Diagonal is a city in northwest Ringgold 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 the ...

, United States. The population was 344 at the time of the 2020 census. The community was named for the fact that two railroads intersected diagonally near the town site.

Geography

Diagonal is located 5 miles west of

US Route 169 U.S. Route 169 (US 169) is a north-south U.S highway that currently runs for 966 miles (1,555 km) from the city of Virginia, Minnesota to Tulsa, Oklahoma at Memorial Drive. Route description Oklahoma US 169 is a major north–south ...

and approximately eight miles northwest of Mount Ayr. The Grand River flows past the east side of the town.''Iowa Atlas & Gazetteer,'' DeLorme, 7th Edition, 2021 pp. 56-7 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 the ...

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

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 330 people, 119 households, and 71 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 145 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.3%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, and 1.8% Native American. There were 119 households, of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.3% were non-families. 37.0% 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 2.13 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age in the city was 52.8 years. 15.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.9% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 36.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.2% male and 54.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 312 people, 139 households, and 87 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 154 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 100.00%

. There were 139 households, out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were

living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 31.7% 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 2.24 and the average family size was 2.85. 21.2% were under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $24,063, and the median income for a family was $28,393. Males had a median income of $22,083 versus $18,958 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $16,601. About 16.5% of families and 15.8% 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 23.7% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Dick Ives Richard C. Ives (April 26, 1926 – May 5, 1997) was an American basketball player for the University of Iowa from 1943–44 to 1946–47. A native of Diagonal, Iowa, Ives passed up the opportunity to play college basketball at Drake University o ...

, University of Iowa Three Time All American basketball player *

Yam Yaryan Clarence Everett "Yam" Yaryan (November 5, 1892 – November 16, 1964) was a professional baseball player. Yaryan played two seasons in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox in 1921 and 1922, primarily as a catcher. He batted and threw r ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

MLB baseball player, grew up near Diagonal

References