Mason City, Iowa | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Logo | |
| Nickname: "River City" | |
 Location of Mason City, Iowa | |
| Coordinates:43°08′55″N93°12′07″W / 43.14861°N 93.20194°W /43.14861; -93.20194 | |
| Country | USA |
| State | Iowa |
| County | Cerro Gordo |
| Area | |
• Total | 28.15 sq mi (72.92 km2) |
| • Land | 27.86 sq mi (72.15 km2) |
| • Water | 0.30 sq mi (0.78 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,125 ft (343 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 27,338 |
| • Rank | 16th in Iowa |
| • Density | 981.4/sq mi (378.93/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 50401, 50402, 50467 |
| Area code | 641 |
| FIPS code | 19-50160 |
| GNIS feature ID | 468366[2] |
| Website | www.masoncity.net |
Mason City is a city and thecounty seat ofCerro Gordo County,Iowa, United States.[3] The population was 27,338 in the2020 census.[4] Mason City is known for itsmusical andmasonry heritage, as well as being home to a significant collection ofPrairie School style architecture. The city forms a regional hub for north-central Iowa with nearbyClear Lake.
TheMason City Micropolitan Statistical Area that includes all ofCerro Gordo andWorth counties is located at the transportation junction betweenInterstate 35 and theAvenue of the Saints.[5] Local public education is provided byNorth Iowa Area Community College andMason City Community School District. TheWinnebago River traverses the community to the southeast.
The region around what would later be first calledShibboleth was a summer home to theSioux andWinnebago nations. The first settlement that became Shibboleth was established in 1853 at the confluence of theWinnebago River and Calmus Creek.[6] The town had several freemasonic influenced names: Shibboleth, Masonic Grove, and Masonville until Mason City was adopted in 1855, in honor of a founder's son, Mason Long.[7]
In 1854, John McMillin opened the first store, and Dr. Silas Card opened the first medical practice in the area. Lizzie Thompson established the first schoolhouse in a log cabin in 1856. TheUnited States Post Office Department started service to the town in 1857. Mason City was named the county seat in 1858.[8] In 1870, Mason City, Iowa was officially incorporated as a town with Darius B. Mason as the first mayor.[5]
The city's "favorite son,"Meredith Willson, grew up in Mason City and played in the Mason City Symphonic Band as a high school student. Willson's crowning achievement was the famous stage musicalThe Music Man. Many of the characters in it were based on people Willson knew from his childhood in Mason City.[9] Mason City also features theParker's Opera House.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.10 square miles (72.78 km2), of which 27.81 square miles (72.03 km2) is land and 0.29 square miles (0.75 km2) is water.[10][11]
Mason City has a warm-summerhumid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb), bordering closely on the hot-summer variant.
| Climate data for Mason City, Iowa (Mason City Municipal Airport) 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1948–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 62 (17) | 66 (19) | 84 (29) | 93 (34) | 99 (37) | 103 (39) | 104 (40) | 101 (38) | 99 (37) | 95 (35) | 79 (26) | 69 (21) | 104 (40) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 44.5 (6.9) | 48.0 (8.9) | 67.2 (19.6) | 82.5 (28.1) | 88.4 (31.3) | 92.9 (33.8) | 92.9 (33.8) | 90.5 (32.5) | 89.3 (31.8) | 81.7 (27.6) | 65.8 (18.8) | 48.5 (9.2) | 95.1 (35.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 24.2 (−4.3) | 28.5 (−1.9) | 42.1 (5.6) | 57.5 (14.2) | 69.6 (20.9) | 79.6 (26.4) | 82.5 (28.1) | 80.2 (26.8) | 74.1 (23.4) | 59.9 (15.5) | 43.6 (6.4) | 29.7 (−1.3) | 56.0 (13.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 15.7 (−9.1) | 20.0 (−6.7) | 32.9 (0.5) | 46.0 (7.8) | 58.2 (14.6) | 68.5 (20.3) | 71.5 (21.9) | 68.9 (20.5) | 61.4 (16.3) | 48.2 (9.0) | 33.9 (1.1) | 21.6 (−5.8) | 45.6 (7.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 7.2 (−13.8) | 11.4 (−11.4) | 23.6 (−4.7) | 34.5 (1.4) | 46.8 (8.2) | 57.3 (14.1) | 60.5 (15.8) | 57.6 (14.2) | 48.8 (9.3) | 36.6 (2.6) | 24.3 (−4.3) | 13.5 (−10.3) | 35.2 (1.8) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −16.0 (−26.7) | −10.6 (−23.7) | 0.5 (−17.5) | 18.7 (−7.4) | 31.9 (−0.1) | 44.2 (6.8) | 49.2 (9.6) | 46.2 (7.9) | 32.7 (0.4) | 20.1 (−6.6) | 6.1 (−14.4) | −9.0 (−22.8) | −19.4 (−28.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −31 (−35) | −32 (−36) | −28 (−33) | 6 (−14) | 22 (−6) | 36 (2) | 42 (6) | 35 (2) | 24 (−4) | 12 (−11) | −16 (−27) | −26 (−32) | −32 (−36) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.89 (23) | 1.22 (31) | 2.29 (58) | 4.15 (105) | 5.15 (131) | 5.39 (137) | 4.43 (113) | 3.79 (96) | 3.45 (88) | 2.53 (64) | 1.67 (42) | 1.29 (33) | 36.25 (921) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 11.3 (29) | 10.0 (25) | 7.0 (18) | 3.0 (7.6) | 0.3 (0.76) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.4 (1.0) | 3.0 (7.6) | 9.4 (24) | 44.4 (113) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 8.1 | 7.9 | 9.4 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 11.9 | 9.6 | 9.2 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 7.8 | 8.4 | 115.6 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 7.7 | 6.2 | 3.8 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 3.2 | 7.0 | 30.2 |
| Source:NOAA[12][13] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 1,183 | — | |
| 1880 | 2,510 | 112.2% | |
| 1890 | 4,007 | 59.6% | |
| 1900 | 6,747 | 68.4% | |
| 1910 | 11,230 | 66.4% | |
| 1920 | 20,065 | 78.7% | |
| 1930 | 23,304 | 16.1% | |
| 1940 | 27,080 | 16.2% | |
| 1950 | 27,980 | 3.3% | |
| 1960 | 30,642 | 9.5% | |
| 1970 | 30,379 | −0.9% | |
| 1980 | 30,144 | −0.8% | |
| 1990 | 29,040 | −3.7% | |
| 2000 | 29,172 | 0.5% | |
| 2010 | 28,079 | −3.7% | |
| 2020 | 27,338 | −2.6% | |
| Iowa Data Center[14][4] | |||
As of thecensus of 2020,[15] there were 27,338 people, 12,271 households, and 6,838 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 981.4 inhabitants per square mile (378.9/km2). There were 13,584 housing units at an average density of 487.7 per square mile (188.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 87.0%White, 2.9%Black or African American, 0.5%Native American, 1.5%Asian, 0.5%Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races and 5.7% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race comprised 6.7% of the population.
Of the 12,271 households, 23.3% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% weremarried couples living together, 8.0% were cohabitating couples, 30.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 21.3% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 44.3% of all households were non-families. 37.5% of all household were made up of individuals, 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older.
The median age in the city was 42.7 years. 22.6% of the residents were under the age of 20; 6.3% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 and 44; 25.3% were from 45 and 64; and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.
As of the census[16] of 2010, there were 28,079 people, 12,366 households, and 7,210 families living in the city. The population density was 1,009.7 inhabitants per square mile (389.8/km2). There were 13,352 housing units at an average density of 480.1 units per square mile (185.4 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.8%White, 1.8%African American, 0.3%Native American, 0.9%Asian, 1.3% fromother races, and 1.9% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 5.1% of the population.
There were 12,366 households, of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.7% were non-families. Of all households, 35.0% were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.83.
The median age in the city was 40.9 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 28.2% were from 45 to 64, and 17.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.
As of thecensus[17] of 2000, there were 29,172 people, 12,368 households, and 7,507 families living in the city. The population density was 1,131.3 inhabitants per square mile (436.8/km2). There were 13,029 housing units at an average density of 505.3 units per square mile (195.1 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.40%White, 1.17%African American, 0.18%Native American, 0.77%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 1.07% fromother races, and 1.40% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 3.45% of the population.
There were 12,368 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% weremarried couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. Of all households, 33.5% were made up of individuals, and 14.6% 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 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
Themedian income for a household in the city was $33,852, and the median income for a family was $45,160. Males had a median income of $32,451 versus $21,756 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $18,899. About 7.2% of families and 10.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.
Mason City has a very diverse employment base covering multiple sectors of the economy including manufacturing, health, financial services, technology and education, with no one sector or employer dominating the market.
The largest employer isMercyOne North Iowa Medical Center, formerly known as Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa, and before that as St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, is the region's largest hospital. The facility serves 14 counties across northern Iowa. In June 2019, the hospital opened a new $10.6 million behavioral center. The new center will help MercyOne to increase the number of behavioral health-care services it can offer to those in the community it serves who are struggling with mental illness and substance abuse issues.[18]
Other major employers include door manufacturers Curries (part ofAssa Abloy),[19] Woodhardbor Cabinetry Manufacturers,Principal Financial,Cargill Kitchen Solutions and theKraft Foods plant that produces the nation's entire supply of refrigerated ready-to-eatJell-O pudding snacks. Mason City is also a major production center forPortland cement. In November 2007, Reyes Holding / Martin-Brower opened a distribution facility serving McDonald's in 5 states.[20]
In March 2016, North Carolina–based company Prestage Farms proposed to build a $240 million pork processing plant or slaughterhouse in Mason City,[21] employing about 1,800 people. In May, the Mason City Council cast a tie vote rejecting the proposed project.[22] Plant opponents raised environmental issues and expressed concern about possible harm to property values.[23]
TheCharles H. MacNider Art Museum includes a permanent collection of American art, the famousBil Baird puppets, and a wide range of ceramics.[24]
Music Man Square is located near downtown and features multiple exhibits related toMeredith Willson andThe Music Man, including Willson's boyhood home, the Meredith Willson Museum, and a replica streetscape from the musical.[25]
In late May or early June Mason City holds an annual celebration of its musical heritage calledThe North Iowa Band Festival. School bands from across the Midwest compete during the parade to be named the best band. The home bands, Mason City High School and Newman Catholic High School Marching Bands, do not compete but do perform in the parade.[26] Meredith Willson returned to participate in the festival many times.
Mason City is widely known for its collection ofPrairie School architecture. TheRock Crest-Rock Glen Historic District is the largest concentration of any city in Iowa. At least 32 houses and one commercial building were built in the Prairie Style between 1908 and 1922, 17 of which are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places and eight more are contributing properties to a historic district.[27][28]
The first two Prairie structures, theDr. G.C. Stockman House (1908) and thePark Inn Hotel and City National Bank Buildings (1909–1910) were both designed byFrank Lloyd Wright. The hotel and bank, amixed-use development at the corner of State and Federal Avenues was the first to be commissioned by local attorneys James E. E. Markley and James E. Blythe. Within a year, Wright was hired to design the Stockman House by Markley's neighbor.[29]
Both the Park Inn Hotel and Stockman House suffered from neglect and unsympathetic alterations before they were saved by community organizations. In 1989, the Stockman House was moved four blocks to prevent its demolition; it was subsequently restored and opened to the public by the River City Society for Historic Preservation.[30] Likewise, Wright on the Park, Inc. began restoration on the Park Inn Hotel in 2005 and the former City National Bank building in 2007. The organization reopened both buildings as aboutique hotel in August 2011.[31][32] The Park Inn Hotel is last remaining of the few hotels that Wright completed during his career and is considered a prototype for Wright'sImperial Hotel.[33]
The Rock Glen and Rock Crest National Historic district is a small enclave of single-family homes situated along the banks of Willow Creek five blocks east of downtown. It is the largest collection of prairie-style homes in a natural setting in the world.[citation needed] It features both Prairie School andUsonian design.[citation needed] Five of these houses were designed byWalter Burley Griffin andMarion Mahony Griffin, two byFrancis Barry Byrne, and others by William Drummond, Einar Broaten, and Curtis Besinger.[citation needed]
In addition toPrairie Style architecture, Mason City is home to extensiveVictorian,Craftsman, andBungalow style homes, as well as historic commercial structures, dates from between 1892 and 1940, including theBrick and Tile Building at the intersection of State and Delaware Streets.
TheMason City Public Library was designed by Chicago architectsHolabird and Root in 1939.[34]
TheLen Jus Building on North Federal Avenue has an extremely rare sheet-metal facade, it had been placed on theIowa Historic Preservation Alliance's Most Endangered list because of its poor repair and indifferent ownership,[35][36] but is now being rehabilitated by the new owner.
Since 2014, Mason City has hostedRiver City Sculptures on Parade, an annual public art walk featuring rotating artists.[37] Each year, the city purchases the most-popular rotating sculpture to add to the permanent collection.[38]
Mason City has some history of minor league and amateur sports teams despite its relatively small size.
TheNorth Iowa Bulls are ajunior ice hockey team that first began play in 2011 as member of theNorth American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL).[39] The Bulls won the league championship in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2021, while also winning the Tier III National Championship in 2013 and 2015. The Bulls moved up to the Tier IINorth American Hockey League (NAHL) and rebranded the Tier III team as theMason City Toros in 2021. TheNorth Iowa Outlaws junior hockey team previously played in the NAHL from 2005 until 2010, when they relocated toOnalaska, Wisconsin, to become theCoulee Region Chill. TheNorth Iowa Huskies played in theUnited States Hockey League from 1983 to 1999 and then moved to Cedar Rapids.
Mason City was home tominor league baseball. The Mason City Cementmakers (1912) andMason City Claydiggers (1915–1917) played as members of theIowa State League (1912) andCentral Association (1915–1917). The teams played at Hanford Park.[40]
TheMason City Bats of the short-livedGreat Central League played baseball here in 1994.[41]
College Football Hall of Fame coachBarry Alvarez led Mason City High School to the 1978 Class 4A state football championship with a 15–13 victory over Dubuque Hempstead.
River City Rugby Football Club was established in Mason City in 1972. The club competes in two separate two-month seasons, April and May, and September and October. The club celebrated its 40th anniversary in June 2012. Over 250 players have played for the club since it first began. The club competes against teams from Iowa,Minnesota, andNebraska in the Midwest Division 3.
Mason City Community School District operates the following schools:Harding Elementary School,Hoover Elementary School,Jefferson Elementary School,Roosevelt Elementary School,Lincoln Intermediate School (5–6),John Adams Junior High School (7–8),Mason City High School, (9–12),Mason City Alternative High School,Madison Early Childhood Center. Past schools include Lincoln, Washington, Grant, Central Heights, Central, McKinley, Wilson, Jackson, Monroe and Garfield elementary schools, and Monroe and Roosevelt junior high schools.
Newman Catholic Elementary/Middle School,Newman Catholic High School, and North Iowa Christian School. Mason City is also the home of the Worldwide College of Auctioning founded in 1933 by the well-known auctioneer Col. Joe Reisch and subsequently owned/operated for many years by Col. Gordon E. Taylor.
Mason City is home to several institutions of higher education, including theNorth Iowa Area Community College (formerly Mason City Junior College), a branch ofBuena Vista University which is located on the NIACC campus, andPurdue University Global formerly known asKaplan University. Hamilton College, a business school, has operated in the city since 1900.
The town is featured prominently in the first episode of the 12-part documentary filmHow Democracy Works Now. In the 1989 movieUHF the character Stanley Spadowski (played by Michael Richards) is seen wearing a Mason City t-shirt.
Mason City served as the inspiration for the fictional town of River City, Iowa, inThe Music Man, a musical that was composed and written by Mason City native son Meredith Willson (although the 1962 film, which had its world premiere in Mason City, was shot entirely at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California).[42]
| Channel | Callsign | Affiliation | Branding | Subchannels | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Virtual) | Channel | Programming | |||
| 3.1 | KIMT | CBS | KIMT 3 | 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 | MyNetworkTV ION Antenna TV Story Television Catchy Comedy |
| 6.1 | KAAL | ABC | KAAL 6 | 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 | Start TV ION Plus Bounce TV ION Television |
| 10.1 | KTTC | NBC | KTTC 10 | 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 | CW+ Heroes & Icons Court TV True Crime Network Outlaw |
| 15.1 | KSMQ | PBS | KSMQ | 15.2 15.3 15.4 | MHz Worldview Create Minnesota Channel |
| 24.1 | KYIN | PBS | Iowa Public Television | 24.2 24.3 24.4 | PBS Kids World Create |
| 47.1 | KXLT | FOX | FOX 47 | 47.2 47.3 47.4 47.5 47.6 47.7 | MeTV Me-TV Toons ION Mystery Quest Grit Laff |
| AM radio stations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency | Call sign | Name | Format | |
| 970 | KQAQ | Real Presence Radio | Catholic | |
| 1010 | KRNI | Iowa Public Radio | Public Radio | |
| 1300 | KGLO | News/Talk | ||
| 1490 | KRIB | Oldies | ||
| FM radio stations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency | Call sign | Name | Format | |
| 88.5 | KBDC | American Family Radio | Christian | |
| 90.7 | K2814BA (KHKE Translator) | Classical | ||
| 91.5 | KNSM | Iowa Public Radio | Public radio | |
| 92.5 | K223AB (KJLY Translator) | Christian | ||
| 93.9 | KIAI | The Country Moose | Country | |
| 97.9 | KCMR | Christian | ||
| 98.7 | KSMA | 98.7 KISS Country | Country | |
| 99.9 | KAUS | US Country 99.9 | Country | |
| 103.7 | KLKK | 103.7 The Fox | Classic rock | |
| 106.1 | KLSS | Star 106 | Top 40 | |
Mason City Transit provides fixed-route and demand-response mass transit services to the city.
The majority of Mason City is served byIowa Highway 122 andU.S. Route 65.U.S. Route 18 now bypasses the city to the south.Interstate 35 (eight miles to the west) serves the city as well.
Mason City is home to theIowa Traction Railway. The IATR is one of the last surviving electric interurban railroads in the U. S., and the only one that still uses electric locomotives to haul freight in regular service.
Mason City also is served by theCanadian Pacific Railway andUnion Pacific Railroad. The Canadian Pacific track is part of its US subsidiary theDakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad (formerI&M Rail Link andMilwaukee Road trackage. The Union Pacific's track was inherited from theChicago and North Western Transportation Company when it bought it in the 1990s. Much of the trackage is composed of the old Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad's (akaRock Island Railroad )
While theIowa Northern Railway does not operate in the city of Mason City, it does serve other communities in the Mason City micropolitan statistical area. The Iowa Northern has facilities in Manly, Iowa.
The city also hostsMason City Municipal Airport, (MCW) with commercial service byUnited Airlines. It is the airport from which early rock and roll starsBuddy Holly,Ritchie Valens andThe Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson) took off on the night of February 3, 1959, after a concert at theSurf Ballroom in nearbyClear Lake, Iowa, en route to Fargo, N.D. The plane crashed a few miles west of the airport in an historic event later referred to asthe Day the Music Died. Holly, Valens, Richardson and pilot Roger Peterson all died in the accident.
Mason City, Iowa, andMontegrotto Terme, Italy, created a Sister City relationship in the spring of 2005.[8]
mason city.
Municipalities and communities ofCerro Gordo County, Iowa,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Townships | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
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