Elkader, Iowa

Elkader, Iowa
City
Motto: Keystone of NE Iowa
Location of Elkader, Iowa
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Clayton
Area
• Total	1.39 sq mi (3.60 km2)
• Land	1.39 sq mi (3.60 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	732 ft (223 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,273
• Estimate (2012)	1,240
• Density	915.8/sq mi (353.6/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	52043
Area code(s)	563
FIPS code	19-24690
GNIS feature ID	0456303

Elkader is a city in Clayton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,273 at the 2010 census, down from 1,465 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Clayton County.

History

The city is named after Algerian leader Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri. When the community was platted in 1846, the founders, Timothy Davis, John Thompson, and Chester Sage decided to name it for the young Algerian who was leading his people in resisting the French colonial takeover of Algeria.

Elkader Keystone Bridge is listed on the NRHP

The town is known for its bridge over the Turkey River, said to be the largest stone arch bridge west of the Mississippi. It, and many of the local buildings, are made from locally quarried sandstone. The town's grocery store, Wilke's, is the oldest continuously operated grocery store west of the Mississippi, as well. Elkader also features a renovated Victorian-era opera house, and the Turkey River Mall, a 29 room hotel converted into antique stores.

The town featured in a WAMU World View documentary; "Couscous and cultural diplomacy". It is a documentary which focuses on an openly gay couple, who settled in Elkader, and opened an Algerian-American restaurant. One of the couple is Algerian. The documentary describes how the couple have largely been accepted as part of the community yet wrestle with cultural adaptation, American identity, and small town politics, as well as many of the personal issues they experienced post 9/11.

The city was one of many in Iowa affected by the Great Iowa Flood of 2008, with flood waters from the Turkey River reaching historic levels.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.39 square miles (3.60 km²), all of it land. The lowest ever temperature of Iowa, −47 °F (−44 °C) was recorded here on February 3, 1996.

Demographics

Elkader historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1860	440	—
1870	697	+58.4%
1880	851	+22.1%
1890	745	−12.5%
1900	1,321	+77.3%
1910	1,181	−10.6%
1920	1,223	+3.6%
1930	1,382	+13.0%
1940	1,556	+12.6%
1950	1,584	+1.8%
1960	1,526	−3.7%
1970	1,592	+4.3%
1980	1,688	+6.0%
1990	1,510	−10.5%
2000	1,465	−3.0%
2010	1,273	−13.1%
2014	1,220	−4.2%
Source: Source: U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,273 people, 577 households, and 342 families residing in the city. The population density was 915.8 inhabitants per square mile (353.6/km²). There were 627 housing units at an average density of 451.1 per square mile (174.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.7% White, 0.1% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.3% of the population.

There were 577 households of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.7% were non-families. 35.7% 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 2.10 and the average family size was 2.73.

The median age in the city was 49.8 years. 18.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19% were from 25 to 44; 32.4% were from 45 to 64; and 24.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.2% male and 53.8% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,465 people, 645 households, and 403 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,049.0 people per square mile (404.0/km²). There were 693 housing units at an average density of 496.2 per square mile (191.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.25% White, 0.20% African American, 0.07% Native American, and 0.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.07% of the population.

There were 645 households out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 35.0% 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 2.16 and the average family size was 2.77.

20.6% are under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 27.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 80.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,857, and the median income for a family was $41,830. Males had a median income of $28,235 versus $19,550 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,785. About 2.7% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Jack Dittmer, Major League Baseball second baseman, Boston/Milwaukee Braves (now Atlanta) franchise.
• Francis John Dunn, Roman Catholic bishop
• Donald Harstad, novelist
• Leonard G. Wolf, U.S. Representative from Iowa
• Timothy Davis, town founder and member of congress for Iowa

Sister city

Elkader has one sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International:

• Mascara, Algeria

See also

19th-century view of the original
Saint Joseph's Church

• Clayton County Courthouse
• St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Elkader, Iowa)

External links

• Explore Elkader Portal style website, Government, Business, Attractions and more
• Central Community Schools
• CS Studios IA
• Empire special - Islam and America on Al Jazeera English, contains a video clip about Elkader (43:20 - 45:10 min)
• Out and About Iowa, report on Elkader in the column Out and About Iowa of the The Iowa Journal (Iowa Public TV)
• City-Data Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Elkader
• "Couscous and cultural diplomacy" a radio documentary about a gay couple starting an Algerian restaurant in homage to a 19th-century independence fighter Emir Abd al-Qader . (ABC Radio National)