Graettinger is a city in

Palo Alto County, Iowa Palo Alto County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,996. The county seat is Emmetsburg. It is named after the Battle of Palo Alto, the first major battle of the Mexican–American War. G ...

, United States. The population was 832 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

Graettinger got its start in the 1880s, following construction of the

Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway The Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway (BCR&N) was a railroad that operated in the United States from 1876 to 1903. It was formed to take over the operations of the bankrupt Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Minnesota Railway, which was, in ...

through that territory. The land was originally owned by Dr. Alois Graettinger, a German physician who had immigrated to

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. He gave the land to the railway under the condition that the town were to be named after him. Members of the Graettinger family still live in the town. They are descendants of Dr. Graettinger's brother, Blasius, who was a stone cutter by trade but moved to Iowa to farm. Graettinger is the location of the oldest

Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...

celebration in the state of Iowa. Each year, the town celebrates with a parade, carnival, street dance, variety show, queen coronation, raffle drawing and various other events.

About Dr. Alois Graettinger

Dr. Alois Graettinger was a German-American physician born in

Passau Passau (; ) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the ("City of Three Rivers"), as the river Danube is joined by the Inn (river), Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's population is about 50,000, of whom ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, on January 10, 1834. He attended the local school and gymnasium of

. At the age of 18, Graettinger entered the

University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

, completing the “biennium practicum”, after which he was assistant in the obstetrical clinic of the university for one year before leaving for

in 1857. In 1865, he took the degree of M.D. at the

Chicago Medical College Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous city in the United States after New York City and Los ...

and in 1878 that of the University of Munich. In 1894, Dr. Graettinger was chosen as the president of the Society of German Physicians in Milwaukee. On account of ill health he left for

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in 1898, giving up practice and tilling the soil until his death due to

arteriosclerosis Arteriosclerosis, literally meaning "hardening of the arteries", is an umbrella term for a vascular disorder characterized by abnormal thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries; this process gradually restricts th ...

on October 23, 1907.

Geography

Graettinger is located near the

Des Moines River The Des Moines River () is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwestern United States that is approximately long from its farther headwaters.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe N ...

. 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 832 people, 358 households, and 204 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 1,103.1 inhabitants per square mile (425.9/km²). There were 415 housing units at an average density of 550.2 per square mile (212.4/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 93.9%

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 ...

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

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 ...

, 0.7% from other races and 4.6% 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 3.6% of the population. Of the 358 households, 29.9% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% 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, 10.3% were cohabitating couples, 24.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 22.3% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 43.0% of all households were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 37.2 years. 29.3% of the residents were under the age of 20; 3.8% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 26.1% were from 25 and 44; 24.6% were from 45 and 64; and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.5% male and 49.5% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 844 people, 382 households, and 227 families living in the city. The

was . There were 440 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.5%

, 0.4%

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% Native American, 0.5% from other races, and 0.6% 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 0.8% of the population. There were 382 households, of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were

living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.6% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age in the city was 37 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 24.1% were from 45 to 64; and 19.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 900 people, 396 households, and 241 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 430 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.78%

, 0.11%

, 0.56% Native American, and 0.56% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population. There were 396 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were

living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.90. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,988, and the median income for a family was $36,591. Males had a median income of $26,726 versus $17,721 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 $15,520. About 3.9% of families and 9.4% 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 5.4% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Graettinger is served by the

Graettinger–Terril Community School District Graettinger–Terril Community School District (G-T) is a rural state school, public school district in Iowa, with campuses in Graettinger, Iowa, Graettinger and Terril, Iowa, Terril. The district lies within four counties: Clay County, Iowa, ...

, formed by the 2010 merger of the Graettinger and Terril Community School Districts.REORGANIZATION & DISSOLUTION ACTIONS SINCE 1965-66
."

Iowa Department of Education The Iowa Department of Education sets the standards for all public institutions of education in Iowa and accredits private as well as public schools. It is headquartered in Des Moines. Organization As of 2020, the Iowa Department of Education c ...

. Retrieved on January 17, 2019.

References

{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Palo Alto County, Iowa