Atlantic is a city in and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Cass County,
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
, United States,
located along the
East Nishnabotna River. The population was 6,792 in the
2020 census, a decline from the 7,257 population in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
.
History
Atlantic was founded in October 1868 by Franklin H. Whitney, B.F. Allen, John P. Cook, and others. While historians cannot agree on how Atlantic got its name, local legend tells that the founding fathers estimated that the town was about halfway between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, so it led them to flip a coin and, clearly, Atlantic won. The nearby Rock Island Railroad was important in deciding the actual location of the town, and to this day, the old depot sits at the north end of Chestnut Street. Today, the depot serves as the offices of the Chamber of Commerce.
[Naming of Atlantic"]
A log cabin stands in Atlantic City Park with a historical plaque bearing the following inscription:
Another story told about Atlantic is the way the main street was located. Someone asked Whitney where it should be placed. He marked the center at current day 6th and Chestnut and then plowed two furrows apart all the way up to the railroad, just north of Second Street.
Since 1929, Atlantic is noted for the Atlantic
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...
Bottling Company, which bottles and distributes drinks from
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrup ...
to Iowa and parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Missouri.
Atlantic has one high school, The Atlantic High School, home of the Atlantic Trojans.
Geography
Atlantic's longitude and latitude coordinates in decimal form are 41.401404, -95.010867.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Climate
According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Atlantic has a
hot-summer humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...
, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
2010 census
At the
2010 census there were 7,112 people, 3,137 households, and 1,906 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,399 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makup of the city was 97.0% White, 0.2% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6%.
Of the 3,137 households, 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.2% were non-families. 34.3% of households were one person and 15.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.80.
The median age was 44.3 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.1% were from 45 to 64; and 22% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.
2000 census
At the
2000 census there were 7,257 people, 3,126 households, and 1,969 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,354 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makup of the city was 98.65% White, 0.25% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.79%.
Of the 3,126 households, 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 33.7% of households were one person and 18.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.81.
Age spread: 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.
The median household income was $33,370 and the median family income was $41,168. Males had a median income of $30,691 versus $20,271 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,832. About 6.3% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.
Education
It is within the
Atlantic Community School District
Atlantic Community School District (ACSD) is a public school district headquartered in Atlantic, Iowa. The district is mostly in Cass County and also occupies parts of Audubon and Pottawattamie counties. The district serves Atlantic and Marn ...
.
Atlantic High School is the local school district.
Media
;
Newspaper
Atlantic, Iowa is one of the smallest communities in Iowa to have a daily newspaper, the ''
Atlantic News-Telegraph
The ''Atlantic News-Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Atlantic, Iowa, and covering Cass County, Iowa
Cass County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,127. Its county seat is A ...
''. The editor
E.P. Chase of the newspaper was awarded the
1934
Events
January–February
* January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established.
* January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maxi ...
Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing
The Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Journalism. It has been awarded since 1917 for distinguished editorial writing, the test of excellence being clearness of style ...
.
;
Radio
Atlantic is home to three radio stations. KSOM 96.5 FM is a 100,000 watt station that reaches more than 22 counties with studios in Atlantic. KSOM features award-winning local news at the top of the hour as well as Bill O'Reilly news and commentary daily and 12 locally originated ag reports each weekday. KSOM broadcasts Iowa State Sports, NASCAR and award-winning high school sports coverage.
KS 95.7 offers classic rock music and is the home and away voice of the Atlantic High School Trojans. Many of the Atlantic High school sporting events are also live video streamed by KS 95.7.
Meredith Communications is the owner of KSOM and KS 95.7 and is also the publisher of the website westerniowatoday.com and a daily electronic newspaper called The Daily.
KJAN 1220 AM which features a variety music format and is licensed to Wireless Communications Corp.. KJAN also broadcasts on FM translator 101.1. KJAN AM 1220/FM 101.1 features local news, sports, weather, farm and information 24 hours a day. Listen to Iowa Hawkeye football and basketball, St. Louis Cardinals baseball and Kansas City Chiefs football on KJAN.
Transportation
Railroads
Atlantic is served by the
Iowa Interstate Railroad
The Iowa Interstate Railroad is a Class II regional railroad operating in the central United States. The railroad is owned by Railroad Development Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
History
The railroad was formed on November 2, 1984, u ...
, a successor to the
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.
At the end ...
. Until 1970 the
Rock Island Railroad Atlantic depot served a daily Council Bluffs - Chicago train.
[Paul C. Nelson, University of Iowa, ‘Annals of Iowa,’ ca. 1971, “Rise and Decline of the Rock Island Passenger Train in the 20th Century,” Part II, p. 751 https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/annals-of-iowa/article/6748/galley/115521/view/] The railroad has one daily job, a local known as “The Rover”, that starts and ends its shift in Atlantic. From Atlantic service is provided to customers between
Hancock Hancock may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Hancock, Iowa
* Hancock, Maine
* Hancock, Maryland
* Hancock, Massachusetts
* Hancock, Michigan
* Hancock, Minnesota
* Hancock, Missouri
* Hancock, New Hampshire
** Hancock (CDP), New Hampshir ...
and
Des Moines. The town also sees two daily through freights. Daily
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...
service is in Omaha, 58 miles to the west and Creston, 58 miles to the southeast.
Buses
Atlantic is served by daily intercity buses from
Burlington Trailways
Burlington Trailways is an inter-city bus company based in West Burlington, Iowa.
History
Burlington Trailways was founded in 1929 as the Burlington Transportation Company, a subsidiary of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. It started ...
. While the stop, located at 64975 Boston Rd, is named ''
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
'', it is actually located over 6 miles from town, off Interstate 80.
Notable people
*
Don A. Allen
Don A. Allen, also known as Don A. Allen, Sr. (May 13, 1900 - August 1, 1983), was a member of the California State Assembly in the 1940s and 1950s and of the Los Angeles City Council between 1947 and 1956.
Biography
Allen was born on May 13, 1 ...
, member of California State Assembly and of Los Angeles City Council in 1940s and 1950s, born in Atlantic
[Los Angeles Public Library reference file]
/ref>[JoinCalifornia website, citing other sources]
/ref>
* Harlan J. Bushfield (1882–1948), Republican U.S. senator and 16th governor of South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...
*Blake Curd
Richard Blake Curd (born September 19, 1967) is an American politician and a Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the South Dakota Senate representing District 12 since June 6, 2013. Curd served non-consecutively in the South Dak ...
(born 1967), Physician and South Dakota state legislator
* Jack Drake (1934–2015), longtime state representative in Iowa, born and died in Atlantic
* William G. Cambridge, United States federal court judge
* Steve H. Hanke, professor of economics, adviser to presidents, currency reformer and commodity and currency trader
* Frederick C. Loofbourow (1874–1949), Republican U.S. representative from Utah
*Shannon McCormick
Shannon McCormick is an American film and voice actor. He is known for his work with Rooster Teeth, voicing Agent Washington in '' Red vs. Blue'' and Professor Ozpin in ''RWBY''.
His other roles include Kuroudo Akabane in ''GetBackers'', Masahi ...
(born 1971), actor and voice actor
* Ethel T. Wead Mick (1881–1957), founder of Masonic girls' organization now known as Job's Daughters
* Ed Podolak (born 1947), professional football player and color commentator for Iowa Hawkeyes football games on WHO radio
*William Appleman Williams
William Appleman Williams (June 12, 1921 – March 5, 1990) was one of the 20th century's most prominent revisionist historians of American diplomacy. He achieved the height of his influence while on the faculty of the department of history at th ...
(1921–1990), president of Organization of American Historians
* Lafayette Young (1848–1926), Republican senator from Iowa, state senator, newspaper reporter, editor and owner
* Glen R. Smith Chairman and CEO, Farm Credit Administration (2019-2022), farmer, businessman
See also
*T-Bone Trail
The American Discovery Trail is a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast hiking and biking trail across the mid-tier of the United States. Horses can also be ridden on most of this trail. The coastal tra ...
References
External links
Official Atlantic City Website
Chamber of Commerce
Atlantic News Telegraph
Local daily newspaper website
Atlantic Police Department
Detailed Statistical Data and more about Atlantic, Iowa
{{authority control
Cities in Cass County, Iowa
Cities in Iowa
County seats in Iowa
Populated places established in 1868
1868 establishments in Iowa