- Chariton, Iowa
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Chariton, Iowa — City — Lucas County Courthouse in Chariton
Location of Chariton, Iowa
Coordinates: 41°0′58″N 93°18′27″W / 41.01611°N 93.3075°WCoordinates: 41°0′58″N 93°18′27″W / 41.01611°N 93.3075°W Country 
United StatesState 
IowaCounty Lucas Area - Total 3.7 sq mi (9.6 km2) - Land 3.7 sq mi (9.6 km2) - Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) Elevation 1,027 ft (313 m) Population (2000) - Total 4,573 - Density 1,238.2/sq mi (478.1/km2) Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6) - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5) ZIP code 50049 Area code(s) 641 FIPS code 19-12720 GNIS feature ID 0455350 Chariton is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Iowa, United States.[1] The population was 4,573 at the 2000 census. It is the primary distribution center for, and former corporate seat of, the Hy-Vee supermarket chain.
Contents
History
Chariton was a center for high quality watchmaking in the 1860s and into the 20th century.[2]
Hotel Charitone
Designed by local architect William L. Perkins and listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its role in the development of Chariton as a county seat, the Hotel Charitone is listed by the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance as one of the most endangered sites in Iowa.[3]
Geography
Chariton's longitude and latitude coordinates
in decimal form are 41.016033, -93.307610. [4]According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.6 km2), all of it land.
Chariton is located at the exact half way point, on
U.S. Route 34 (runs east and west to each side of the state).The Lucas County Courthouse is the highest point of elevation in the whole town and is located on the Missouri/Mississippi River Divide.[citation needed]
Demographics
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 4,573 people, 1,936 households, and 1,192 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,238.2 people per square mile (478.5/km²). There were 2,155 housing units at an average density of 583.5 per square mile (225.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.88% White, 0.15% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.
There were 1,936 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.7% 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 2.92.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,844, and the median income for a family was $37,935. Males had a median income of $32,265 versus $21,981 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,553. About 6.6% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.
Parks and recreation
Red Haw State Park is located a mile east of Chariton. The park offers picnicking sites, shelters that can be reserved, camping and trails. The lake offers un-supervised swimming, fishing and electric trolling motor only boating.[6]
Education
The Chariton School District is the only school district in the county since 2008, when the Russell School District closed. There are two elementary schools, Columbus Elementary (K-2 grades) and Van Allen Elementary (3-5 grades); one middle school, Chariton Middle School (6-8 grades); and one high school, Chariton High School (9-12).
Infrastructure
Transportation
Owned by the City of Chariton, the Chariton Municipal Airport has served the city and Lucas County since April 1947.[7][8]
Notable people
- Paul Engebretsen, National Football League player
- Leo Hoegh, former governor
- Mortimer Wilson, composer
- Gordon Willey, anthropologist
- Everett Gendler, Rabbi, social activist, author
See also
References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ The History of Appanoose County, Iowa. Western Historical Co., Chicago. http://books.google.com/books?id=O5kUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA544&lpg=PA544&dq=%2Bchariton+Iowa+%2B%22watchmaker%22&source=web&ots=LYsQIaGvA2&sig=DQ-nJeotzUzwsStPw52E3NHAlFQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=7&ct=result. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
- ^ Iowa's Most Endangered Properties: http://www.iowapreservation.org/endangered.php
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Red Haw State Park". Iowa Department of Natural Resources. http://www.iowadnr.gov/parks/state_park_list/red_haw.html. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
- ^ "Chariton Municipal Airport". Online Highways Travel Guide: USA. Online Highways, LLC. http://www.ohwy.com/ia/c/cnc.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
External links
- Chariton Municipal Airport
- Chariton schools website
- Chariton, Iowa Community Web Page Unofficial news and web links
- City-Data Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Chariton
Municipalities and communities of Lucas County, Iowa County seat: Chariton Cities Chariton | Derby | Lucas | Russell | Williamson
Categories:- Cities in Iowa
- Populated places in Lucas County, Iowa
- County seats in Iowa
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