Story City, Iowa
Encyclopedia
Story City is a city in Story County
, Iowa
, United States
. Story City is located within the Ames, Iowa
Metropolitan Statistical Area which envelops all of Story County and which, when held in conjunction with the Boone, Iowa
Micropolitan Statistical Area, complements the larger Ames-Boone, Iowa Combined Statistical Area
. The population was 3,431 in the 2010 census, a slight increase from 3,228 in the 2000 census.
Days, and is approximately in the northeast corner of current Story City with the southern boundary being Broad Street.
Story City was laid out to include Fairview in 1878, and officially incorporated in 1881. The railroad arrived in 1878 and connected the city to Ames by the narrow-gauge Des Moines & Minnesota and to Des Moines via the Chicago and North Western Railroad in Ames.
The City has deep historic and cultural ties to the Scandinavia
n countries of northern Europe of Denmark
, Sweden
, and predominately Norway
. A large contingent of the City's current population is descended from a major immigration of people from Nordic countries in the 1840s through 1860s. This is evident in the large number of Lutheran churches in the community, which historically had sermons in different languages (Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian) respective of the makeup of their congregations.
in decimal form are 42.1872062, -93.5957713.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 2.4 mi2 (6.3 km2), all land.
of 2000, there were 3,228 people, 1,321 households, and 816 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,334.1 people per square mile (515.0/km2). There were 1,377 housing units at an average density of 569.1 per square mile (219.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.76% White, 0.28% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.12% from other races
, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.43% of the population.
There were 1,321 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples
living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.4% 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 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 84.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,275, and the median income for a family was $51,493. Males had a median income of $33,500 versus $21,161 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $20,345. About 3.9% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
, only 45 minutes north of Des Moines and 10 minutes north of Ames, home to Iowa State University
. Industrial parks, shopping malls, and several restaurants are located on the interstate, with a historic downtown located less than two miles west of I-35. American Packaging, Innovative Lighting, and EBY are major employers in Story City.
The Story Theatre/Grand Opera House is the oldest continuously operating theater in the Midwest and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to showing movies, the theater features productions by Story City's Judge Story's Theatrical Troupe during Scandinavian Days in the summer and the annual Yulefest Celebration in the winter.
Story City is home to a 1913 Herschell-Spillman Antique carousel
. It is open at noon daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
The Story City Park is situated along the banks of the Skunk River
, one of Iowa's recreational water trails. It is the starting point for the Skunk River Canoe Trail. City Park is home to a historic swinging bridge, constructed in 1936 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration
program.
Story City has year-round athletic facilities. Residents and visitors can advantage the municipal pool, tennis courts, basketball courts, bicycle and walking trails, soccer and baseball fields, and recreation center.
Story City has a 9-hole "River Bend" golf course, featuring 2,980 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 37. The course rating is 34.3 and it has a slope rating of 117 on Blue grass. Designed by Charles Calhoun, the River Bend golf course opened in 1971.
The Skunk River Greenbelt Trail system begins just south of Story City immediately off of Interstate 35 on County Road E-18.
Story City is located at the western boundary of the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area.
, rides and games, and participants find themselves in an immersion of Nordic culture in the form of food and arts. There is also an annual Storytelling Festival, STORY! Celebrating the Art of Storytelling each September.
Area churches include the following:
Immanuel Lutheran Church (LCMS)
St. Petri Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Evangelical Free Church
Bethel Lutheran Church
Grace Methodist Church
Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints Church
Open Bible Church (Exit 123 1 mile south of Story City)
Riverside Bible Camp (Located 2 miles north of Story City)
St. Peter and Paul's Catholic Church (Located 7 miles southwest of Story City)
The Nordic traditions of the community are evident in some of ethnic foods of the area. Popular and frequently served food items around Story City include:
and participate in Heart of Iowa conference and Iowa High School Athletic Association
level 2A sports.
Story County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 89,542 in the county, with a population density of . There were 36,789 housing units, of which 34,736 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...
. Story City is located within the Ames, Iowa
Ames, Iowa
Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...
Metropolitan Statistical Area which envelops all of Story County and which, when held in conjunction with the Boone, Iowa
Boone, Iowa
Boone is a city in and the county seat of Des Moines Township, Boone County, Iowa, United States. It is the principal city of the 'Boone, Iowa Micropolitan Statistical Area', which encompasses all of Boone County. This micropolitan statistical area, along with the 'Ames, Iowa Metropolitan...
Micropolitan Statistical Area, complements the larger Ames-Boone, Iowa Combined Statistical Area
Combined Statistical Area
The United States Office of Management and Budget defines micropolitan and metropolitan statistical areas. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas consist of one or more counties...
. The population was 3,431 in the 2010 census, a slight increase from 3,228 in the 2000 census.
History
Story City was throughout much of its early history known as Fairview. The named changed in 1857 when the town established a post office and discovered that Fairview was taken else where. Story City was then renamed after Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story. The boundaries of "Old Fairview" are outlined by signs during ScandinavianScandinavians
Scandinavians are a group of Germanic peoples, inhabiting Scandinavia and to a lesser extent countries associated with Scandinavia, and speaking Scandinavian languages. The group includes Danes, Norwegians and Swedes, and additionally the descendants of Scandinavian settlers such as the Icelandic...
Days, and is approximately in the northeast corner of current Story City with the southern boundary being Broad Street.
Story City was laid out to include Fairview in 1878, and officially incorporated in 1881. The railroad arrived in 1878 and connected the city to Ames by the narrow-gauge Des Moines & Minnesota and to Des Moines via the Chicago and North Western Railroad in Ames.
The City has deep historic and cultural ties to the Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n countries of northern Europe of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and predominately Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. A large contingent of the City's current population is descended from a major immigration of people from Nordic countries in the 1840s through 1860s. This is evident in the large number of Lutheran churches in the community, which historically had sermons in different languages (Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian) respective of the makeup of their congregations.
Geography
Story City's longitude and latitude coordinatesin decimal form are 42.1872062, -93.5957713.
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 2.4 mi2 (6.3 km2), all land.
Demographics
2010 census
The 2010 census recorded a population of 3,431 in the city, with a population density of . There were 1,586 housing units, of which 1,472 were occupied.2000 census
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 3,228 people, 1,321 households, and 816 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 1,334.1 people per square mile (515.0/km2). There were 1,377 housing units at an average density of 569.1 per square mile (219.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.76% White, 0.28% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.12% 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 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.43% of the population.
There were 1,321 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% 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, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.4% 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 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 84.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,275, and the median income for a family was $51,493. Males had a median income of $33,500 versus $21,161 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 $20,345. About 3.9% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
About Story City
Story City is located in central Iowa on Interstate 35Interstate 35
Interstate 35 is a north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. I-35 stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. Many interstates used to have splits or spurs indicated with suffixed letters , but I-35...
, only 45 minutes north of Des Moines and 10 minutes north of Ames, home to Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
. Industrial parks, shopping malls, and several restaurants are located on the interstate, with a historic downtown located less than two miles west of I-35. American Packaging, Innovative Lighting, and EBY are major employers in Story City.
The Story Theatre/Grand Opera House is the oldest continuously operating theater in the Midwest and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to showing movies, the theater features productions by Story City's Judge Story's Theatrical Troupe during Scandinavian Days in the summer and the annual Yulefest Celebration in the winter.
Story City is home to a 1913 Herschell-Spillman Antique carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
. It is open at noon daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
The Story City Park is situated along the banks of the Skunk River
Skunk River
The Skunk River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States.It rises in two branches, the South Skunk and the North Skunk . The headwaters of the South Skunk are in Hamilton County in north central Iowa. It flows roughly due southward, to the west of...
, one of Iowa's recreational water trails. It is the starting point for the Skunk River Canoe Trail. City Park is home to a historic swinging bridge, constructed in 1936 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
program.
Story City has year-round athletic facilities. Residents and visitors can advantage the municipal pool, tennis courts, basketball courts, bicycle and walking trails, soccer and baseball fields, and recreation center.
Story City has a 9-hole "River Bend" golf course, featuring 2,980 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 37. The course rating is 34.3 and it has a slope rating of 117 on Blue grass. Designed by Charles Calhoun, the River Bend golf course opened in 1971.
The Skunk River Greenbelt Trail system begins just south of Story City immediately off of Interstate 35 on County Road E-18.
Story City is located at the western boundary of the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area.
Arts and culture
Story City features an annual Scandinavian Days celebration. The event occurs in the first week of June and features live music with a beer gardenBeer garden
Beer garden is an open-air area where beer, other drinks and local food are served. The concept originates from and is most common in Southern Germany...
, rides and games, and participants find themselves in an immersion of Nordic culture in the form of food and arts. There is also an annual Storytelling Festival, STORY! Celebrating the Art of Storytelling each September.
Immanuel Lutheran Church (LCMS)
St. Petri Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Evangelical Free Church
Bethel Lutheran Church
Grace Methodist Church
Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints Church
Open Bible Church (Exit 123 1 mile south of Story City)
Riverside Bible Camp (Located 2 miles north of Story City)
St. Peter and Paul's Catholic Church (Located 7 miles southwest of Story City)
The Nordic traditions of the community are evident in some of ethnic foods of the area. Popular and frequently served food items around Story City include:
- Kumla, potato dumpling made from finely cut potatoes mixed with flour, and typically served with boiled ham, ham broth, and plenty of butter.
- LutefiskLutefiskLutefisk or Lutfisk is a traditional dish of the Nordic countries and parts of the Midwest United States. It is made from aged stockfish or dried/salted whitefish and lye . It is gelatinous in texture, and has an extremely strong, pungent odor...
- KringleKringleKringle is a Scandinavian pastry, a Nordic variety of pretzel, which arrived with Roman Catholic monks in the 13th century, especially in Denmark...
- LefseLefseLefse is a traditional soft, Norwegian flatbread. Lefse is made out of potato, milk or cream and flour, and cooked on a griddle. Special tools are available for lefse baking, including long wooden turning sticks and special rolling pins with deep grooves.-Flavoring:There are many ways of...
- KrumkakeKrumkakeKrumkake or Krum kaka is a Norwegian waffle cookie made of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and cream. Krumkake are traditionally made during the Christmas season....
- RosettesRosette (cookie)A rosette is a thin, cookie-like deep-fried pastry of Scandinavian origin. Rosettes are traditionally made during Christmas time. They are made using intricately designed irons. The iron is heated to a very high temperature in oil, dipped into the batter, then re-immersed in the hot oil to create...
Education
Story City is the home of the Roland-Story Senior High School. Roland-Story High School's athletic teams are known as NorsemenNorsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
and participate in Heart of Iowa conference and Iowa High School Athletic Association
Iowa High School Athletic Association
The Iowa High School Athletic Association is the regulating body for male Iowa high school interscholastic athletics and is a full member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. Its female counterpart, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, is an associate member...
level 2A sports.
Notable people
- The band Radio MoscowRadio Moscow (band)Radio Moscow is an American psychedelic blues band from Story City, Iowa. Formed in 2003 by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Parker Griggs, the band currently features bassist Zach Anderson and live drummer Cory Berry...
was formed here - Rich OliveRich OliveRich Olive was the Iowa State Senator from the 5th District. A Democrat, he served in the Iowa Senate from 2007 until 2011.Olive served on several committees in the Iowa Senate - the Commerce committee; the Agriculture committee, where he is vice chair; the Economic Growth committee, where he is...
, Iowa State Senator - Hank SevereidHank SevereidHenry Levai Severeid born in Story City, Iowa was a Catcher for the Cincinnati Reds , St. Louis Browns , Washington Senators and New York Yankees ....
(1891–1968) Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
catcherCatcherCatcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to... - Chris TaylorChris Taylor (wrestler)Chris Taylor was an American freestyle wrestler who competed at 1972 Munich Olympics. At 412 pounds he was the heaviest Olympian ever until the appearance of judoka Ricardo Blas, Jr. in 2008...
(1950–1979) Bronze medal winner for Freestyle WrestlingFreestyle wrestlingFreestyle wrestling is a style of amateur wrestling that is practised throughout the world. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic games. It is, along with track and field, one of the oldest organized sports in history...
in the 1972 Summer Olympics1972 Summer OlympicsThe 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
External links
- City website
- City-Data Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Story City