Glenwood, Iowa | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Looking west at Glenwood from Old Slaughterhouse Hill at the Glenwood Lake Park in 2007 | |
 Location of Glenwood inMills County andIowa | |
| Coordinates:41°02′45″N95°44′50″W / 41.04583°N 95.74722°W /41.04583; -95.74722 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Iowa |
| County | Mills |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.93 sq mi (7.60 km2) |
| • Land | 2.92 sq mi (7.57 km2) |
| • Water | 0.012 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
| Elevation | 988 ft (301 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 5,073 |
• Estimate (2025) | 5,389 |
| • Density | 1,735.7/sq mi (670.15/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 51534 |
| Area code | 712 |
| FIPS code | 19-31350 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2394916[2] |
| Website | cityofglenwood |
Glenwood is the largest city in and thecounty seat ofMills County, Iowa, United States.[3] The population was 5,073 in the2020 census, a decline from 5,358 in2000.[4] The city was originally founded byMormons, beforethey left for Utah. After theSecond World War, Glenwood became a center formeatpacking, particularlykosher meatpacking. Glenwood was impacted bysignificant flooding in 2019.
Located in a hollow of theLoess Hills on the east side of theMissouri River, Glenwood was established byMormons in 1848 as Coonsville.[5] It prospered during theCalifornia Gold Rush largely due to thegrain mill on Keg Creek. Coonsville was the scene of anti-Mormon mob violence. It became thecounty seat ofMills County in 1851. In 1852, after most Mormons left forUtah, it was renamed Glenwood after aPresbyterian minister, Glenn Wood.[6]
The community supported the creation ofNebraska Territory in 1854. Two Glenwood attorneys were elected to the Nebraska territorial legislature, and they were run out of town for accepting shares inScriptown. At the end of theCivil War, an Iowa Veteran's Orphans Home was founded here. The evangelist (and professional baseball athlete)Billy Sunday lived at the orphanage as a child.[7]
TheBurlington and Missouri River Railroad was completed through Glenwood in 1869. During the late 19th century, the community was widely known as Iowa's center of fruit production, particularly of apples, and it hosted an annual Apple Carnival. Early industries included an iron foundry, an expansive marble and stone works, the Glenwood Creamery, and a large cannery that covered a city block on the east side of Locust Street. It distributed its products under the brand-name "The Glenwood". Darting & McGavern's "Sanitary" cannery on South Vine and Railroad Avenue canned tomatoes, pumpkin, apples, and beets into the 1920s.
In 1876 the State Veterans' Orphan's Home at Glenwood was adapted for use as the IowaAsylum forFeeble-Minded Children,[8][9] the seventh such facility in the country and the first located west of theMississippi River. The Glenwood facility expanded with increased acceptance of treatment and institutionalization forintellectual disability; it became theIowa Institution for Feeble-Minded Children. The grounds and Administration Building were largely patterned on theKirkbride Plan, as state funding permitted. (The Administration Building has since been demolished.)
The institution has long dominated Glenwood both economically and culturally, although the IIFMC was self-sufficient and intentionally isolated the residents from the rest of the town. By 1925, the Glenwood IIFMC was the home of 1,555 inmates classified asidiots,imbeciles, andmorons, according to contemporary definitions. The IIFMC became the Glenwood State-Hospital School in 1941. By the early 1950s, the facility covered 1,185 acres (5 km2); it had 310 staff members for the 1,968 patients. Under the influence ofeugenics theory, the state had orderedsterilization of those defined as feeble-minded or worse, and experimental treatments such as cold baths and electroshock were used to reduce symptoms ofpsychosis anddepression. The de-institutionalization of Glenwood began in the late 1950s. A November 17, 1957 article in theDes Moines Register revealed that Mayo Buckner had spent 59 years confined to Glenwood, despite an IQ of 120, indicating above-average intelligence. National attention followed for Buckner and the Glenwood State-Hospital School, which were featured in the December 9, 1957 issue ofTime and the March 25, 1958 issue ofLife Magazine. During the 1970s, the facility completed a transformation from traditional ward buildings intogroup home-styled cottages. It is now known as the Glenwood Resource Center and provides services and skills training to support people living in communities.
AfterWorld War II, the town of Glenwood became a center ofmeat-packing. During the early 1950s, it had one of America's largestkosher packinghouses,[5] with most of its product shipped to New York and the East Coast. The packinghouse was later modified to process both cattle and pork; it was bought bySwift & Company and then closed in the 1980s. Meatpacking has moved to sites further west, closer to ranching areas.
Trajet, ahot tub manufacturer, now occupies the former slaughterhouse.[10] A large industrial laundry operated for most of the 20th century in the town until it was purchased and closed byCintas.
Transportation links include theBNSF;U.S. Route 34, andU.S. Route 275 pass through Glenwood, andInterstate 29 is located a few miles west on the floodplain of theMissouri River. Tourist destinations are theLoess Hills and theNational Scenic Byway.
In March 2019, Mills County was hit withcatastrophic flooding. While Glenwood itself was not directly affected, residents were without clean water for weeks on a boil order.[11] Glenwood officials worked with Mills County to help flood efforts in nearby towns likePacific Junction, which was nearly completely submerged with hundreds displaced.[12]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.96 square miles (7.67 km2), of which 2.95 square miles (7.64 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.[13]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 614 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,291 | 110.3% | |
| 1880 | 1,793 | 38.9% | |
| 1890 | 1,890 | 5.4% | |
| 1900 | 3,040 | 60.8% | |
| 1910 | 4,052 | 33.3% | |
| 1920 | 3,862 | −4.7% | |
| 1930 | 4,269 | 10.5% | |
| 1940 | 4,501 | 5.4% | |
| 1950 | 4,664 | 3.6% | |
| 1960 | 4,783 | 2.6% | |
| 1970 | 4,421 | −7.6% | |
| 1980 | 5,280 | 19.4% | |
| 1990 | 4,571 | −13.4% | |
| 2000 | 5,358 | 17.2% | |
| 2010 | 5,269 | −1.7% | |
| 2020 | 5,073 | −3.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[14][4] | |||
As of thecensus of 2020,[15] there were 5,073 people, 1,918 households, and 1,220 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 1,735.7 inhabitants per square mile (670.1/km2). There were 2,084 housing units at an average density of 713.0 per square mile (275.3/km2). Theracial makeup of the city was 92.9%White, 0.6%Black or African American, 0.2%Native American, 0.2%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races and 5.0% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 4.0% of the population.
Of the 1,918 households, 34.0% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% weremarried couples living together, 6.2% were cohabitating couples, 31.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 16.9% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 36.4% of all households were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older.
The median age in the city was 38.9 years. 27.9% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.1% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 and 44; 24.8% were from 45 and 64; and 18.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.
At the2010 census there were 5,269 people in 1,883 households, including 1,243 families, in the city. The population density was 1,786.1 inhabitants per square mile (689.6/km2). There were 2,045 housing units at an average density of 693.2 per square mile (267.6/km2). Theracial makup of the city was 96.8% White, 0.6% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.7% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.7%.[16]
Of the 1,883 households 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.0% were non-families. 28.7% of households were one person and 11.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.06.
The median age was 38.1 years. 25.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.2% were from 25 to 44; 27.6% were from 45 to 64; and 13.7% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.
At the2000 census there were 5,358 people in 1,863 households, including 1,276 families, in the city. The population density was 2,067.7 inhabitants per square mile (798.3/km2). There were 1,946 housing units at an average density of 751.0 per square mile (290.0/km2). Theracial makup of the city was 97.26% White, 0.62% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.47%.[17]
Of the 1,863 households 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 27.5% of households were one person and 12.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.09.
Population spread: 26.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
The median household income was $39,682 and the median family income was $46,555. Males had a median income of $29,918 versus $24,368 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,790. About 6.8% of families and 9.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.
Glenwood Community School District is the local school district for the city.
Saint Albert Catholic Schools inCouncil Bluffs takes students from Glenwood.[18]
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Municipalities and communities ofMills County, Iowa,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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