Janesville is a city in Black Hawk and Bremer counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

. The population was 1034 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Waterloo– Cedar Falls

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

History

Janesville was founded in 1849 by John T. Barrick, a Quaker and

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

who had relocated to Iowa from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. According to the book, "The Janesvillians, Volumes I and II" by Maxine Leonard, John T. Barrick built the first mill and frame house in the area. He platted the town of Janesville, which he named in honor of his wife, Jane McPherson Barrick.Leonard, Maxine.''The Janesvillians,''Salem, MA: Hinningson, 1974 (reprinted 2006) It has been established that a tunnel once existed under the business district of Janesville. The tunnel ran between basements and below buildings on both sides of Janesville's Main Street, crossing below the street in the center of town and continuing westward to the Cedar River. One branch of the tunnel continued northward, connecting to the site of Fort John, a shelter built to protect settlers during the Ho-Chunk uprising in June, 1854. The tunnel terminated in the basement of the home of Abel Crail, who later served in

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, and was the first Commander of Janesville Post No. 172,

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

. According to local legend, the Barricks and other townsfolk sympathetic to their cause aided in the escape of runaway slaves as part of the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

. Slaves were moved through Janesville from Grinnell and continued to Decorah and into southeastern

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. The tunnel has since been filled in and no longer exists, so some say. It is questioned by others whether or not this is true. People claim to have seen these tunnels and that in fact they still exist to this day. Janesville was a farming community with a population of 311 in 1900, according to the Iowa Data Cente

The town's population increased to just 445 by 1950. Due to its proximity to Waterloo-Cedar Falls, the population of Janesville increased to 840 by 1980, when the town was referred to as a " commuter town, bedroom community". During the farm crisis and economic recession that hit Northeast Iowa in the 1980s, Janesville's population declined slightly. Since the mid-1990s, with the completion of the four lane bypass U.S. Highway 218 /

Iowa Highway 27 O scale (or O gauge) is a scale commonly used for toy trains and rail transport modelling. Introduced by German toy manufacturer Märklin around 1900, by the 1930s three-rail alternating current O gauge was the most common model railroad sc ...

, known as the "

Avenue of the Saints The Avenue of the Saints is a highway in the Midwestern United States that connects St. Louis, Missouri and St. Paul, Minnesota. Route description Missouri The southern end of the Avenue of the Saints is at exit 28A of Interstate 64 (I‑64) ...

"

Janesville's population is again increasing. New residential subdivisions continue to develop within the city of Janesville and the surrounding area

Geography

Janesville is located at (42.646008, -92.462663). The city is located on the county line between Bremer and Black Hawk counties, and is bisected by the Cedar River. 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 , of which is land and is water.

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 930 people, 398 households, and 262 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 409 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.4%

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 ...

, 0.6%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, and 0.8% 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 0.3% of the population. There were 398 households, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.2% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the city was 40.2 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 18.5% 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 829 people, 349 households, and 246 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 359 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.16%

, 0.36%

, and 0.48% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.24% of the population. There were 349 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.83. 22.7% are under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $40,060, and the median income for a family was $47,143. Males had a median income of $31,488 versus $21,481 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 $18,878. About 2.5% of families and 3.5% 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 3.2% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

;Janesville Public Library The Janesville Public Library was created in 1962 with the inspiration of Clark Corwin with help from Hattie Zo Shoesmith and Margaret Theis. The library started as an all volunteer and all donated materials library in a room located in the city hall. Arlene Warm volunteered her services as a librarian. In the late 1960s, the city council authorized a 200 dollar a year grant for the library. In 1973, the library received a $10,000 grant from the Kinney Lindstrom Foundation that had to be matched by the local public. These funds allowed the library to expand into a new area. the library has approximately 10,000 books, 55 magazine and newspaper subscriptions, 1,200 videos, 85 audio tapes, 6 computers for patron access, and offers audio book downloads. The library has an average of 1,000 patrons each month. ;Riviera Ballroom Author Deb (Mather) Renner wrote a book, released December 15, 2010 and published by The Printery in Waverly, about the Riviera Ballroom that was torn down and replaced with the Riviera Roose center. Madge and Heine Kurtz opened the ballroom in 1951 and it closed in the late 1980s. Renner was a graduate of Janesville high school in 1982.

Education

Janesville and the surrounding area, including the unincorporated town of Finchford, are served by the Janesville Consolidated School District. The public school district serves approximately 335 students, pre-Kindergarten through 12th Grade. Extensive renovations and an addition to the Janesville schools were completed in early 2008, funded by

operating surplus Operating surplus is an accounting concept used in national accounts statistics (such as United Nations System of National Accounts (UNSNA)) and in corporate and government accounts. It is the balancing item of the Generation of Income Account in ...

es.http://www.wcfcourier.com/special/JanesvilleSchool.pdf Students at Janesville High School can choose to take advanced courses at nearby Waverly-Shell Rock High School in Waverly, the

University of Northern Iowa The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa. UNI offers more than 90 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences and gr ...

in Cedar Falls, and Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo.

Wartburg College Wartburg College is a private Lutheran liberal arts college in Waverly, Iowa. It has an additional campus, Wartburg West, in Denver, Colorado. History Wartburg College was founded in 1852 in Saginaw, Michigan, by Georg M. Grossmann, a nativ ...

is located in nearby Waverly.

Notable people

* Bill Dix, Republican, former member of Iowa Legislature, Janesville High School Class of 1981 * Albert J. Loveland, Democrat, former U.S. Under-Secretary of Agriculture and candidate for U.S. Senate, 1950

References

External links

City Data
Comprehensive statistical data and more about Janesville {{authority control Cities in Black Hawk County, Iowa Cities in Bremer County, Iowa Cities in Iowa Waterloo – Cedar Falls metropolitan area Populated places on the Underground Railroad 1849 establishments in Iowa Populated places established in 1849