Cherokee, Iowa | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Cherokee | |
| Motto(s): "Citizens With a Passion for Community and a Community with Passion for its Citizens!"[1] | |
 Location of Cherokee, Iowa | |
| Coordinates:42°45′N95°33′W / 42.750°N 95.550°W /42.750; -95.550 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Iowa |
| County | Cherokee |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council |
| • Mayor | Craig Schmidt |
| Area | |
• Total | 6.86 sq mi (17.76 km2) |
| • Land | 6.83 sq mi (17.70 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,194 ft (364 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 5,199 |
| • Density | 760.87/sq mi (293.77/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 51012 |
| Area code | 712 |
| FIPS code | 19-13080 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0455370 |
| Website | www |
Cherokee[a] is a city and thecounty seat of inCherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,199 at the2020 Census, down from 5,369 in2000.[4][5]
Cherokee was laid out as a town in 1870,[6] and was named for the SoutheastIndian tribe, most of whose members had been removed toIndian Territory in the late 1830s.[7] Cherokee was incorporated on April 5, 1873.
Tyson Foods closed its Tyson Foods Deli Plant in Cherokee on September 27, 2014.[8][9] Tyson was the largest employer in Cherokee at the time, and they laid off approximately 450 employees or over eight percent of the total population of Cherokee.[10]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.45 square miles (16.71 km2), of which 6.43 square miles (16.65 km2) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2) is water.[11]
| Climate data for Cherokee, Iowa (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1921−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 67 (19) | 68 (20) | 86 (30) | 94 (34) | 106 (41) | 103 (39) | 108 (42) | 109 (43) | 101 (38) | 94 (34) | 80 (27) | 68 (20) | 109 (43) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 48.4 (9.1) | 54.3 (12.4) | 71.4 (21.9) | 82.6 (28.1) | 89.9 (32.2) | 93.3 (34.1) | 94.3 (34.6) | 93.0 (33.9) | 90.1 (32.3) | 83.9 (28.8) | 67.9 (19.9) | 52.4 (11.3) | 96.3 (35.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 26.7 (−2.9) | 31.7 (−0.2) | 44.7 (7.1) | 58.9 (14.9) | 70.5 (21.4) | 80.8 (27.1) | 84.3 (29.1) | 81.9 (27.7) | 75.4 (24.1) | 62.0 (16.7) | 45.5 (7.5) | 31.8 (−0.1) | 57.8 (14.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 16.9 (−8.4) | 21.4 (−5.9) | 34.0 (1.1) | 46.6 (8.1) | 58.7 (14.8) | 69.4 (20.8) | 73.2 (22.9) | 70.6 (21.4) | 62.6 (17.0) | 49.2 (9.6) | 34.8 (1.6) | 22.4 (−5.3) | 46.7 (8.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 7.1 (−13.8) | 11.1 (−11.6) | 23.3 (−4.8) | 34.4 (1.3) | 46.9 (8.3) | 58.0 (14.4) | 62.1 (16.7) | 59.4 (15.2) | 49.8 (9.9) | 36.4 (2.4) | 24.0 (−4.4) | 12.9 (−10.6) | 35.4 (1.9) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −17.1 (−27.3) | −11.0 (−23.9) | 0.8 (−17.3) | 18.6 (−7.4) | 31.1 (−0.5) | 44.3 (6.8) | 49.5 (9.7) | 47.5 (8.6) | 33.4 (0.8) | 19.9 (−6.7) | 6.4 (−14.2) | −8.8 (−22.7) | −20.5 (−29.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −35 (−37) | −34 (−37) | −23 (−31) | −8 (−22) | 21 (−6) | 34 (1) | 40 (4) | 34 (1) | 19 (−7) | −5 (−21) | −17 (−27) | −27 (−33) | −35 (−37) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.65 (17) | 0.78 (20) | 1.66 (42) | 3.17 (81) | 4.28 (109) | 5.20 (132) | 3.40 (86) | 4.12 (105) | 3.29 (84) | 2.25 (57) | 1.46 (37) | 0.93 (24) | 31.19 (792) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 7.5 (19) | 8.4 (21) | 5.2 (13) | 2.7 (6.9) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.5 (1.3) | 4.0 (10) | 9.4 (24) | 37.8 (96) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 5.8 | 5.6 | 6.9 | 9.2 | 12.8 | 11.4 | 9.0 | 9.4 | 8.5 | 7.2 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 96.5 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 4.9 | 4.4 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 4.3 | 20.1 |
| Source:NOAA[12][13] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 438 | — | |
| 1880 | 1,523 | 247.7% | |
| 1890 | 3,441 | 125.9% | |
| 1900 | 3,865 | 12.3% | |
| 1910 | 4,884 | 26.4% | |
| 1920 | 5,824 | 19.2% | |
| 1930 | 6,443 | 10.6% | |
| 1940 | 7,469 | 15.9% | |
| 1950 | 7,705 | 3.2% | |
| 1960 | 7,724 | 0.2% | |
| 1970 | 7,272 | −5.9% | |
| 1980 | 7,004 | −3.7% | |
| 1990 | 6,026 | −14.0% | |
| 2000 | 5,369 | −10.9% | |
| 2010 | 5,253 | −2.2% | |
| 2020 | 5,199 | −1.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[14][4] | |||
As of thecensus of 2020,[15] there were 5,199 people, 2,272 households, and 1,271 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 769.5 inhabitants per square mile (297.1/km2). There were 2,498 housing units at an average density of 369.7 per square mile (142.8/km2). Theracial makeup of the city was 90.3%White, 1.3%Black or African American, 0.3%Native American, 0.9%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 3.4% from other races and 3.7% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 6.6% of the population.
Of the 2,272 households, 24.2% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% weremarried couples living together, 6.9% were cohabitating couples, 29.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 21.5% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 44.1% of all households were non-families. 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals, 20.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older.
The median age in the city was 46.2 years. 22.5% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.4% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 22.0% were from 25 and 44; 25.4% were from 45 and 64; and 25.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.
At the2010 census there were 5,253 people in 2,316 households, including 1,339 families, in the city. The population density was 817.0 inhabitants per square mile (315.4/km2). There were 2,569 housing units at an average density of 399.5 per square mile (154.2/km2). Theracial makeup of the city was 95.5% White, 1.0% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9%.[16]
Of the 2,316 households 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.2% were non-families. 37.3% of households were one person and 16.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.77.
The median age was 46.3 years. 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.1% were from 25 to 44; 28.9% were from 45 to 64; and 22.8% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.
At the2000 census there were 5,369 people in 2,362 households, including 1,393 families, in the city. The population density was 837.8 inhabitants per square mile (323.5/km2). There were 2,556 housing units at an average density of 398.9 per square mile (154.0/km2). Theracial makeup of the city was 97.5% White, 0.54% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.54% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.51%.[17]
Of the 2,362 households 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 37.3% of households were one person and 19.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.82.
Age spread: 23.2% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
The median household income was $31,240 and the median family income was $42,333. Males had a median income of $28,350 versus $21,333 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,846. About 5.0% of families and 7.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
The nearbyCherokee Sewer Site is a well-preserved prehistoric Indian bison-processing site. Findings here have helped to redefine the Archaic period in the Midwest. ThePhipps Site is a 1000-year-old indigenous Plains farming village, which may have been fortified. It is designated as aNational Historic Landmark.
The annual Jazz Festival is held in January, often headlined byMark Pender, a member of theBasic Cable band.[18][19]
The Cherokee County Fair, and the Cherokee Rodeo are held in the summer.[19]
Creek Fest is an annual summer music festival held along the banks of Mill Creek. Past performers includeKid Rock,The Band Perry,Big & Rich, andFlorida Georgia Line.[20]
Cherokee is the home of theSanford Museum and Planetarium that opened in 1951.[21] The founders, Mr & Mrs W.A. Sanford, intended to create a museum that was free and open to the public. The facility has exhibits and activities on a variety of subjects including: archaeology, art, astronomy, geology, history, natural history, and paleontology.[19]
Cherokee may be the smallest town in the world to have its ownsymphony orchestra, theCherokee Symphony. This 60-member orchestra has been referred to as "the best kept secret in Northwest Iowa".[19]
TheCherokee Community School District operates local schools.[22]
Hospitals in the city include Cherokee Regional Medical Center, andCherokee Mental Health Institute.
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Municipalities and communities ofCherokee County, Iowa,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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