Fort Atkinson is a city in Winneshiek 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. The population was 312 at the time of the 2020 census. It is home to the historic Fort Atkinson State Preserve and hosts a large annual fur-trapper rendezvous each September. Fort Atkinson holds the largest regional

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...

auction every Wednesday.

History

Fort Atkinson was built to protect the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) during their removal from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. The name honors Henry Atkinson, the commanding officer in charge of the effort. Construction began in May 1840 and was complete by the summer of 1842. The

regular army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standin ...

turned the fort over to Iowa volunteers as the troops stationed there were needed for the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

. After the Ho-Chunk were removed from Iowa the post was abandoned on February 14, 1849.

Geography

Fort Atkinson is located at (43.144034, −91.934839). 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 , 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 in ...

of 2010, there were 349 people, 160 households, and 102 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was . There were 170 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.0%

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 o ...

, 1.7% from

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, and 0.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 3.2% of the population. There were 160 households, of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.3% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age in the city was 47.3 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.4% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 25.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 389 people, 165 households, and 102 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 169 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.49%

, 0.26% Native American and 0.26%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

of any race were 0.26% of the population. There were 165 households, out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 21.6% 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 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,205, and the median income for a family was $38,333. Males had a median income of $27,292 versus $17,813 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 $14,702. About 12.3% of families and 12.7% 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 t ...

, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

City government

Fort Atkinson is governed by Mayor Paul Herold and a city council composed of Paul Schmitt, Lori Schroeder, Robert Glass, Dale Leuenberger, and Kay Schmitt.

Schools

Fort Atkinson is located in the Turkey Valley School District, a small K-12 school with about 575 students. The district's schools serve students from the small communities of Lawler, Waucoma, St. Lucas, Protivin, Fort Atkinson, and Jackson Junction. The schools themselves are located in Jackson Junction. There is also a private Catholic school in Protivin called Trinity Catholic School.

References

{{Authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Winneshiek County, Iowa