Calmar is a city in Winneshiek County,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, United States. The population was 1,125 at the 2020 census. It is at the junction of

U.S. Route 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major U.S. Highway in the Central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows a north ...

and State highways 150 and 24, with both state routes terminating in Calmar.

History

Calmar was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1854. It was named after Calmar, today spelled

Kalmar Kalmar (, , ) is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 41,388 inhabitants in 2020 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of ...

, a city in Sweden. The settlement experienced growth in 1868 when the railroad was built through it. Calmar was incorporated on July 14, 1869.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2020, there were 1,125 people, 479 households, and 271 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 1,017.7 inhabitants per square mile (392.9/km²). There were 524 housing units at an average density of 474.0 per square mile (183.0/km²). The

racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...

makeup of the city was 92.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.8% from other races and 4.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 3.8% of the population. Of the 479 households, 28.8% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.3% were cohabitating couples, 28.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 23.8% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 43.4% of all households were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 36.9 years. 27.7% of the residents were under the age of 20; 7.4% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 26.0% were from 25 and 44; 24.3% were from 45 and 64; and 14.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.6% male and 49.4% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 978 people, 444 households, and 252 families living in the city. The

was . There were 492 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.0%

, 0.3%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population. There were 444 households, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were

living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.2% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% 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 2.84. The median age in the city was 34.9 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 13.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.7% were from 45 to 64; and 13.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.7% male and 48.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,058 people, 452 households, and 269 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 482 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.87%

, 0.19%

, 0.09% Native American, 0.19% Asian, and 0.66% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.47% of the population. There were 452 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were

living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 30.3% 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 2.33 and the average family size was 2.97. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 14.7% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,250, and the median income for a family was $50,063. Males had a median income of $29,875 versus $21,708 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $17,958. About 3.4% of families and 9.6% 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 ...

, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Calmar is home to one of two campuses of Northeast Iowa Community College. The community is within the

South Winneshiek Community School District The South Winneshiek Community School District (SW) is a rural state school, public school district headquartered in Calmar, Iowa. With campuses in Calmar and Ossian, Iowa, Ossian, it serves grades Pre-K through 12th. The district is entirely ...

. South Winneshiek High School is in Calmar. Its elementary and middle schools are in Ossian. CFS Catholic School formed as a consolidation of Catholic schools in Calmar,

Festina image:Festina F16184 4.jpg, Festina F16184 Festina is a Spanish watch conglomerate. In 1985, businessman Miguel Rodríguez acquired Festina, a brand founded in Switzerland in 1902, thus forming the ''Festina-Lotus Group.'' History Festina w ...

, and Spillville. Prior to fall 2020 its campuses are St. Aloysius Center in Calmar and St. Wenceslaus Center in Spillville. In 2019 CFS and St. Theresa of Calcutta in

Ossian Ossian (; Irish Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic: ''Oisean'') is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, originally as ''Fingal'' (1761) and ''Temora (poem), Temora'' (1763), and later c ...

announced plans to consolidate into a single school, with the Calmar campus closing. Beginning fall 2020 the Ossian campus will house grades K-2 and middle school while the Spillville campus will house grades 3-4.

Notable person

* John Brayshaw Kaye - poet and former mayor of Calmar

Notes

References

External links

City of Calmar, Iowa Website
Portal style website, Government, Business, Library, Recreation and more
City-Data.com
Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Calmar {{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Winneshiek County, Iowa