Postville, Iowa
Encyclopedia
Postville is a city in Allamakee
and Clayton
Counties in the U.S. state
of Iowa
. It lies near the junction of four counties and at the intersection of U.S. Routes 18
and 52
and Iowa Highway 51
, with airport facilities in the neighboring communities of Waukon, Decorah, Monona, and Prairie du Chien. The population was 2,273 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the southwestern corner of Allamakee County and the northwestern corner of Clayton County in a quad county or four corner region where four counties meet in the same spot. Winneshiek County
is just to the west, and Fayette County
is located just to the southwest of Postville.
, which filed for bankruptcy on November 5, 2008 following a series of alleged violations of labor law and repeated accusations of mistreatment of cattle. The facility was raided
by the federal government in 2008, resulting in hundreds of arrests and disruption to the community.
The interaction of long time Postville residents with newcomers was the subject of a book about the town, Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America
(ISBN 0-15-100652-0), written by Stephen Bloom
, a professor at the University of Iowa
.
A more recent book about the community and its experience with diversity before and after the May 2008 federal immigration raid is Postville USA: Surviving Diversity in Small-Town America written by Mark Grey, Michele Devlin and Aaron Goldsmith. http://www.postvilleusa.com
Postville was also the boyhood home of 1946 Nobel laureate John R. Mott.
in decimal form are 43.085102, -91.569515.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 2,273 people, 792 households, and 548 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,093.6 people per square mile (421.9/km²). There were 824 housing units at an average density of 396.5 per square mile (153.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.59% White, 0.62% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 17.03% from other races
, and 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.63% of the population. Estimates of the Hasidic population range from 150 (American Jewish Year Book) to more than 300.
There were 792 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples
living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,667, and the median income for a family was $40,125. Males had a median income of $22,083 versus $16,596 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $14,264. About 9.4% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.
and Iowa Turkey Products. Agriprocessors, the kosher meat plant, is the largest of its type in the world, which as of February 2008 employed about 900 people and purchased $100 million worth of livestock annually. In May 2008, Agriprocessors was the target of a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid. Subsequently, a criminal complaint was filed against Agriprocessors and its principal for alleged violations of child labor
laws.
Iowa Turkey Products, which burned in December 2003, was another major employer in the community. The plant has since rebuilt in Marshall
, Minnesota
. Postville is also the home of a plastics factory, Norplex. The Norplex factory produces laminated plastics plate, sheet, and profile shapes and as of 2007 employs between 250 to 500 workers.
Allamakee County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 14,330 in the county, with a population density of . There were 7,617 housing units, of which 5,845 were occupied.-2000 census:...
and Clayton
Clayton County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 18,129 in the county, with a population density of . There were 8,999 housing units, of which 7,599 were occupied.-2000 census:...
Counties in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. It lies near the junction of four counties and at the intersection of U.S. Routes 18
U.S. Route 18
U.S. Route 18 is an east–west U.S. highway in the Midwestern United States. The western terminus is in Orin, Wyoming at an interchange with Interstate 25. Its eastern terminus of US 18 is in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, US 18 runs concurrent with other U.S...
and 52
U.S. Route 52
U.S. Route 52 is a United States highway that runs across the northern, eastern and southeastern regions of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S...
and Iowa Highway 51
Iowa Highway 51
Iowa Highway 51 is a state highway that runs from north to south in northeast Iowa. Contained entirely by Allamakee County, it is only in length. Its southern terminus is at U.S. Highway 52 and U.S. Highway 18 in Postville. Its northern terminus is at Iowa Highway 9 near Waukon.-Route...
, with airport facilities in the neighboring communities of Waukon, Decorah, Monona, and Prairie du Chien. The population was 2,273 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the southwestern corner of Allamakee County and the northwestern corner of Clayton County in a quad county or four corner region where four counties meet in the same spot. Winneshiek County
Winneshiek County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 21,056 in the county, with a population density of . There were 8,721 housing units, of which 7,997 were occupied.-2000 census:...
is just to the west, and Fayette County
Fayette County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 20,880 in the county, with a population density of . There were 9,558 housing units, of which 8,634 were occupied.-2000 census:...
is located just to the southwest of Postville.
History
The population of Postville was predominantly German and Norwegian for much of its existence. In 1987, a group of Hasidic Jews of the Lubavitch movement from New York purchased a non-Kosher slaughterhouse, refurbished it according to Hasidic Law and named the facility AgriprocessorsAgriprocessors
Agriprocessors was the corporate identity of a slaughterhouse and meat-packaging factory based in Postville, Iowa, best known as a facility for the glatt kosher processing of cattle, as well as chicken, turkey, duck, and lamb. Agriprocessors' meat and poultry products were marketed under the brand...
, which filed for bankruptcy on November 5, 2008 following a series of alleged violations of labor law and repeated accusations of mistreatment of cattle. The facility was raided
Postville Raid
The Postville Raid was a raid at the Agriprocessors Inc. kosher slaughterhouse and meat packing plant in Postville, Iowa, USA on May 12, 2008, executed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the Department of Homeland Security together with other agencies. The raid was the...
by the federal government in 2008, resulting in hundreds of arrests and disruption to the community.
The interaction of long time Postville residents with newcomers was the subject of a book about the town, Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America
Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America
Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America is a 2000 book by journalist Stephen G. Bloom. The book documents the struggle between the small town of Postville, Iowa, and a group of new arrivals: Lubavitcher Hasidim from New York who came to the town to run Agriprocessors, the largest...
(ISBN 0-15-100652-0), written by Stephen Bloom
Stephen Bloom
Stephen G. Bloom is an American journalist and professor of Journalism at the University of Iowa, in Iowa City.Bloom studied at University of California, Berkeley, graduating with a B.A. in 1973....
, a professor at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
.
A more recent book about the community and its experience with diversity before and after the May 2008 federal immigration raid is Postville USA: Surviving Diversity in Small-Town America written by Mark Grey, Michele Devlin and Aaron Goldsmith. http://www.postvilleusa.com
Postville was also the boyhood home of 1946 Nobel laureate John R. Mott.
Geography
Postville's longitude and latitude coordinatesin decimal form are 43.085102, -91.569515.
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 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), all of it land.
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 2,273 people, 792 households, and 548 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 1,093.6 people per square mile (421.9/km²). There were 824 housing units at an average density of 396.5 per square mile (153.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.59% White, 0.62% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 17.03% 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 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.63% of the population. Estimates of the Hasidic population range from 150 (American Jewish Year Book) to more than 300.
There were 792 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% 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, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,667, and the median income for a family was $40,125. Males had a median income of $22,083 versus $16,596 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 $14,264. About 9.4% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Postville's growth during the last 15 years has been due to the presence of two large meat processing plants, AgriprocessorsAgriprocessors
Agriprocessors was the corporate identity of a slaughterhouse and meat-packaging factory based in Postville, Iowa, best known as a facility for the glatt kosher processing of cattle, as well as chicken, turkey, duck, and lamb. Agriprocessors' meat and poultry products were marketed under the brand...
and Iowa Turkey Products. Agriprocessors, the kosher meat plant, is the largest of its type in the world, which as of February 2008 employed about 900 people and purchased $100 million worth of livestock annually. In May 2008, Agriprocessors was the target of a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid. Subsequently, a criminal complaint was filed against Agriprocessors and its principal for alleged violations of child labor
Child labor
Child labour refers to the employment of children at regular and sustained labour. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations and is illegal in many countries...
laws.
Iowa Turkey Products, which burned in December 2003, was another major employer in the community. The plant has since rebuilt in Marshall
Marshall, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,735 people, 4,914 households, and 2,914 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,537.0 people per square mile . There were 5,182 housing units at an average density of 625.4 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. Postville is also the home of a plastics factory, Norplex. The Norplex factory produces laminated plastics plate, sheet, and profile shapes and as of 2007 employs between 250 to 500 workers.
External links
- Official City Website
- Postville Community Schools
- Mayor: Feds turned my town 'topsy turvy' - CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
- City-Data Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Postville