Luther is a city in Worth Township, Boone 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 the ...

, United States. The population was 152 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Boone, Iowa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is a part of the larger Ames-

Boone, Iowa Boone ( ) is a city in Des Moines Township, Boone County, Iowa, Des Moines Township, and county seat of Boone County, Iowa, Boone County, Iowa, United States. It is the principal city of the Boone, Iowa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which encom ...

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...

History

A post office has been in operation at Luther since 1883. Luther was laid out as a town in 1893. The community was named after Clark Luther, a local merchant. On September 11, 2014, the Luther City Council accepted a petition from 58 residents asking that the city be discontinued. There are several steps in the discontinuation process, including approval or disapproval of the petition by the City Development Board. If the Board approves, a public referendum on discontinuation could be held in 2015. The discontinuance failed and the city continues to exist today. Since 2015 several new businesses have sprung up as well as a major expansion by the local co-op.

Geography

Luther is located at (41.967125, -93.818747). 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 the ...

, 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 incl ...

of 2010, there were 122 people, 54 households, and 40 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 59 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.4%

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, 0.8%

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 ...

, and 0.8%

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 ...

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of any race were 1.6% of the population. There were 54 households, of which 20.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.9% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.63. The median age in the city was 47.5 years. 16.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 38.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.3% male and 46.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 158 people, 55 households, and 47 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 59 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.37%

and 0.63%

. There were 55 households, out of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.2% were

living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.5% were non-families. 12.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.15. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $41,964, and the median income for a family was $41,786. Males had a median income of $29,250 versus $27,083 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 $14,393. About 11.9% of families and 13.3% 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 26.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 23.8% of those 65 or over.

Transportation

The community is located on

Iowa Highway 17 Iowa Highway 17 (Iowa 17) is a north–south state highway that traverses primarily rural areas in central and north-central Iowa. Iowa 17's southern end is near Granger in Dallas County at a freeway interchange with Iowa Highway 141, and its nor ...

, and is southwest of

Ames Ames may refer to: Places United States * Ames, Arkansas, a place in Arkansas * Ames, Colorado * Ames, Illinois * Ames, Indiana * Ames, Iowa, the most populous city bearing this name * Ames, Kansas * Ames, Nebraska * Ames, New York * Ames, Ok ...

. Luther was formerly served by a branch of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad which ran from

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

to Boone. The line was trimmed back from Boone to Luther in the 1960s. Sporadic freight service continued to serve the grain elevator in Luther until the line was totally removed in the late 1960s.

References

External links

City-Data
Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Luther
{{authority control Cities in Boone County, Iowa Cities in Iowa 1893 establishments in Iowa