- Corning, Iowa
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Corning, Iowa — City — Icarian colony site near Corning, Iowa
Corning, IowaCoordinates: 40°59′29″N 94°44′13″W / 40.99139°N 94.73694°WCoordinates: 40°59′29″N 94°44′13″W / 40.99139°N 94.73694°W Country 
United StatesState 
IowaCounty Adams Township Quincy Area – Total 1.6 sq mi (4.1 km2) – Land 1.6 sq mi (4.1 km2) – Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) Elevation 1,194 ft (364 m) Population (2000) – Total 1,783 – Density 1,132.3/sq mi (437.2/km2) Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6) – Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5) ZIP code 50841 Area code(s) 641 FIPS code 19-16500 GNIS feature ID 0455634 Corning is a city in Quincy Township, Adams County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,783 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Adams County[1].
Corning is perhaps best known as the birthplace of Johnny Carson. Daniel Webster Turner, who was governor of Iowa from 1931 to 1933, was born in Corning on March 17, 1877.
Contents
History
French Icarian settlement
The first European settlers here were a group of French Icarians who came from Nauvoo, Illinois in 1852; they established a community near Lake Icaria, north of Corning in 1854.[2] The new state of Iowa gave the town of "Icaria" a corporate charter in 1860. This community was dedicated to the utopian principles of Etienne Cabet and the democratic principles of the American Revolution and the French Revolution; this small French-speaking community considered themselves to be very patriotic Americans. In the 1860s, the community split between "traditionalists" and "progressives" (the latter favored women's right to vote). The "progressives" left the original site and moved to a new location about three miles (5 km) east of Corning's current location. Although the corporation formally dissolved in 1878, some continued to live in the communal dwellings until 1898, making this the longest-lasting Icarian colony in the United States.[3] Eventually the community disbanded and merged into the general population. Displays and documents about the Icarian community can be found at the Icarian History Foundation office and in the Adams County offices, both in Corning. The former colony east of Corning is slowly being restored with the help of state and federal grants, and it will become a historical site; as of 2006, only a couple of partially-restored building and a very small cemetery (with grave markers inscribed in French) remain. Around the first weekend of June each year, Corning celebreates "Le Festival De L'Heritage Francais" in the French market.[4]
American settlement
Nearby Queen City had been established around 1854. Surveyors came to the current location of Corning in 1857, though the area was largely uninhabited (except by the Icarians) until 1869.
The first Adams County seat was established by act of the Iowa Legislature on January 12, 1853, at Quincy (now nonexistent) Iowa. The building was later used as a schoolhouse and in 1932 it was torn down. In November, 1872, the people voted to remove the courthouse from Quincy and locate the county seat in Corning. (As the story goes the vote was more an overtaking. A group of men took a team of horses with a wagon from Corning to Quincy.) The mayor's house was burned to the ground leaving the mayor/doctor for dead. Others that held documents in their homes were forced at gun point to surrender those documents. They were then taken to Corning were the new county seat was established.)[5]
The first courthouse in Corning was built in 1872 at the present site of the Adams County courthouse. It was also a wood frame structure. The county jail was built in 1877 and used until 1955. This courthouse was destroyed by fire on February 1, 1888. Business buildings in Corning then served as temporary quarters for the county offices. On November 5, 1889, Adams County voters approved a bond issue not to exceed $30,000 for construction of a new courthouse. Money was to be raised by taxation of not to exceed 2 mills on the dollar each year. The new courthouse was dedicated on June 20, 1890. Barely 40 years later, this building, called one of the most modern in the country with its Queen Anne style of architecture, began to deteriorate and was razed in 1955.
Sports
Corning is home to Adams County Speedway, which holds races on Saturday nights from April through September. Adams County Speedway is a part of the Whelen All-American Series, with Late Models, Modifieds, B-Mods, Pro Stocks, and Hobby Stocks.
Corning is also home to the Carnac Family Skatepark, A 1,200 sq ft (110 m2). skatepark built with donated money. Major donations included $75,000 from Corning native Johnny Carson, and $5,000 from well known skateboarder Tony Hawk. The skatepark is known as one of the best in the area, and draws big summer crowds.
Geography
Corning is located at 40°59′29″N 94°44′13″W / 40.99139°N 94.73694°W (40.991340, -94.737028)[6].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2), all of it land.
Demographics
Corning Historical Population Year Pop. ±% 1880 1,526 — 1890 1,682 +10.2% 1900 2,145 +27.5% 1910 1,702 −20.7% 1920 1,840 +8.1% 1930 2,026 +10.1% 1940 2,162 +6.7% 1950 2,104 −2.7% 1960 2,041 −3.0% 1970 2,095 +2.6% 1980 1,939 −7.4% 1990 1,806 −6.9% 2000 1,783 −1.3% Source: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 1,783 people, 803 households, and 452 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,132.3 people per square mile (438.5/km²). There were 880 housing units at an average density of 558.9 per square mile (216.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.16% White, 0.17% African American, 0.22% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population.
There were 803 households out of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% were single, and 43.6% were non-families. 39.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 24.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 26.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 83.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,977, and the median income for a family was $45,227. Males had a median income of $26,667 versus $19,569 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,836. About 5.0% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ Mutual Aid Community (1868). The Communist. 1. The Mutual Aid Community. p. 87. http://books.google.com/books?id=xZwWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA87. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
- ^ "History of the Icarian Movement". National Icarian Heritage Society. 2006. http://nihs.info/history.html. Retrieved 2007-02-01.
- ^ "Le Festival de l’Heritage Francais (sic)". 1997-03. Archived from the original on 2006-05-09. http://web.archive.org/web/20060509050345/http://www.mddc.com/festival.html. Retrieved 2007-02-01.
- ^ "Adams County web site". http://adamscountyia.com.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
- Official City Website
- National Icarian Heritage Society
- Adams County Speedway
- City-Data Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Corning
Municipalities and communities of Adams County, Iowa County seat: CorningCities 
Townships Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Categories:- New France
- Populated places in Adams County, Iowa
- Cities in Iowa
- County seats in Iowa
- Populated places established in 1852
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