Chariton, Iowa
Encyclopedia
Chariton is a city in and the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Lucas County
Lucas County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 8,898 in the county, with a population density of . There were 4,238 housing units, of which 3,689 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 4,573 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

. It is the primary distribution center for, and former corporate seat of, the Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee is an employee-owned chain of supermarkets located in the Midwestern United States. Over 100 of its supermarkets are located in Iowa, with additional stores in Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and now Madison, Wisconsin...

 supermarket chain.

History

Chariton was a center for high quality watchmaking in the 1860s and into the 20th century.

Hotel Charitone

Designed by local architect William L. Perkins
William L. Perkins
William L. Perkins was an American architect of Chariton, Iowa. His career is documented in a National Park Service study, "Architectural Career of William L. Perkins in Iowa:1917-1957 MPS".Among his works are:...

 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 for its role in the development of Chariton as a county seat, the Hotel Charitone is listed by the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance
Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance
Preservation Iowa, formerly called the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance , was founded in 1989 by members of the public concerned about the destruction of significant historic sites and buildings in the state of Iowa....

 as one of the most endangered sites in Iowa.

Geography

Chariton's longitude and latitude coordinates
in decimal form are 41.016033, -93.307610.

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 3.7 square miles (9.6 km²), all of it land.

Chariton is located at the exact half way point, on U.S. Route 34
U.S. Route 34
U.S. Route 34 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 1,122 miles from north-central Colorado to the western suburbs of Chicago. Through Rocky Mountain National Park it is known as the Trail Ridge Road where it reaches 12,183 ft , making it the highest paved through highway in...

 (runs east and west to each side of the state).

The Lucas County Courthouse
Lucas County Courthouse (Iowa)
The Lucas County Courthouse in Chariton, Iowa, United States was built in 1893. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource...

 is the highest point of elevation in the whole town and is located on the Missouri/Mississippi River Divide.

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 4,573 people, 1,936 households, and 1,192 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 1,238.2 people per square mile (478.5/km²). There were 2,155 housing units at an average density of 583.5 per square mile (225.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.88% White, 0.15% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.26% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.

There were 1,936 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% 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, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,844, and the median income for a family was $37,935. Males had a median income of $32,265 versus $21,981 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 $15,553. About 6.6% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Red Haw State Park
Red Haw State Park
Red Haw State Park is a state park of Iowa, USA. It is in Lucas County.-External links:*...

 is located a mile east of Chariton. The park offers picnicking sites, shelters that can be reserved, camping and trails. The lake offers un-supervised swimming, fishing and electric trolling motor only boating.

Education

The Chariton School District
Chariton School District
The Chariton Community School District is a public school district located in Lucas County, Iowa, USA. It is currently the only school district in Lucas County. The district educates 1,477 students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade as of the 08-09 school year. Of those, 710 are female and 767...

 is the only school district in the county since 2008, when the Russell School District closed. There are two elementary schools, Columbus Elementary (K-2 grades) and Van Allen Elementary (3-5 grades); one middle school, Chariton Middle School (6-8 grades); and one high school, Chariton High School
Chariton High School
Chariton High School is located in Chariton, Iowa. There are 472 students grades 9-12 as of 2009. The student-teacher ratio is 13:9. There are students from six towns including Chariton, Russell, Iowa, Derby, Iowa, Williamson, Iowa, Lucas, Iowa, and Oakley, Iowa.Athletic teams of Chariton High...

 (9-12).

Transportation

Owned by the City of Chariton, the Chariton Municipal Airport has served the city and Lucas County since April 1947.

Notable people

  • Paul Engebretsen, National Football League
    National Football League
    The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

     player
  • Leo Hoegh
    Leo Hoegh
    Leo Arthur Hoegh was a decorated U.S. Army officer, lawyer and politician who was the 33rd Governor of Iowa from 1955 to 1957.His record of public service included important contributions to his home state and to his country...

    , former governor
  • Mortimer Wilson
    Mortimer Wilson
    Mortimer Wilson was an American composer of classical music. He also scored several musical and dramatic films in the 1920s....

    , composer
  • Gordon Willey
    Gordon Willey
    Gordon Randolph Willey was an American archaeologist famous for his fieldwork in South and Central America as well as the southeastern United States...

    , anthropologist
  • Everett Gendler
    Everett Gendler
    Everett Gendler is an American rabbi, known for his involvement in progressive causes, including the American civil rights movement, Jewish nonviolence, and the egalitarian Jewish Havurah movement. From 1978-1995, he served as the first Jewish Chaplain at Phillips Academy, Andover...

    , Rabbi, social activist, author

External links




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