[edit]
File:LeeCountyIA2022PopPyr.png
2022 US Census population pyramid for Lee County from ACS 5-year estimates

The 2020 census recorded a population of 33,555 in the county, with a population density of Template:Pop density. 94.67% of the population reported being of one race. There were 15,858 housing units, of which 14,036 were occupied.<ref name=cen2020/>

Lee County Racial Composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 29,888 89.1%
Black or African American (NH) 896 3%
Native American (NH) 48 0.14%
Asian (NH) 139 0.41%
Pacific Islander (NH) 8 0.02%
Other/Mixed (NH) 1,466 4.4%
Hispanic or Latino 1,110 3.31%

2010 census

[edit]

The 2010 census recorded a population of 35,862 with a population density of Template:Pop density. There were 16,205 housing units, of which only 14,610 were occupied.<ref name="USCB">Template:Cite web</ref>

2000 census

[edit]

As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 38,052 people, 15,161 households, and 10,248 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 16,612 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 94.24% White, 2.80% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.03% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 2.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,161 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.70% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 28.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,193, and the median income for a family was $42,658. Males had a median income of $32,286 versus $21,821 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,430. About 7.10% of families and 9.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.60% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

[edit]
File:Lee County Courthouse in 1900.jpg
Courthouse in Keokuk in 1900

Cities

[edit]

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

Census-designated places

[edit]

Other unincorporated communities

[edit]

Townships

[edit]

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

Population ranking

[edit]

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

† county seat

Rank City/town/etc. Municipal type Population (2020 Census)
1 † Fort Madison City 10,270
2 † Keokuk City 9,900
3 West Point City 921
4 Donnellson City 885
5 Montrose City 738
6 Denmark CDP 425
7 Mooar CDP 321
8 Sandusky CDP 297
9 Houghton City 141
10 Franklin City 131
11 St. Paul City 109
12 Wever CDP 101
13 Argyle CDP 91

Notable people

[edit]

Politics

[edit]

In recent presidential elections, Lee County had a strong Democratic lean, voting for the party's candidate in every election from 1984 to 2012. In 2016 however, the county swung hard to vote for Republican Donald Trump by a wide margin, a swing of over 31 points compared to 2012.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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

Education

[edit]

School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>

Former school districts:

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

Template:Reflist

[edit]

Template:Geographic Location

Template:Lee County, Iowa Template:Iowa Template:Authority control Template:Coord

Retrieved from "https://wiki.niidae.com/index.php?title=Lee_County,_Iowa&oldid=70054"