Shelby County, Iowa

Infobox U.S. County
county = Shelby County
state = Iowa


map size = 225
founded =
seat = Harlan
area_total_sq_mi =591
area_land_sq_mi =591
area_water_sq_mi =1
area percentage = 0.09%
census yr = 2000
pop = 13173
density_km2 =9
web = www.shco.org|

Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of 2000, the population is 13,173. Its name is in honor of Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentucky. Its county seat is Harlan.GR|6

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 591 square miles (1,532 km²), of which, 591 square miles (1,530 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (1 km²) of it (0.09%) is water.

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

*Crawford County (north)
*Audubon County (east)
*Cass County (southeast)
*Pottawattamie County (south)
*Harrison County (west)

History

Shelby County was formed on January 15, 1851. It was named after General Isaac Shelby, a hero in the American Revolutionary War and the first Governor of Kentucky.

On February 4, 1855, Shelbyville was designated the county seat. in April, 1859, the seat was moved to Harlan. One year later the first courthouse was erected. In 1898, the construction of a second courthouse was began, this time of stone and three storeys high. The construction was completed in 1892. In 1978, the building was extensively restored and still serves as the courthouse. [ [http://www.shco.org/ch_history.htm Shelby County, Iowa ] ]

Demographics

USCensusPop
1900= 17932
1910= 16552
1920= 16065
1930= 17131
1940= 16720
1950= 15942
1960= 15825
1970= 15528
1980= 15043
1990= 13230
2000= 13173
footnote= [http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ia190090.txt IA Counties 1900-1990] As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 13,173 people, 5,173 households, and 3,703 families residing in the county. The population density was 22 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 5,459 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.68% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,173 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.30% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.40% under the age of 18, 5.70% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 20.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,442, and the median income for a family was $44,681. Males had a median income of $29,402 versus $20,296 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,969. About 4.30% of families and 6.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.00% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

*Defiance *Earling *Elk Horn

*Harlan *Irwin *Kirkman

*Panama *Portsmouth *Shelby

*Tennant *Westphalia

Notes

External links

* [http://www.shco.org/ Shelby County government's website]