What Cheer, Iowa

Infobox Settlement
official_name = What Cheer, Iowa
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location of What Cheer, Iowa


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name =
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 =
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Keokuk
government_footnotes =
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leader_title =
leader_name =
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unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 3.2
area_land_km2 = 3.1
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 1.2
area_land_sq_mi = 1.2
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 678
population_density_km2 = 216.0
population_density_sq_mi = 559.4

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 239
elevation_ft = 784
latd = 41 |latm = 24 |lats = 2 |latNS = N
longd = 92 |longm = 21 |longs = 18 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 50268
area_code = 641
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 19-84900
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0465964
website =
footnotes =

What Cheer is a city in Keokuk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 678 at the 2000 census. The town is home to an historic opera house and the Keokuk County Fair.

Name etymology

What Cheer is named for a Native American greeting used in the area of modern-day Rhode Island during the 1600s. In 1636, Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island who left Salem, Massachusetts to seek religious freedom, landed at modern-day Providence and was greeted by Narragansett Native Americans with "What Cheer, "Netop". "Netop" was the Narragansett word for "friend", and "What Cheer" was an old English greeting brought to New England by English settlers. Over time, the story of Williams' welcome was absorbed into the legend of Providence.

When the future What Cheer was founded, it was named Petersburg for Peter Britton, the settlement's founder. The What Cheer story and name was brought to Iowa by Joseph Andrews, a major and veteran of the American Civil War in 1864. Andrews was a native of Providence and offered the name of What Cheer for a post office in the town in 1866. Petersburg was officially renamed What Cheer on December 1, 1879.

Geography

What Cheer is located at coor dms|41|24|2|N|92|21|18|W|city (41.400603, -92.355119)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.2 km²), of which, 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.63%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 678 people, 307 households, and 182 families residing in the city. The population density was 559.4 people per square mile (216.3/km²). There were 345 housing units at an average density of 284.7/sq mi (110.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.38% White, 0.29% Native American, 0.15% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.44% of the population.

There were 307 households out of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,292, and the median income for a family was $36,500. Males had a median income of $30,859 versus $22,917 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,613. About 8.6% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Additional reading

* "Iowa Place Names of Indian Origin", Virgil J. Vogel, University of Iowa Press, 1983. (Origin of name.)

References

External links

* [http://iagenweb.org/monroe/images/whatcheer.jpgMap of coal mines in and around What Cheer]