Eagle Grove is a city in Wright 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 3,601 at the time of the 2020 census. Eagle Grove is the largest city in Wright County.

History

Eagle Grove 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 1881. It was named from the eagle nests seen by early settlers in a nearby Oak tree grove perched above the bank of the Boone River. In 1851 Mr. N. B. Paine moved to Wright County, purchased property and constructed a log cabin that stood directly west of the grove. The nest was over six feet in diameter. The eagles settled in the nest in the spring and summer of 1855–56, However, in the spring of 1857 they were shot and killed by a trapper. Thus Eagle Grove was named in honour of these eagles. On February 2, 1973, a natural gas explosion killed 13 people and leveled the Chatterbox Cafe and the neighboring Coast to Coast hardware store at the southeast corner of Broadway Street and Commerce Avenue.

Geography

Eagle Grove is located near the

Boone River The Boone River is a tributary of the Des Moines River in north-central Iowa in the United States. It is longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 26, 2011 and drains a ...

. 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.

Climate

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 3,601 people, 1,445 households, and 886 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 884.3 inhabitants per square mile (341.4/km²). There were 1,579 housing units at an average density of 387.8 per square mile (149.7/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 75.5%

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 ...

, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.2% 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 ...

, 15.0% from other races and 7.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

persons of any race comprised 24.8% of the population. Of the 1,445 households, 30.4% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% 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, 8.3% were cohabitating couples, 27.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 22.3% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 38.7% of all households were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 35.9 years. 29.9% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.5% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 and 44; 21.5% were from 45 and 64; and 18.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 3,583 people, 1,500 households, and 924 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 1,649 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.5%

, 0.7%

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, 1.8% from other races, and 1.8% 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 8.9% of the population. There were 1,500 households, of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were

living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.4% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the city was 41 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 19.4% 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

of 2000, there were 3,712 people, 1,511 households, and 994 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,607 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.33%

, 0.16%

, 0.05% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 1.35% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.05% of the population. There were 1,511 households, out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were

living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.96. Age spread: 25.7% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,505, and the median income for a family was $42,757. Males had a median income of $30,930 versus $19,487 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 $20,563. About 2.8% of families and 5.7% 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 3.8% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Eagle Grove is one of the few non-county-seat towns in Iowa to be home of the county fair. The Wright County District Junior Fair is held in early July each summer in Greenwood Park and brings people from the region to Eagle Grove. Recent improvements have been made to the fair grounds as the Wright County Fair continues to expand.

Education

The

Eagle Grove Community School District The Eagle Grove Community School District (EGCSD) is a public rural school district headquartered in Eagle Grove, Iowa, in the north-central region of the state. Established in 1881, EGCSD has served as the educational backbone of the area fo ...

serves children from PreK to 12th grade. The district covers area of

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a ...

Humboldt Humboldt may refer to: People * Alexander von Humboldt, German natural scientist, brother of Wilhelm von Humboldt * Wilhelm von Humboldt, German linguist, philosopher, and diplomat, brother of Alexander von Humboldt Fictional characters * Hu ...

, and Webster counties, and serves the communities of Eagle Grove,

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

Vincent Vincent (Latin: ''Vincentius'') is a masculine given name originating from the Roman name ''Vincentius'', which itself comes from the Latin verb ''vincere'', meaning "to conquer." People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003) ...

, Woolstock, and the surrounding rural areas. There are 836 students in grades K-12. The district has built a new P/K-4 elementary school attached to the middle school after approving a bond referendum.

School sports

Eagle Grove High School Eagle Grove High School is a rural public high school located in Eagle Grove, Iowa. It is part of the Eagle Grove Community School District. Overview The school district is the largest district in Wright county and draws students from the tow ...

is a member of the

Iowa High School Athletic Association The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) is the regulating body for male Iowa high school interscholastic athletics and is a full member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. Its female counterpart, the Iowa Gir ...

and competes in an athletic conference called the Top of Iowa Conference. The conference consists of 18 schools that are in 1A & 2A. ----

Notable people

* Robert D. Blue (1898–1989) 30th Governor of

from 1945 to 1949 *

Frances Lee Frances Lee (born Merna Phyllis Tibbetts; May 5, 1906 – November 5, 2000) was an American film actress during Hollywood's silent film era, and well into the sound film era of the 1930s. Dancing career Frances Lee was born Merna Phylli ...

, a

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

actress *

Alvin Setzepfandt Alvin Otto Henry Setzepfandt (February 7, 1924 – January 7, 2013) was an American veterinarian and politician. Born in Eagle Grove, Iowa, Setzepfandt graduated from Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. During World War II, he served ...

, veterinarian and Minnesota politician

References

External links

City websiteEagle Grove Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Wright County, Iowa 1881 establishments in Iowa