Fonda, Iowa
Encyclopedia
Fonda is a city in Pocahontas County
, Iowa
, United States
. The population was 648 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 1 square miles (2.6 km²), all of it land.
The town is located at the western edge of the Des Moines Lobe, the most recently glaciated section of Iowa. The Des Moines Lobe is part of the prairie pothole
region of the Midwest. The topography is irregular in its gently rolling terrain. Wetlands, glacial erratics, concentric bands of ridges, and large flat areas characterize the land surrounding Fonda. In its natural state, the land is poorly drained, although humans have added an extensive network of tiles to move water from the potholes to local tributaries. The tiles surrounding Fonda empty into Big Cedar Creek, a tributary of the Raccoon River
. This waterway, which underwent channelization in the early 1900s, flows past the town on its west end. Evidence of its winding original path still exists, particularly in the Fonda Golf Course and in the schoolyard behind Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church.
Four miles (6 km) northwest of town, Sunken Grove Wildlife Management Area (WMA) exists as a reminder of the past. Large undrained wetlands are surrounded by forests and prairies. The area is home to large populations of migrating birds and permanent populations of wildlife. This public parcel has recently expanded, and is adjacent to the Leo Shimon WMA. Together, the two areas comprise 1148 acres (4.65 km²) of land. This is slightly less than two square miles.
The remainder of the area surrounding Fonda is agricultural. Vast corn and soybean fields are interspersed by acreages and hog confinements (also known as a concentrated animal feeding operation). The vitality of the town and of the region have been influenced by the shift from a sustenance way of farming to an industrial model. Fewer farmers, less diversity in agricultural products, more agrichemicals, and more tillage
have upset the economic system of the town and surrounding countryside. Fonda's AgPartners elevator is partially owned by Cargill
. Many of the hog confinements around town are owned by corporations, such as New Fashion Pork, based in Jackson, MN.
Pocahontas County has seen a large decrease in the amount of farms. In 1969, there were 1,369 farms. By 1997 the number had dropped to 778. The average farm size has increased from 265 to 459 acres (107 to 186 hectare
s) in that same time period. In 1969, 844 farms sold 176,705 hogs. In 1997, 162 farms sold 248,666 hogs.
In 1982, 14 poultry farms housed 69,911 layers. By 1997, no farms and no layers existed. In 1982, there were 26728 acres (108.16 km²) of pastures and acreages in the county. By 1997, that amount had decreased to 16840 acres (68.15 km²).
Des Moines, which lies 135 miles (217 km) south and east of Fonda, receives a large portion of its drinking water from the Raccoon River (and thus Big Cedar Creek). From 1978 to 2004, contamination at its water intake plant due to nitrates (an agrichemical) has increased from 4.5 mg/L to 7.7 mg/L. Nitrate consumption is linked to blue baby syndrome
.
of 2000, there were 648 people, 288 households, and 160 families residing in the city. The population density
was 632.8 people per square mile (245.3/km²). There were 339 housing units at an average density of 331.1 per square mile (128.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.61% White, 0.31% African American, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.70% of the population.
There were 288 households out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples
living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.1% were non-families. 41.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 26.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 32.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,731, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $26,597 versus $16,667 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $15,626. About 7.1% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.8% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
Fonda has seen a steady decrease in its population in recent decades. In 1980, the town had 863 residents, and in 1990 there were 731. The 2004 estimated population is 596.
is widely regarded for being a powerhouse in Class A sports. The high school is a small Class A school in rural Iowa with an average of 150 students in grades 9-12. However, they have a rich tradition in both basketball and football.
Paul Loos was the coach for Newell-Fonda for 20 years. His record as basketball coach was 346-118. From 1997-2000, Newell-Fonda's overall record (including state tournament games) was 99-2. From 1997-2004, they achieved a 171-8 record.
There have been five McDonald's All-Americans from Newell-Fonda's rosters. They include Kevin Larsen and Jim Calkins (1991), Jason Sarchet and Justin Lyman (1999), and Brandon Kies (2001).
Jim Calkins is in the Iowa State record books for scoring 675 points in the 1991 season. He is also the scoring leader for Newell-Fonda and one of the top scorers in Iowa basketball history with 2,034 career points from 1988-1991.
Jason Sarchet, 1999 Newell-Fonda graduate, played in 2004 NCAA Tournament for Liberty University. He was best known for his height and having 14 blocked shots in one game in the 1997-98 season. During his career, he averaged 6.4 blocked shots per game. In addition, he attained 970 rebounds in his high school career, among the leaders in state history. Jason Sarchet was named the Class A Player of the Year following the 1999 season.
Newell-Fonda has a record of 70-18 from 1997 through 2006. They have been ranked within the top 10 in the Des Moines Register's state rankings for virtually every week of that reign.
Pocahontas County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 7,310 in the county, with a population density of . There were 3,794 housing units, of which 3,233 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 648 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Fonda is located at 42°34′58"N 94°50′45"W (42.582819, -94.845810).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 1 square miles (2.6 km²), all of it land.
The town is located at the western edge of the Des Moines Lobe, the most recently glaciated section of Iowa. The Des Moines Lobe is part of the prairie pothole
Prairie pothole
The Prairie Pothole Region is an area of the northern Great Plains and midgrass and tallgrass prairies that contains thousands of shallow wetlands known as potholes. These potholes are the result of glacier activity in the Wisconsin glaciation, which ended approximately 10,000 years ago...
region of the Midwest. The topography is irregular in its gently rolling terrain. Wetlands, glacial erratics, concentric bands of ridges, and large flat areas characterize the land surrounding Fonda. In its natural state, the land is poorly drained, although humans have added an extensive network of tiles to move water from the potholes to local tributaries. The tiles surrounding Fonda empty into Big Cedar Creek, a tributary of the Raccoon River
Raccoon River
The Raccoon River is a tributary of the Des Moines River in central Iowa in the United States. As measured using the longest of its three forks, its length increases to...
. This waterway, which underwent channelization in the early 1900s, flows past the town on its west end. Evidence of its winding original path still exists, particularly in the Fonda Golf Course and in the schoolyard behind Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church.
Four miles (6 km) northwest of town, Sunken Grove Wildlife Management Area (WMA) exists as a reminder of the past. Large undrained wetlands are surrounded by forests and prairies. The area is home to large populations of migrating birds and permanent populations of wildlife. This public parcel has recently expanded, and is adjacent to the Leo Shimon WMA. Together, the two areas comprise 1148 acres (4.65 km²) of land. This is slightly less than two square miles.
The remainder of the area surrounding Fonda is agricultural. Vast corn and soybean fields are interspersed by acreages and hog confinements (also known as a concentrated animal feeding operation). The vitality of the town and of the region have been influenced by the shift from a sustenance way of farming to an industrial model. Fewer farmers, less diversity in agricultural products, more agrichemicals, and more tillage
Tillage
Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shovelling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking...
have upset the economic system of the town and surrounding countryside. Fonda's AgPartners elevator is partially owned by Cargill
Cargill
Cargill, Incorporated is a privately held, multinational corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Founded in 1865, it is now the largest privately held corporation in the United States in terms of revenue. If it were a public company, it would rank, as of 2011, number 13 on the Fortune 500,...
. Many of the hog confinements around town are owned by corporations, such as New Fashion Pork, based in Jackson, MN.
Pocahontas County has seen a large decrease in the amount of farms. In 1969, there were 1,369 farms. By 1997 the number had dropped to 778. The average farm size has increased from 265 to 459 acres (107 to 186 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s) in that same time period. In 1969, 844 farms sold 176,705 hogs. In 1997, 162 farms sold 248,666 hogs.
In 1982, 14 poultry farms housed 69,911 layers. By 1997, no farms and no layers existed. In 1982, there were 26728 acres (108.16 km²) of pastures and acreages in the county. By 1997, that amount had decreased to 16840 acres (68.15 km²).
Des Moines, which lies 135 miles (217 km) south and east of Fonda, receives a large portion of its drinking water from the Raccoon River (and thus Big Cedar Creek). From 1978 to 2004, contamination at its water intake plant due to nitrates (an agrichemical) has increased from 4.5 mg/L to 7.7 mg/L. Nitrate consumption is linked to blue baby syndrome
Blue baby syndrome
Blue baby syndrome is a layman's term used to describe newborns with cyanotic heart lesions, such as* Persistent Truncus Arteriosus* Transposition of the great vessels* Tricuspid atresia* Tetralogy of Fallot...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 648 people, 288 households, and 160 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 632.8 people per square mile (245.3/km²). There were 339 housing units at an average density of 331.1 per square mile (128.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.61% White, 0.31% African American, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.70% of the population.
There were 288 households out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% 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, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.1% were non-families. 41.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 26.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 32.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,731, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $26,597 versus $16,667 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 $15,626. About 7.1% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.8% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
Fonda has seen a steady decrease in its population in recent decades. In 1980, the town had 863 residents, and in 1990 there were 731. The 2004 estimated population is 596.
Sports
The consolidated Newell-Fonda High SchoolNewell-Fonda High School (Iowa)
Newell-Fonda High School is the senior high school of the Newell-Fonda Community School District. It is located in the city of Newell, Iowa in Buena Vista County, Iowa. The school is a consolidation of students from the towns of Newell and Fonda, small towns connected by Highway 7 in Northwestern...
is widely regarded for being a powerhouse in Class A sports. The high school is a small Class A school in rural Iowa with an average of 150 students in grades 9-12. However, they have a rich tradition in both basketball and football.
Men's Basketball
Newell-Fonda has won four State Titles in 8 appearances since 1991. The Senior Class of 2000 was responsible for three state titles in their four years of high school. They hold the 9th longest winning streak in Iowa Boys Basketball history, with 49 consecutive wins (including postseason games) from 1996 through 1998.- Newell-Fonda State Basketball Appearances
Year Outcome Opponent Score 1991 State Champions vs. IKM Manilla 76-55 1992 Participant n/a n/a 1997 State Champions vs. Lynnville-Sully 61-51 1998 Participant n/a n/a 1999 State Champions vs. DM Christian 55-52 2000 State Champions vs. Boyden-Hull 58-57 (2OT) 2003 State Runner-Up vs. Boyden-Hull 35-49 2004 Participant n/a n/a
Paul Loos was the coach for Newell-Fonda for 20 years. His record as basketball coach was 346-118. From 1997-2000, Newell-Fonda's overall record (including state tournament games) was 99-2. From 1997-2004, they achieved a 171-8 record.
There have been five McDonald's All-Americans from Newell-Fonda's rosters. They include Kevin Larsen and Jim Calkins (1991), Jason Sarchet and Justin Lyman (1999), and Brandon Kies (2001).
Jim Calkins is in the Iowa State record books for scoring 675 points in the 1991 season. He is also the scoring leader for Newell-Fonda and one of the top scorers in Iowa basketball history with 2,034 career points from 1988-1991.
Jason Sarchet, 1999 Newell-Fonda graduate, played in 2004 NCAA Tournament for Liberty University. He was best known for his height and having 14 blocked shots in one game in the 1997-98 season. During his career, he averaged 6.4 blocked shots per game. In addition, he attained 970 rebounds in his high school career, among the leaders in state history. Jason Sarchet was named the Class A Player of the Year following the 1999 season.
Women's Basketball
Newell-Fonda Girl's Basketball has followed suit with their male classmates. They have appeared in five state tournaments since 1995, but have yet to win a title. The Newell-Fonda girls basketball team was consistently ranked among the top teams in the state of Iowa, reaching two State Finals games in four years.- Newell-Fonda Girls' State Basketball Appearances
Year Outcome Opponent Score 1995 Participant n/a n/a 1996 Participant n/a n/a 1997 State Runner-Up vs. Lynnville-Sully 51-49 2000 State Runner-Up vs. Preston 51-37 2003 Participant n/a n/a
Football
Newell-Fonda has also had a rich tradition in their football program. Since 1997, they have reached the state playoffs five times (1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2006). They have reached the state quarterfinals on all five occasions, but have not progressed further in the playoffs.Newell-Fonda has a record of 70-18 from 1997 through 2006. They have been ranked within the top 10 in the Des Moines Register's state rankings for virtually every week of that reign.
- 5 State Playoff Appearances
| 1997 (9-1) | 1999 (8-2) | 2003 (10-1) | 2005 (9-2) | 2006 (10-1) |
Softball
In 2008, the Newell-Fonda Mustangs softball team to become the first female sports team to win a championship in Newell-Fonda history. They defeated Martinsdale St. Marys 6-3 in the championship game.Notable people
- Ruth Stafford PealeRuth Stafford PealeRuth Stafford Peale was an American writer, editor, and speaker. She was the wife of The Power of Positive Thinking author, Norman Vincent Peale, and co-founder of Guideposts magazine and the Peale Center....
(1906–2008) writer, co-founder of GuidepostsGuidepostsGuideposts is a Christian-faith based non-profit organization founded in 1945 by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Raymond Thornburg, and Peale's wife, Ruth Stafford Peale. The Guideposts organization is headquartered in Carmel, New York, with additional offices in New York City, Chesterton, Indiana, and...
with husband Norman Vincent PealeNorman Vincent PealeDr. Norman Vincent Peale was a minister and author and a progenitor of the theory of "positive thinking".-Early life and education:... - Nathan PostNathan PostNathan Woodworth Post was the 8th and 10th Governor of American Samoa. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1904, and commanded the USS Detroit and the Naval Recruiting Station in Omaha, Nebraska. He served two terms as governor: from March 14 to July 14, 1913 and from October 2...
(1881–1938) 7th and 10th Governor of American Samoa
External links
- Newell Fonda Schools
- City of Fonda
- Map of Sunken Grove WMA
- WWI Historical Account of Fonda
- City-Data Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Fonda