text:
Cleghorn, Iowa

Cleghorn is a city in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 240 at the 2020 census.

Geography
Cleghorn is located at 42.81278°N, -95.71194°W (42.812680, -95.711997).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.34 sqmi, all land.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 240 people, 106 households, and 71 families living in the city. The population density was 705.9 PD/sqmi. There were 113 housing units at an average density of 332.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 95.0% White, 0.8% African American, 0.4% Asian, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.8% of the population.

There were 106 households, of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.0% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.75.

The median age in the city was 43 years. 19.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25% were from 25 to 44; 25.8% were from 45 to 64; and 22.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 250 people, 103 households, and 76 families living in the city. The population density was 730.3 PD/sqmi. There were 115 housing units at an average density of 335.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 100.00% White.

There were 103 households, out of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.9% were married couples living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 23.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,167, and the median income for a family was $47,500. Males had a median income of $31,094 versus $22,656 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,886. About 4.8% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 12.7% of those 65 or over.

Education
It is within the Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Community School District. The Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn district formed on July 1, 1993 as a result of the merger of the Marcus and Meriden-Cleghorn school districts.

The Cleghorn school temporarily closed due to the Spanish flu of 1918, then was destroyed by a fire in February 1919. Residents voted 163–92 to build a new school with a $75,000 bond. A September 3, 1919 aircraft accident damaged the under-construction school, delaying its completion. It opened in 1920 with the first graduating class the following year. In 1961 the Cleghorn and Meriden schools consolidated. The Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn district formed on July 1, 1993 as a result of the merger of the Marcus and Meriden-Cleghorn school districts. By 2015 the school had 90 students in grades 4–6. In 2015 the district voted to close the school in order to have a yearly savings of $130,000. Students were redirected to Marcus.

title: Cleghorn, Iowa


text:
Larrabee, Iowa

Larrabee is a city in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 123 at the time of the 2020 census.

History
A post office called Larrabee has been in operation since 1877. The city was named after William Larrabee, the 13th Governor of Iowa.

Geography
Larrabee is located at 42.86139°N, -95.545°W (42.861284, -95.545135).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.12 sqmi, all land.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 132 people, 62 households, and 38 families living in the city. The population density was 1100.0 PD/sqmi. There were 71 housing units at an average density of 591.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 97.7% White and 2.3% African American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.5% of the population.

There were 62 households, of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.7% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.7% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.58.

The median age in the city was 45.5 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19% were from 25 to 44; 35.6% were from 45 to 64; and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 149 people, 73 households, and 42 families living in the city. The population density was 1,169.2 PD/sqmi. There were 79 housing units at an average density of 619.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 100.00% White.

There were 73 households, out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.1% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.56.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $22,500, and the median income for a family was $23,438. Males had a median income of $35,000 versus $19,688 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,306. There were 3.4% of families and 3.2% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 11.5% of those over 64.

Education
The Cherokee Community School District operates local schools.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Larrabee, Iowa


text:
Marcus, Iowa

Marcus is a city in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,079 at the time of the 2020 census.

History
The first building in Marcus was erected in 1871. Marcus was incorporated on May 15, 1882.

Geography
Marcus is located at 42.82278°N, -95.805°W (42.822892, -95.804894).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.54 sqmi, all land.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,117 people, 494 households, and 310 families living in the city. The population density was 725.3 PD/sqmi. There were 548 housing units at an average density of 355.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.0% White, 1.3% Native American, 0.1% Asian, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population.

There were 494 households, of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.9% 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 2.78.

The median age in the city was 48.5 years. 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.7% were from 25 to 44; 28.6% were from 45 to 64; and 26.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,139 people, 477 households, and 300 families living in the city. The population density was 658.4 PD/sqmi. There were 533 housing units at an average density of 308.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.42% White, 0.35% Native American, 0.61% Asian, and 0.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.44% of the population.

There were 477 households, out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.94.

Age spread: 22.7% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 28.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,604, and the median income for a family was $45,500. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $19,167 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,381. About 6.4% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education
It is within the Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Community School District. The district formed on July 1, 1993 as a result of the merger of the Marcus and Meriden-Cleghorn school districts.

Notable people

 * Bruce Dreckman, Major League Baseball umpire
 * Donald E. O'Brien, American judge
 * Oscar L. Olson, third President of Luther College
 * Robert E. Smylie, 24th Governor of Idaho; born in Marcus

title: Marcus, Iowa


text:
Meriden, Iowa

Meriden is a city in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 161 at the time of the 2020 census.

Geography
Meriden is located at 42.79417°N, -95.63417°W (42.794201, -95.634084).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.11 sqmi, all land.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 159 people, 77 households, and 47 families living in the city. The population density was 1445.5 PD/sqmi. There were 84 housing units at an average density of 763.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 100.0% White.

There were 77 households, of which 18.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.0% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.49.

The median age in the city was 47.4 years. 17% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.4% were from 25 to 44; 37.1% were from 45 to 64; and 17% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 184 people, 84 households, and 55 families living in the city. The population density was 1,660.9 PD/sqmi. There were 90 housing units at an average density of 812.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 100.00% White.

There were 84 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 3.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.71.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 19.0% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,750, and the median income for a family was $33,393. Males had a median income of $25,000 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,755. About 10.2% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under the age of eighteen and 14.9% of those 65 or over.

Education
It is within the Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Community School District. The district formed on July 1, 1993 as a result of the merger of the Marcus and Meriden-Cleghorn school districts.

title: Meriden, Iowa


text:
Quimby, Iowa

Quimby is a city in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 249 at the time of the 2020 census.

Geography
Quimby is located at 42.62972°N, -95.64278°W (42.629770, -95.642846). It is situated near the Little Sioux River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.41 sqmi, all land.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 319 people, 135 households, and 95 families residing in the city. The population density was 778.0 PD/sqmi. There were 152 housing units at an average density of 370.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 99.4% White and 0.6% Asian. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population.

There were 135 households, of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.6% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.78.

The median age in the city was 47.3 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.6% were from 25 to 44; 32% were from 45 to 64; and 19.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 368 people, 151 households, and 106 families residing in the city. The population density was 893.0 PD/sqmi. There were 164 housing units at an average density of 398.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.64% White, 0.54% African American, 0.27% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population.

There were 151 households, out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 27.2% of all households 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 2.44 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.5% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,625, and the median income for a family was $32,917. Males had a median income of $26,607 versus $19,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,017. About 8.4% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Schools
The River Valley Community School District operates public schools serving the community. It was established on July 1, 1996 by the merger of the Eastwood Community School District and the Willow Community School District.

Quimby once had its own school district, its mascot known as "Peacocks," but financial pressure and dwindling enrollment forced the school to combine with nearby Washta school district in the early-1960s to create Willow Community School District, the mascot being the T-Birds. In the early 1990s, similar factors led to the merger of Willow and nearby Eastwood School district to form River Valley School District, with the mascot of the Wolverines. The district encompasses the towns of Quimby, Washta, Cushing, and Correctionville. Although Quimby is the second-largest, it does not house a portion of the school's classes.

Quimby maintained a school building, which housed River Valley Middle School classes until the building, constructed in 1921, became too expensive to keep up to code. The building was sold to a local resident, Tim Tapper, who held the property for several years before selling it to a private developer who demolished the building.

Recreation
Quimby boasts a nine-hole golf course, a rarity for towns in the area of relative size.

title: Quimby, Iowa


text:
Washta, Iowa

Washta is a city in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 209 at the time of the 2020 census. It is called "The Coldest Spot in Iowa", recording a temperature of -47 °F without wind chill on January 12, 1912.

Washta's name dates back to 1868 when a local man named Whisman turned his farm into a trading post/mail stop for the freight train going from Correctionville, Iowa, to Cherokee, Iowa. He was asked to be the official postmaster for the area. When asked what the name of his town would be, he recalled an interesting encounter with two Native Americans the year before: While Whisman was out hunting, the two came upon him, removed his gun, looked at it, and handed it back while saying, Wash-tay, Wash-tay, meaning "good". Changing the pronunciation slightly, Whisman decided he would call the town Washta.

Geography
Washta is located at 42.57583°N, -95.71806°W (42.575896, -95.718051). It is situated near the Little Sioux River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.04 sqmi, all land.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 248 people, 110 households, and 73 families residing in the city. The population density was 238.5 PD/sqmi. There were 123 housing units at an average density of 118.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 99.2% White, 0.4% Asian, and 0.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.

There were 110 households, of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.6% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.77.

The median age in the city was 45.8 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.2% were from 25 to 44; 28.6% were from 45 to 64; and 23.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 282 people, 117 households, and 69 families residing in the city. The population density was 268.5 PD/sqmi. There were 133 housing units at an average density of 126.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 100.00% White. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population.

There were 117 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,673, and the median income for a family was $35,455. Males had a median income of $22,639 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,025. About 11.1% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.8% of those under the age of 18 and 6.3% of those 65 or over.

Education
The River Valley Community School District operates public schools serving the community. It was established on July 1, 1996, by the merger of the Eastwood Community School District and the Willow Community School District.

title: Washta, Iowa


text:
Alta Vista, Iowa

Alta Vista is a city in Chickasaw County, Iowa, United States. The population was 227 at the 2020 census.

The town was first named Elk Creek, but was changed to Alta Vista, meaning "high view" in Spanish. The town was established and incorporated in 1894.

The George Darrow Round Barn in Alta Vista is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography
Alta Vista is located at 43.19917°N, -92.41583°W (43.199041, -92.415780).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.76 sqmi, all land.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 266 people, 116 households, and 65 families residing in the city. The population density was 350.0 PD/sqmi. There were 132 housing units at an average density of 173.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 99.6% White and 0.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population.

There were 116 households, of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.9% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.0% were non-families. 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.02.

The median age in the city was 38.8 years. 28.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.9% were from 25 to 44; 17.7% were from 45 to 64; and 20.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 286 people, 125 households, and 75 families residing in the city. The population density was 378.5 PD/sqmi. There were 131 housing units at an average density of 173.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 100.00% White.

There were 125 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.93.

Age spread: 24.1% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,786, and the median income for a family was $39,464. Males had a median income of $24,167 versus $22,045 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,378. About 10.4% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under the age of eighteen and 9.4% of those 65 or over.

Education
It is within the New Hampton Community School District.

title: Alta Vista, Iowa


text:
Bassett, Iowa

Bassett is a city in Chickasaw County, Iowa, United States. The population was 45 at the 2020 census.

Geography
Bassett is located at 43.06222°N, -92.51583°W (43.062355, -92.515907).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.37 sqmi, all land.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 66 people, 28 households, and 22 families living in the city. The population density was 178.4 PD/sqmi. There were 37 housing units at an average density of 100.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 100.0% White.

There were 28 households, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 21.4% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.55.

The median age in the city was 51.5 years. 18.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 0.0% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.1% were from 25 to 44; 47% were from 45 to 64; and 16.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.0% male and 47.0% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 74 people, 29 households and 18 families living in the city. The population density was 200.8 PD/sqmi. There were 34 housing units at an average density of 92.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 100.00% White.

There were 29 households, out of which 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, and 34.5% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 31.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,000, and the median income for a family was $28,750. Males had a median income of $28,333 versus $9,167 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,131. There were 16.7% of families and 14.9% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

title: Bassett, Iowa


text:
Fredericksburg, Iowa

Fredericksburg is a city in Chickasaw County, Iowa, United States. The population was 987 at the time of the 2020 census.

History
Fredericksburg was incorporated on December 18, 1894. The city was named after Frederick Padden, a local settler who platted the village in 1856. In the late 1800s, Dr. William S. Pitts, a local physician and composer who wrote The Church in the Wildwood, served as mayor of the town.

Bert L. Van Gorden (1873-1941), Wisconsin State Assemblyman and businessman, was born in Fredericksburg.

Geography
Fredericksburg is located at 42.96472°N, -92.19833°W (42.964586, -92.198465).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.86 sqmi, all land.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 931 people, 427 households, and 260 families living in the city. The population density was 1082.6 PD/sqmi. There were 462 housing units at an average density of 537.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 96.1% White, 0.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 2.3% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.4% of the population.

There were 427 households, of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.1% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.77.

The median age in the city was 44.5 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.5% were from 25 to 44; 27% were from 45 to 64; and 22.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 984 people, 407 households, and 275 families living in the city. The population density was 1,143.9 PD/sqmi. There were 444 housing units at an average density of 516.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 99.09% White, 0.30% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.20% Asian, and 0.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.20% of the population.

There were 407 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,938, and the median income for a family was $40,357. Males had a median income of $30,769 versus $21,364 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,956. About 5.2% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Fredericksburg is within the Sumner-Fredericksburg Community School District, which was formed by the merger of Sumner Community School District and Fredericksburg Community School District in 2004. Sumner-Fredericksburg High School in Sumner is the community high school.

title: Fredericksburg, Iowa


text:
Ionia, Iowa

Ionia is a city in Chickasaw County, Iowa, United States. The population was 226 at the time of the 2020 census.

Geography
Ionia is located at 43.03444°N, -92.45667°W (43.034493, -92.456606).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.55 sqmi, all land.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 291 people, 119 households, and 74 families living in the city. The population density was 529.1 PD/sqmi. There were 133 housing units at an average density of 241.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 99.7% White and 0.3% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population.

There were 119 households, of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.8% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.09.

The median age in the city was 36.8 years. 30.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.3% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 15.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.5% male and 49.5% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 277 people, 115 households, and 73 families living in the city. The population density was 496.3 PD/sqmi. There were 135 housing units at an average density of 241.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 100.00% White. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population.

There were 115 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples living together, 3.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,357, and the median income for a family was $40,625. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,355. None of the population or families were below the poverty line.

Education
It is within the New Hampton Community School District.

Notable residents

 * Jack Cunningham, screenwriter
 * Henry W. Wright, Speaker of the California State Assembly

title: Ionia, Iowa


text:
Videotex

Videotex (or interactive videotex) was one of the earliest implementations of an end-user information system. From the late 1970s to early 2010s, it was used to deliver information (usually pages of text) to a user in computer-like format, typically to be displayed on a television or a dumb terminal.

In a strict definition, videotex is any system that provides interactive content and displays it on a video monitor such as a television, typically using modems to send data in both directions. A close relative is teletext, which sends data in one direction only, typically encoded in a television signal. All such systems are occasionally referred to as viewdata. Unlike the modern Internet, traditional videotex services were highly centralized.

Videotex in its broader definition can be used to refer to any such service, including teletext, the Internet, bulletin board systems, online service providers, and even the arrival/departure displays at an airport. This usage is no longer common.

With the exception of Minitel in France, videotex elsewhere never managed to attract any more than a very small percentage of the universal mass market once envisaged. By the end of the 1980s its use was essentially limited to a few niche applications.

United Kingdom
The first attempts at a general-purpose videotex service were created in the United Kingdom in the late 1960s. In about 1970 the BBC had a brainstorming session in which it was decided to start researching ways to send closed captioning information to the audience. As the Teledata research continued the BBC became interested in using the system for delivering any sort of information, not just closed captioning. In 1972, the concept was first made public under the new name Ceefax. Meanwhile, the General Post Office (soon to become British Telecom) had been researching a similar concept since the late 1960s, known as Viewdata. Unlike Ceefax which was a one-way service carried in the existing TV signal, Viewdata was a two-way system using telephones. Since the Post Office owned the telephones, this was considered to be an excellent way to drive more customers to use the phones. Not to be outdone by the BBC, they also announced their service, under the name Prestel. ITV soon joined the fray with a Ceefax-clone known as ORACLE.

In 1974 all the services agreed on a standard for displaying the information. The display would be a simple 40×24 grid of text, with some "graphics characters" for constructing simple graphics, revised and finalized in 1976. The standard did not define the delivery system, so both Viewdata-like and Teledata-like services could at least share the TV-side hardware (which at that point in time was quite expensive). The standard also introduced a new term that covered all such services, teletext. Ceefax first started operation in 1974 with a limited 30 pages, followed quickly by ORACLE and then Prestel in 1979.

By 1981 Prestel International was available in nine countries, and a number of countries, including Sweden, The Netherlands, Finland and West Germany were developing their own national systems closely based on Prestel. General Telephone and Electronics (GTE) acquired an exclusive agency for the system for North America.

In the early 1980s videotex became the base technology for the London Stock Exchange's pricing service called TOPIC. Later versions of TOPIC, notably TOPIC2 and TOPIC3, were developed by Thanos Vassilakis and introduced trading and historic price feeds.

France
Development of a French teletext-like system began in 1973. A very simple 2-way videotex system called Tictac was also demonstrated in the mid-1970s. As in the UK, this led on to work to develop a common display standard for videotex and teletext, called Antiope, which was finalised in 1977. Antiope had similar capabilities to the UK system for displaying alphanumeric text and chunky "mosaic" character-based block graphics. A difference however was that while in the UK standard control codes automatically also occupied one character position on screen, Antiope allowed for "non spacing" control codes. This gave Antiope slightly more flexibility in the use of colours in mosaic block graphics, and in presenting the accents and diacritics of the French language.

Meanwhile, spurred on by the 1978 Nora/Minc report, the French government was determined to catch up on a perceived falling behind in its computer and communications facilities. In 1980 it began field trials issuing Antiope-based terminals for free to over 250,000 telephone subscribers in Ille-et-Vilaine region, where the French CCETT research centre was based, for use as telephone directories. The trial was a success, and in 1982 Minitel was rolled out nationwide.

Canada
Since 1970 researchers at the Communications Research Centre (CRC) in Ottawa had been working on a set of "picture description instructions", which encoded graphics commands as a text stream. Graphics were encoded as a series of instructions (graphics primitives) each represented by a single ASCII character. Graphic coordinates were encoded in multiple 6 bit strings of XY coordinate data, flagged to place them in the printable ASCII range so that they could be transmitted with conventional text transmission techniques. ASCII SI/SO characters were used to differentiate the text from graphic portions of a transmitted "page". In 1975, the CRC gave a contract to Norpak to develop an interactive graphics terminal that could decode the instructions and display them on a colour display, which was successfully up and running by 1977.

Against the background of the developments in Europe, CRC was able to persuade the Canadian government to develop the system into a fully-fledged service. In August 1978 the Canadian Department of Communications publicly launched it as Telidon, a "second generation" videotex/teletext service, and committed to a four-year development plan to encourage rollout. Compared to the European systems, Telidon offered real graphics, as opposed to block-mosaic character graphics. The downside was that it required much more advanced decoders, typically featuring Zilog Z80 or Motorola 6809 processors.

Japan
Research in Japan was shaped by the demands of the large number of Kanji characters used in Japanese script. With 1970s technology, the ability to generate of so many characters on demand in the end-user's terminal was seen as prohibitive. Instead, development focussed on methods to send pages to user terminals pre-rendered, using coding strategies similar to facsimile machines. This led to a videotex system called Captain ("Character and Pattern Telephone Access Information Network"), created by NTT in 1978, which went into full trials from 1979 to 1981. The system also lent itself naturally to photographic images, albeit at only moderate resolution. However, the pages typically took two or three times longer to load, compared to the European systems. NHK developed an experimental teletext system along similar lines, called CIBS ("Character Information Broadcasting Station"). Based on a 388×200 pixel resolution, it was first announced in 1976, and began trials in late 1978. (NHK's ultimate production teletext system launched in 1983).

Standards
Work to establish an international standard for videotex began in 1978 in CCITT. But the national delegations showed little interest in compromise, each hoping that their system would come to define what was perceived to be going to be an enormous new mass-market. In 1980 CCITT therefore issued recommendation S.100 (later T.100), noting the points of similarity but the essential incompatibility of the systems, and declaring all four to be recognised options.

Trying to kick-start the market, AT&T Corporation entered the fray, and in May 1981 announced its own Presentation Layer Protocol (PLP). This was closely based on the Canadian Telidon system, but added to it some further graphics primitives and a syntax for defining macros, algorithms to define cleaner pixel spacing for the (arbitrarily sizeable) text, and also dynamically redefinable characters and a mosaic block graphic character set, so that it could reproduce content from the French Antiope. After some further revisions this was adopted in 1983 as ANSI standard X3.110, more commonly called NAPLPS, the North American Presentation Layer Protocol Syntax. It was also adopted in 1988 as the presentation-layer syntax for NABTS, the North American Broadcast Teletext Specification.

Meanwhile, the European national Postal Telephone and Telegraph (PTT) agencies were also increasingly interested in videotex, and had convened discussions in European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) to co-ordinate developments, which had been diverging along national lines. As well as the British and French standards, the Swedes had proposed extending the British Prestel standard with a new set of smoother mosaic graphics characters; while the specification for the proposed German Bildschirmtext (BTX) system, developed under contract by IBM Germany for Deutsche Bundespost, was growing increasingly baroque. Originally conceived to follow the UK Prestel system, it had accreted elements from all the other European standards and more. This became the basis for setting out the CEPT recommendation T/CD 06-01, also proposed in May 1981.

However, due to national pressure, CEPT stopped short of fixing a single standard, and instead recognised four "profiles":
 * CEPT1, corresponding to the German BTX;
 * CEPT2, the French Minitel;
 * CEPT3, the British Prestel;
 * CEPT4, the Swedish Prestel Plus.

National videotex services were encouraged to follow one of the existing four basic profiles; or if they extended them, to do so in ways compatible with a "harmonised enhanced" specification. There was talk of upgrading Prestel to the full CEPT standard "within a couple of years". But in the event, it never happened. The German BTX eventually established CEPT1; the French Minitel continued with CEPT2, which was ready to roll out; and the British stayed with CEPT3, by now too established to break compatibility.

The other countries of Europe adopted a patchwork of the different profiles.

In later years CEPT fixed a number of standards for extension levels to the basic service: for photographic images (based on JPEG; T/TE 06-01, later revisions), for alpha-geometric graphics, similar to NAPLPS/Telidon (T/TE 06-02), for transferring larger data files and software (T/TE 06-03), for active terminal-side capabilities and scripting (T/TE 06-04), and for discovery of terminal capabilities (T/TE 06-05). But interest in them was limited.

CCITT T.101

Character set
ISO-IR registered character sets for Videotex use include variants of T.51, semigraphic mosaic sets, specialised C0 control codes, and four sets of specialised C1 control codes.

United Kingdom
Prestel was somewhat popular for a time, but never gained anywhere near the popularity of Ceefax. This may have been due primarily to the relatively low penetration of suitable hardware in British homes, requiring the user to pay for the terminal (today referred to as a set-top box), a monthly charge for the service, and phone bills on top of that (unlike the US, local calls were paid for in most of Europe at that time). In the late 1980s the system was re-focused as a provider of financial data, and eventually bought out by the Financial Times in 1994. It continues today in name only, as FT's information service. A closed access videotex system based on the Prestel model was developed by the travel industry, and continues to be almost universally used by travel agents throughout the country.

Using a prototype domestic television equipped with the Prestel chip set, Michael Aldrich of Redifon Computers Ltd demonstrated a real-time transaction processing in 1979 or online shopping as it is now called. From 1980 onwards he designed, sold and installed systems with major UK companies including the world's first travel industry system, the world's first vehicle locator system for one of the world's largest auto manufacturers and the world's first supermarket system. He wrote a book about his ideas and systems which among other topics explored a future of online shopping and remote working that has proven to be prophetic. Before the IBM PC, Microsoft MS-DOS and the Internet or World Wide Web, he invented and manufactured and sold the  'Teleputer' , a PC that communicated using its Prestel chip set.

The Teleputer was a range of computers that were suffixed with a number. Only the Teleputer 1 and Teleputer 3 were manufactured and sold. The Teleputer 1 was a very simple device and only worked as a teletex terminal, whereas the Teleputer 3 was a Z80 based microcomputer. It ran with a pair of single sided 5$1/4$ inch floppy disk drive; a 20Mb Hard disk drive version was available towards the end of the product's life. The operating system was CP/M or a proprietary variant CP*, and the unit was supplied with a suite of applications, consisting of a word processor, spreadsheet, database and a semi-compiled basic programming language. The display supplied with the unit (both the Teleputer 1 and 3) was a modified Rediffusion 14 inch portable colour television, with the tuner circuitry removed and being driven by a RGB input. The unit had a 64Kb onboard memory which could be expanded to 128Kb with a plug in card. Graphics were the standard videotext (or teletext) resolution and colour, but a high resolution graphic card was also available. A 75/1200 baud modem was fitted as standard (could also run at 300/300 and 1200/1200), and connected to the telephone via an old style round telephone connector. In addition an IEEE interface card could be fitted. On the back of the unit there was a RS-232 and Centronics connections and on the front was the connector for the keyboard.

The proposed Teleputer 4 & 5 were planned to have a laser disk attached and would allow the units to control video output on a separate screen.

Spain
In Spain the system was provided by the Telefónica company and called Ibertex, which was adopted from the French Minitel system, but using the German CEPT-1 standard, used in the German Bildschirmtext.

Canada
In Canada the Department of Communications started a lengthy development program in the late 1970s that led to a graphical "second generation" service known as Telidon. Telidon was able to deliver service using the vertical blanking interval of a TV signal or completely by telephone using a Bell 202 style (split baud rate 150/1200) modem. The TV signal was used in a similar fashion to Ceefax, but used more of the available signal (due to differences in the signals between North America and Europe) for a data rate about 1200-bit/s. Some TV signal systems used a low-speed modem on the phone line for menu operation. The resulting system was rolled out in several test studies, all of which were failures.

The use of the 202 model modem, rather than one compatible with the existing DATAPAC dial-up points such as the Bell 212, created severe limitations, as it made use of the nationwide X.25 packet network essentially out-of-bounds for Telidon-based services. There were also many widely held misperceptions concerning the graphics resolution and colour resolution that slowed business acceptance. Byte magazine once described it as "low resolution", when the coding system was, in fact, capable of 224 resolution in 8-byte mode. There was also a pronounced emphasis in government and Telco circles on "hardware decoding" even after very capable PC-based software decoders became readily available. This emphasis on special single-purpose hardware was yet another impediment to the widespread adoption of the system.

Services included:

 * Grassroots Canada by InfoMart, Toronto
 * Teleguide, A kiosk-based service emphasizing tourist information in Toronto by InfoMart, and in San Francisco by The Chronicle, in Phoenix by The Arizona Republic and in Las Vegas by The Las Vegas Sun.

NAPLPS-based systems (Teleguide) were also used for an interactive Mall directory system in various locations, including the world's largest indoor mall, West Edmonton Mall (1985) and the Toronto Eaton Center. It was also used for an interactive multipoint audio-graphic educational teleconferencing system (1987) that predated today's shared interactive whiteboard systems such as those used by Blackboard and Desire2Learn.

United States
One of the earliest experiments with marketing videotex to consumers in the U.S. was by Radio Shack, which sold a consumer videotex terminal, essentially a single-purpose predecessor to the TRS-80 Color Computer, in outlets across the country. Sales were anemic. Radio Shack later sold a videotex software and hardware package for the Color Computer.

In an attempt to capitalize on the European experience, a number of US-based media firms started their own videotex systems in the early 1980s. Among them were Knight-Ridder, the Los Angeles Times, and Field Enterprises in Chicago, which launched Keyfax. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram partnered with Radio Shack to launch StarText (Radio Shack was headquartered in Fort Worth).

Unlike the UK, however, the FCC refused to set a single technical standard, so each provider could choose what it wished. Some selected Telidon (now standardized as NAPLPS) but the majority decided to use slight-modified versions of the Prestel hardware. StarText used proprietary software developed at the Star-Telegram. Rolled out across the country from 1982 to 1984, all of the services quickly died. None, except StarText, remained in operation after two years from their respective launch dates. StarText remained in operation until the late 1990s, when it was moved to the web.

The primary problem was that the systems were simply too slow, operating on 300 baud modems connected to large minicomputers. After waiting several seconds for the data to be sent, users then had to scroll up and down to view the articles. Searching and indexing was not provided, so users often had to download long lists of titles before they could download the article itself. Furthermore, most of the same information was available in easy-to-use TV format on the air, or in general reference books at the local library, and didn't tie up a landline. Unlike the Ceefax system where the signal was available for free in every TV, many U.S. systems cost hundreds of dollars to install, plus monthly fees of $30 or more.

The most successful online services of the period were not videotex services at all. Despite the promises that videotex would appeal to the mass market, the videotex services were comfortably out-distanced by Dow Jones News/Retrieval (begun in 1973), CompuServe and (somewhat further behind) The Source, both begun in 1979. None were videotex services, nor did they use the fixed frame-by-frame videotex model for content. Instead all three used search functions and text interfaces to deliver files that were for the most part plain ASCII. Other ASCII-based services that became popular included Delphi (launched in 1983) and GEnie (launched in 1985).

Nevertheless, NAPLPS-based services were developed by several other joint partnerships between 1983 and 1987. These included:

 * Viewtron, a joint venture of Knight-Ridder and AT&T
 * Gateway, A service in Southern California by a joint venture of Times Mirror and InfoMart of Canada
 * Keyfax, A service in Chicago by Field Enterprises and Centel
 * Covidea, based in New York, set up by AT&T and Chemical Bank, with Time Inc. and Bank of America

A joint venture of AT&T-CBS completed a moderately successful trial of videotex use in the homes of Ridgewood, New Jersey, leveraging technology developed at Bell Labs. After the trial in Ridgewood AT&T and CBS parted company. Subsequently, CBS partnered with IBM and Sears, Roebuck, and Company to form Trintex. Around 1985, this entity began to offer a service called Prodigy, which used NAPLPS to send information to its users, right up until it turned into an Internet service provider in the late 1990s. Because of its relatively late debut, Prodigy was able to skip the intermediate step of persuading American consumers to attach proprietary boxes to their televisions; it was among the earliest proponents of computer-based videotex.

Videotex technology was also adopted for use internally within organizations. Digital Equipment Corp (DEC) offered a videotex product (VTX) on the VAX system. Goldman Sachs, for one, adopted and developed an internal fixed income information distribution and bond sales system based on DEC VTX. Internal systems were overtaken by external vendors, notably Bloomberg, which offered the additional benefit of providing information from different firms and allowing interactive communication between the firms.

One of the earliest corporations to participate in videotex in the United States was American Express. Its service, branded "American Express ADVANCE" included card account info, travel booking, stock prices from Shearson Lehman, and even online shopping, through its Merchandise Services division.

Australia
Australia's national public Videotex service, Viatel, was launched by Telecom Australia on 28 February 1985. It was based on the British Prestel service. The service was later renamed Discovery 40, in reference to its 40 column screen format, as well as to distinguish it from another Telecom service, Discovery 80. According to an article in a 1986 edition of the "Viatel Directory And Magazine", the Viatel system had a rapid take up in its first year.

New Zealand
A private service known as TAARIS (Travel Agents Association Reservation and Information Service) was launched in New Zealand in 1985 for the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand by ICL Computers. This service used ICL's proprietary "Bulletin" software which was based on the Prestelstandard but provided many additional facilities such as the ability to run additional software for specific applications. It also supported a proprietary email service.

Netherlands
In the Netherlands the then state-owned phone company PTT (now KPN) operated two platforms: Viditel (launched in 1980 ) and Videotex Nederland. From the user perspective the main difference between these systems was that Viditel used standard dial-in phone numbers where Videotex used premium-rate telephone numbers. For Viditel you needed a (paid) subscription and on top of that you paid for each page you visited. For Videotex services you normally didn't need a subscription nor was there the need to authenticate: you paid for the services via the premium rate of the modem-connection based on connection time, regardless of the pages or services you retrieved.

From the information-provider point of view there were huge differences between Viditel and Videotex: Via Viditel all data was normally stored on the central computer(s) owned and managed by KPN: to update the information in the system you connected to the Viditel computer and via a terminal-emulation application you could edit the information.

But when using Videotex the information is on a computer-platform owned and managed by the information-provider. The Videotex system connected the end-user to the Datanet 1 line of the information-provider. It was up to the information provider if the access-point (the box directly behind the telephone line) supported the videotex protocol or that it was a transparent connection where the host handled the protocol.

As said the Videotex Nederland services offered access via several primary rate numbers and the information/service provider could choose the costs for accessing his service. Depending on the number used, the tariff could vary from ƒ 0,00 to ƒ 1,00 Dutch guilders (which is between €0.00 and €0.45 euro) per minute.

Besides these public available services, generally without authentication, there were also several private services using the same infrastructure but using their own access-phone numbers and dedicated access-points. As these services weren't public you had to log into the infrastructure. The largest private networks were Travelnet which was an information and booking-system for the travel industry and RDWNet which was set up for the automobile trade to register the outcome of MOT tests to the agency that officially issued the test-report. Later some additional services for the branch were added such as a service where the readings of the odometer could be registered each time a car was brought in for service. This was part of the Nationale Autopas Service and is now available via internet

The network of Videotex Nederland offered also direct access to most services of the French minitel system.

Ireland
A version of the French Minitel system was introduced to Ireland by eircom (then called Telecom Éireann) in 1988. The system was based on the French model and Irish services were even accessible from France via the code "3619 Irlande."

A number of major Irish businesses came together to offer a range of online services, including directory information, shopping, banking, hotel reservations, airline reservations, news, weather and information services. It wasn't a centralised service and individual service providers could connect to it via the Eirpac packet switching network. It could also connect to databases on other networks such as French Minitel services, European databases and university systems. The system was also the first platform in Ireland to offer users access to e-mail outside of a corporate setting. Despite being cutting edge for its time, the system failed to capture a large market and was ultimately withdrawn due to lack of commercial interest. The rise of the internet and other global online services in the early to mid-1990s played a major factor in the death of Irish Minitel. The service eventually ended by the end of the 1990s ..

Minitel Ireland's terminals were technically identical to their French counterparts, except that they had a QWERTY keyboard and an RJ-11 telephone jack which is the standard telephone connector in Ireland. Terminals could be rented for 5.00 Irish pounds (6.35 euro) per month or purchased for 250.00 Irish pounds (317.43 euro) in 1992.

Minitel
With the French Minitel system, unlike any other service, the users were given an entire custom designed terminal for free. This was a deliberate move on the part of France Telecom, which reasoned that it would be cheaper in the long run to give away free terminals and teach its customers how to look up telephone listings on the terminal, instead of continuing to print and ship millions of phone books each year.

Once the network was in place, commercial services started to sprout up, becoming very popular in the mid-1980s. By 1990 tens of millions of terminals were in use. Like Prestel, Minitel used an asymmetric modem (1200-bit/s for downloading information to the terminal and 75-bit/s back).

Alex

Bell Canada introduced Minitel to Quebec as Alex in 1988, and Ontario two years later. It was available both as a standalone CRT terminal (very similar in design to the ADM-3A) with 1200-bit/s modem, and as software-only for MS-DOS computers. The system was received enthusiastically thanks to a free two-month introductory period, but fizzled within two years. Online fees were very high, and the useful services such as home banking, restaurant reservations, and news feeds, that Bell Canada advertised did not materialise; within a very short time the majority of content on Alex was of poor quality or very expensive chat lines. The Alex terminals did double duty for connecting to text-only BBSes.

Minitel in Brazil
A very successful system was started in São Paulo, Brazil, by then state-owned Telesp (Telecomunicações de São Paulo). It was called Videotexto and operated from 1982 to the mid-nineties; a few other state telephone companies followed Telesp's lead, but each state kept standalone databases and services. The key to its success was that the phone company offered only the service and phone subscriber databases and third parties—banks, database providers, newspapers—offered additional content and services. The system peaked at 70 thousand subscribers around 1995.

South Africa
Beltel was launched by Telkom in the mid-eighties and continued until 1999.

Comparison to the Internet today
While some people consider videotex to be the precursor of the Internet, the two technologies evolved separately and reflect fundamentally different assumptions about how to computerize communications.

The Internet in its mature form (after 1990) is highly decentralized in that it is essentially a federation of thousands of service providers whose mutual cooperation makes everything run, more or less. Furthermore, the various hardware and software components of the Internet are designed, manufactured and supported by thousands of different companies. Thus, completing any given task on the Internet, such as retrieving a webpage, relies on the contributions of hundreds of people at a hundred or more distinct companies, each of which may have only very tenuous connections with each other.

In contrast, videotex was always highly centralized (except in the French Minitel service, also including thousands of information providers running their own servers connected to the packet switched network "TRANSPAC"). Even in videotex networks where third-party companies could post their own content and operate special services like forums, a single company usually owned and operated the underlying communications network, developed and deployed the necessary hardware and software, and billed both content providers and users for access. The exception was the transaction processing videotex system developed in the UK by Michael Aldrich in 1979, which brought teleshopping (or online shopping as it was later called) into prominence and was the idea developed later through the Internet. Aldrich's systems were based on minicomputers that could communicate with multiple mainframes. Many systems were installed in the UK including the world's first supermarket teleshopping system.

Nearly all books and articles (in English) from videotex's heyday (the late 1970s and early 1980s) seem to reflect a common assumption that in any given videotex system, there would be a single company that would build and operate the network. Although this appears shortsighted in retrospect, it is important to realize that communications had been perceived as a natural monopoly for almost a century — indeed, in much of the world, telephone networks were then and still are explicitly operated as a government monopoly. The Internet as we know it today was still in its infancy in the 1970s, and was mainly operated on telephone lines owned by AT&T which were leased by ARPA. At the time, AT&T did not take seriously the threat posed by packet switching; it actually turned down the opportunity to take over ARPANET. Other computer networks at the time were not really decentralized; for example, the private network Tymnet had central control computers called supervisors which controlled each other in an automatically determined hierarchy. It would take another decade of hard work to transform the Internet from an academic toy into the basis for a modern information utility.

Definitions
Definitions of Videotex and associated terms. These definitions were written in 1980 so some names may be out of date.

 * Videotex: A two-way interactive service. The term was coined by CCITT and emphasizes information retrieved with the capability of displaying pages of text and pictorial material on the screens of adapted TVs.
 * Viewdata: An alternative term to videotex, used in particular by the British Post Office and generally in Britain and the USA. Elsewhere, the term videotex is preferred.  Viewdata was coined by the BPO in the early 1970s, but found to be unacceptable as a trade name, hence its use as a generic.
 * Teletext: One-way broadcast information services for displaying pages of text and pictorial material on the screens of adapted TVs. A limited choice of information pages is continuously cycled at the broadcasting station.  By means of a keypad, a user can select one page at a time for display from the cycle.  The information is transmitted in digital form usually using spare capacity in the broadcast TV signal.  Careful design can ensure that there is no interference with the normal TV picture.  Alternatively, it can use the full capacity of a dedicated channel.  Compared with two-way videotex, teletext is inherently more limited, though generally less costly.
 * Teletex: A text communication standard for communicating word processors and similar terminals combining the facilities of office typewriters and text editing.
 * Ceefax ("See facts"): The BBC's name for its public teletext service available on two TV channels using spare capacity.
 * Oracle ("Optional recognition of coded line electronics"): The name of the IBA's equivalent teletext service.
 * Bildschirmtext, DataVision, Bulletin, Captain, Teletel, Prestel, Viewtron, etc.: The proprietary names for specific videotex implementations.

title: Videotex


text:
Lawler, Iowa

Lawler is a city in Chickasaw County, Iowa, United States. The population was 406 at the time of the 2020 census.

History
Lawler was incorporated in 1871. It is named for John Lawler, an early settler who was instrumental in bringing the railroad to the settlement.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.89 sqmi, of which 0.88 sqmi is land and 0.01 sqmi is water.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 439 people, 200 households, and 127 families living in the city. The population density was 498.9 PD/sqmi. There were 214 housing units at an average density of 243.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 92.7% White, 0.2% African American, 6.8% from other races, and 0.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.9% of the population.

There were 200 households, of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.5% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18% 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 2.77.

The median age in the city was 44.3 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.4% were from 45 to 64; and 21.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 461 people, 202 households, and 134 families living in the city. The population density was 517.1 PD/sqmi. There were 217 housing units at an average density of 243.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 99.13% White, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population.

There were 202 households, out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.83.

Age spread: 23.6% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,500, and the median income for a family was $36,875. Males had a median income of $31,429 versus $21,029 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,268. About 10.5% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.3% of those under age 18 and 19.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The municipality is within the Turkey Valley Community School District.

title: Lawler, Iowa


text:
Nashua, Iowa

Nashua is a city in Chickasaw County and Floyd County, Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 1,551 a 6.7% decrease from 2010. The famed Little Brown Church featured in the song "The Church in the Wildwood" is located in Nashua.

History
Nashua was incorporated as a city in 1869. It is named after Nashua, New Hampshire, the native town of one of its founders.

Geography
Nashua is located at 42.95222°N, -92.53806°W (42.952231, -92.537944).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.14 sqmi, of which 2.88 sqmi is land and 0.26 sqmi is water.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,663 people, 712 households, and 456 families living in the city. The population density was 577.4 PD/sqmi. There were 787 housing units at an average density of 273.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.6% White, 0.4% African American, 0.5% Asian, and 0.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.1% of the population.

There were 712 households, of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.0% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.95.

The median age in the city was 38.4 years. 26% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 23.5% were from 45 to 64; and 20% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,618 people, 691 households, and 469 families living in the city. The population density was 658.2 PD/sqmi. There were 739 housing units at an average density of 300.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 99.26% White, 0.06% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population.

There were 691 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.83.

25.2% are under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,713, and the median income for a family was $37,284. Males had a median income of $27,969 versus $20,547 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,031. About 5.7% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Nashua-Plainfield Community School District operates area public schools. It was established on July 1, 1997, by the merger of the Nashua and Plainfield school districts. It operates the following schools:
 * Nashua-Plainfield Jr./Sr. High School
 * Nashua-Plainfield Intermediate School in Plainfield
 * Nashua-Plainfield Elementalary School

Notable people

 * Waldo Flint (1820–1900), politician
 * A. J. Hinch (1974- ), American baseball catcher, former manager of the Houston Astros
 * Charlton Laird (1901–1984), American linguist, created the 1971 Webster's New World Thesaurus and autobiography of Walter Clark
 * Kent Taylor (1907–1987), American actor

title: Nashua, Iowa


text:
New Hampton, Iowa

New Hampton is a city in, and the county seat of, Chickasaw County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,494 at the time of the 2020 census.

History
New Hampton was founded c. 1855. It is named after New Hampton, New Hampshire, the native town of one of its founders.

Geography
New Hampton is located at 43.05972°N, -92.31472°W (43.059701, -92.314703).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.16 sqmi, all land.

2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 3,571 people, 1,555 households, and 943 families living in the city. The population density was 1130.1 PD/sqmi. There were 1,697 housing units at an average density of 537.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 96.0% White, 0.3% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 2.5% from other races, and 0.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.9% of the population.

The median age in the city was 44.8 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.8% were from 45 to 64; and 23% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 3,692 people, 1,545 households, and 976 families living in the city. The population density was 1,274.0 PD/sqmi. There were 1,658 housing units at an average density of 572.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.62% White, 0.03% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.35% of the population.

There were 1,545 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.93.

Age spread: 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,082, and the median income for a family was $50,360. Males had a median income of $33,125 versus $21,217 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,255. About 3.9% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education
New Hampton Community School District operates local public schools.

St. Joseph's Catholic School, of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque, is in New Hampton. On August 15, 1904, the school building and convent, which had a cost of $15,000, were dedicated. A fire destroyed the building in November 1921; the cause was never uncovered. Construction on a new school began in spring 1922, with the cornerstone laid on May 1. C. O. Emery Construction company made the $56,731.67 two-story brick structure, which included a multipurpose room that housed a stage, auditorium, and/or gymnasium.

Notable people

 * William Barloon - imprisoned in Iraq during Saddam Hussein's regime
 * Rich Christensen — creator and producer of Pinks! on the Speed Channel
 * Greg Ganske — former U.S. Representative
 * Mike Humpal - former NFL player for the Pittsburgh Steelers and former football player for the Iowa Hawkeyes
 * Duane Josephson — Major League Baseball catcher
 * Kim Olson, military officer and political candidate
 * Bertha M. Rice – writer, clubwoman, conservationist based in California
 * Coleen Rowley — United States attorney
 * Sarah Utterback — actress
 * Carleton H. Wright — admiral
 * Cole Christopher True McDonald - Major League Baseball pitcher

title: New Hampton, Iowa


text:
North Washington, Iowa

North Washington is a city in Chickasaw County, Iowa, United States. The population was 112 at the time of the 2020 census.

Geography
North Washington is located at 43.11639°N, -92.41528°W (43.116252, -92.415178).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.20 sqmi, all land.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 117 people, 43 households, and 31 families living in the city. The population density was 585.0 PD/sqmi. There were 45 housing units at an average density of 225.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 97.4% White, 1.7% African American, and 0.9% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population.

There were 43 households, of which 44.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.1% were married couples living together, 2.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.9% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.19.

The median age in the city was 38.2 years. 29.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.2% were from 25 to 44; 31.6% were from 45 to 64; and 7.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.1% male and 47.9% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 118 people, 47 households, and 32 families living in the city. The population density was 601.2 PD/sqmi. There were 49 housing units at an average density of 249.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.31% White, and 1.69% from two or more races.

There were 47 households, out of which 53.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.4% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,542, and the median income for a family was $41,667. Males had a median income of $29,306 versus $26,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,611. There were 7.9% of families and 5.8% of the population living below the poverty line, including 5.9% of under eighteens and 11.1% of those over 64.

Education
It is within the New Hampton Community School District.

Notable person

 * Joe Meyers, American football coach

title: North Washington, Iowa


text:
Protivin, Iowa

Protivin is a city in Chickasaw and Howard counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 269 at the time of the 2020 census. Early settlers named the city after the Bohemian town of Protivín in what is now the south of the Czech Republic. The current mayor of Protivin is Michael Lensing.

History
The first Czech settlers arrived around 1855 and established themselves because the landscape reminded them of their home region. The community was and is predominately Catholic and they built their own church in 1878 which was the town's first structure.

Protivin was platted in 1878, and incorporated as a town in 1894.

Town life
Protivin holds an annual weekend festival known as Czech Days each August where the town's Czech heritage is celebrated. The event draws people from throughout Howard and Chickasaw counties.

The Roman Catholic Holy Trinity Church is the town's only church and only school. The school is a private school called Trinity Catholic School.

Geography
Protivin is located at 43.21556°N, -92.09278°W (43.215428, -92.092814).

The Protivin area has many wildlife areas and opportunities for hunting and fishing. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.48 sqmi, all land.

Taylor's Pond is located a few miles northwest of Protivin and has a four-acre pond used for fishing as well as picnic facilities.

Protivin is located on a state highway between U.S. Routes 52 and 63.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 283 people, 143 households, and 79 families living in the city. The population density was 589.6 PD/sqmi. There were 167 housing units at an average density of 347.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 99.3% White, 0.4% Asian, and 0.4% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population.

There were 143 households, of which 20.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.8% were non-families. 39.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.98 and the average family size was 2.53.

The median age in the city was 48.6 years. 18% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.5% were from 25 to 44; 29.7% were from 45 to 64; and 24% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 317 people, 154 households, and 79 families living in the city. The population density was 663.5 PD/sqmi. There were 180 housing units at an average density of 376.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city is 99.68% White and 0.32% Asian.

There were 154 households, out of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.7% were non-families. 43.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 29.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 29.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,779, and the median income for a family was $35,156. Males had a median income of $30,179 versus $18,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,818. About 10.1% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.3% of those under the age of 18 and 20.7% of those ages 65 and older.

Education
The municipality is within the Turkey Valley Community School District. The district's school is in Jackson Junction.

Trinity Catholic School, of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque, is located in Protivin.

title: Protivin, Iowa


text:
Murray, Iowa

Murray is a city in Clarke County, Iowa, United States. The population was 684 at the time of the 2020 census.

History
Murray was founded in 1868 as Oakland following the construction of the Burlington & Missouri River Rail Road through the State. The village was laid out in 1868 by Henry Clay Sigler (1830–1907) of Osceola and Smith Henderson Mallory (1835–1903) of Chariton. At that time, Oakland occupied a 120 acre tract. The first U.S. Post Office in Oakland was established in the Fall of 1868 – In section 10, Troy Township. Albert ("Bert") Straub (1842–1897) was appointed postmaster November 27, 1868. Straub had been a member of Company E of the 50th Illinois Infantry Regiment and served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Murray was incorporated as a city Thursday, October 21, 1880 – 0 years after Clarke County had been established by the Territorial Legislature (January 13, 1846). Murray's first City Council meeting was held December 7, 1880. Alanson Bowers (1848–1922) served as founding mayor until March 1882.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Murray has a total area of 0.8 sqmi, all land. The city is in western Clarke County, along the historic Mormon Trail.

Driving distances from Murray:
 * 1) Osceola, the Clarke County seat, is about 10 mi east via U.S. Route 34.
 * 2) Des Moines is about 57.6 mi north via I-35.
 * 3) Omaha is about 122 mi west via U.S. Route 34.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 756 people, 310 households, and 200 families living in the city. The population density was 957.0 PD/sqmi. There were 337 housing units at an average density of 426.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.1% White, 0.5% African American, and 1.3% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population.

There were 310 households, of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.5% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.97.

The median age in the city was 36.8 years. 26.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 766 people, 308 households, and 218 families living in the city. The population density was 977.4 PD/sqmi. There were 338 housing units at an average density of 431.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.43% White, 0.65% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.13% from other races, and 0.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.31% of the population.

There were 305 households, out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% 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 2.97.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,879, and the median income for a family was $37,083. Males had a median income of $27,583 versus $20,577 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,879. About 5.0% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Meridel Le Sueur (1900–1996) – American writer associated with the proletarian movement of the 1930s and 1940s
 * Glenn Parker (1898–1989) – Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court: December 5, 1955 – January 6, 1975; Chief Justice: (i) January 1, 1963 – January 2, 1967 & (ii) January 1, 1973 – January 2, 1975

Historical markers

 * Ensign Peak Foundation, Murray History Center.
 * The Clarke County Freedom Rock & Honor Wall in Murray, created by renowned painter Ray “Bubba" Sorensen, Murray Cemetery off Highway 34 and County Highway R16

Murray

 * Murray Cemetery.
 * Northeast corner Section 7: northeast corner of Ferdinand D. Friday (1833–1920) 240 acre tract.
 * Troy Township, Section 15: about 4 acres in the southwest corner of the old William Harvey Dewey (1956–1946) 76 acre tract.
 * 135th Avenue, at the northwest corner of Route 34 and County Road R16
 * 41.0278°N, -93.9456°W

 * Union Cemetery.
 * 41.1265°N, -93.9115°W

title: Murray, Iowa


text:
Osceola, Iowa

Osceola is a city in Clarke County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,160 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Clarke County.

Etymology
Osceola was named after a Seminole Indian leader of the same name. Osceola is an anglicised form of Asiyahola: assi, from a ceremonial yaupon holly tea or "black drink" and yaholi, the name of a Creek god intoned when the drink was served.

History
In 1872, the Masonic Building was built on the public square in Osceola. The Italianate building was used by Osceola Lodge No. 77 of the Ancient Free & Accepted Masons, and the main floor was a bank and hardware store.

In December 2023, Osceola City Administrator Ty Wheeler urged residents to switch from using tap water to bottled water as extreme drought affected West Lake. In February 2024, the Clarke Community School District shut off drinking water in all its buildings due to a severe drought in Osceola.

Geography
Osceola is located at the junction of Interstate 35 and U.S. Routes 34 and 69. It lies 35 mi north of the Missouri border, and approximately 40 miles south of Des Moines.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.68 sqmi, of which 6.48 sqmi is land and 0.20 sqmi is water.

Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Osceola has a hot-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.

2010 census
At the 2010 census there were 4,929 people, 1,974 households, and 1,208 families living in the city. The population density was 760.6 PD/sqmi. There were 2,184 housing units at an average density of 337.0 /sqmi. The racial makup of the city was 91.0% White, 0.6% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 6.2% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 17.6%.

Of the 1,974 households 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.8% of households were one person and 15.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.10.

The median age was 36.8 years. 26.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 23.8% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,659 people, 1,945 households, and 1,229 families living in the city. The population density was 798.2 PD/sqmi. There were 2,118 housing units at an average density of 362.9 /sqmi. The racial makup of the city was 95.73% White, 0.11% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.75% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.25% of the population.

Of the 1,945 households 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 31.7% of households were one person and 17.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.98.

The age distribution was 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.

The median household income was $32,701 and the median family income was $45,263. Males had a median income of $31,674 versus $21,684 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,244. About 5.2% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Osceola, operating its California Zephyr daily in both directions between Chicago and Emeryville. A bus connection is available from Osceola to Des Moines.

Water
Water is drawn out of West lake to supply the community.

Attractions
The Masonic building was placed on the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance’s Most Endangered list due to its poor repair and lack of preservation plan. In 2011 it was renovated with help from various grants. The second and third floors were converted into upscale apartments. The China Star restaurant was remodeled and now utilizes both halves of the lower level. The exterior received an overdue face lift to restore the building to its original appearance. All of the windows were replaced and the stucco was repaired and painted. Structural improvements included foundation work and a new roof. The front entrances were replaced with a more traditional wood columns and tall glass windows.

Lakeside Casino Resort operates on West Lake. The river boat-themed casino has been in continuous operation since about 2000, although it has been bought and sold twice since it has opened. Terrible Herbst gaming purchased the casino around 2005. After a major renovation to the complex, which included a $1 million 132-foot-tall sign along the adjacent interstate, took place around 2006. The parent company filed for bankruptcy and the casino was sold yet again. The original and familiar Lakeside name was brought back and the large cowboy sign along the interstate was converted into a slightly smaller, more traditional sign. A Pilot truck stop was built in late 2010 along the interstate, in place of the former Terrible Casino gas station.

Notable people

 * Dorothy Clark, author known under joint pen name Clark McMeekin; born in Osceola
 * Dwight Harken, surgeon and cardiac surgery innovator
 * Edgar Howard, Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska and sixth-term member of the United States House of Representatives
 * W. Ward Reynoldson, Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court

title: Osceola, Iowa