Lakota is a city in

Kossuth County, Iowa Kossuth County () is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 14,828. The county seat is Algona, Iowa, Algona. History Kossuth County was founded on Januar ...

, United States. The population was 267 at the time of the 2020 census. Prior to 1919, the town was known as Germania.

History

The present town of Lakota was originally named Germania. The original town site of Germania was surveyed and filed for record by the Northern Iowa Land and Town Lot Company, August 26, 1892. The town received its name from the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

heritage of many of the early settlers in the area. In 1918, the hysteria of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

was sweeping the country. Residents couldn't change their origin to protect themselves from the popular hatred of the time, but they could take the stigma of all things German from the town by wiping its name off the map, which they did. An election was held on October 1, 1918, to vote to change the name of Germania to Lakota. A canvas of the votes showed there were 48 yes and 32 no votes cast. Mayor J. Gus Thaves filed the certificate changing the name to Lakota at the Kossuth County Courthouse on October 16, 1918. However the name was not officially changed by the post office until August 5, 1919. The town was renamed Lakota, an Indian word with several different translations. Some say Lakota means "beautiful prairie" or as other translations say Lakota means "plenty", others say it means "allies".

Geography

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 267 people, 121 households, and 75 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 366.5 inhabitants per square mile (141.5/km²). There were 148 housing units at an average density of 203.1 per square mile (78.4/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 89.9%

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 ...

, 0.7% Black or African American, 0.0% Native American, 0.4% 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 ...

, 3.0% from other races and 6.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 8.6% of the population. Of the 121 households, 21.5% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% 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, 7.4% were cohabitating couples, 20.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 22.3% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 38.0% of all households were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 48.8 years. 24.0% of the residents were under the age of 20; 3.7% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 18.7% were from 25 and 44; 32.2% were from 45 and 64; and 21.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.7% male and 48.3% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 255 people, 119 households, and 71 families living in the city. The

was . There were 136 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.1%

, 0.8% Native American, 3.9% from other races, and 1.2% 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 5.9% of the population. There were 119 households, of which 18.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were

living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% 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 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.72. The median age in the city was 48.4 years. 19.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.6% were from 25 to 44; 31% were from 45 to 64; and 24.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.4% male and 48.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 255 people, 118 households, and 71 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 141 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.43%

, 0.39% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 3.53% of the population. There were 118 households, out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were

living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 38.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.85. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,917, and the median income for a family was $43,500. Males had a median income of $30,357 versus $18,750 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 $18,572. About 14.7% of families and 19.4% 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 23.1% of those under the age of eighteen and 28.1% of those 65 or over.

Education

It is within the North Iowa Community School District, which was established on July 1, 1996, by the merger of the Buffalo Center–Rake–Lakota Community School District and the Thompson Community School District. On July 1, 1992, the Lakota Consolidated School District merged with the Buffalo Center–Rake Community School District to form the Buffalo Center–Rake–Lakota district, and that district merged into North Iowa in 1996.

Notable people

* Timothy Ley, hematologist and cancer biologist * Paul Ukena, opera singer. * Don I. Wortman, federal government executive

Gallery

File:Lakota, Iowa.jpg, City of Lakota Welcome Sign purchased/installed by the Lakota Community Club. File:City flag pole garden.jpg, City flag pole garden located in Lakota City Park File:Lakota water tower.jpg, Water tower in Lakota, Iowa File:Eagle Center, formerly Lakota High School.jpg, Eagle Center, Lakota, Iowa File:Lakota Veterans Memorial.jpg, Veterans Memorial

References

{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Kossuth County, Iowa 1892 establishments in Iowa Populated places established in 1892