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Leon is a city in
Decatur County Decatur County is the name of various past and present counties in the United States, all named for Stephen Decatur: *Decatur County, Georgia *Decatur County, Indiana *Decatur County, Iowa *Decatur County, Kansas *Decatur County, Tennessee *Decatur ...
,
Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, 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: Wiscon ...
, United States. The population was 1,822 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
of Decatur County. The city is located near the Little River Lake Recreation Area. Leon is home to a major rodeo that has been Rodeo of the Year in Iowa for many years.


History

Leon was incorporated as a city in 1858. It was a shipping point on the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...
.


Geography

Leon is located on
US Route 69 U.S. Route 69 (US 69) is a major north–south United States highway. When it was first created, it was only long, but it has since been expanded into a Minnesota to Texas cross-country route. The highway's southern terminus (as well as ...
and
Iowa Highway 2 Iowa Highway 2 (Iowa 2) is a state highway which runs across the southernmost tier of counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. At no point along its route is Iowa 2 more than from the Missouri state line, except for a small section near its e ...
approximately 12 miles northeast of
Lamoni In the Book of Mormon, Lamoni (; believed to mean "Lamanite" or "of Laman") is a Lamanite king. The missionary Ammon converts him back to the Law of Moses. After this, Lamoni becomes righteous again. Lamoni was a lesser king of part of the gre ...
. 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 th ...
, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.


Climate

According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
system, Leon has a
hot-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...
, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.


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 inc ...
of 2010, there were 1,977 people, 826 households, and 482 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 RosenberPopu ...
was . There were 952 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.1%
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 ...
, 0.7%
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 ...
, 0.3% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, 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 for ...
or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population. There were 826 households, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% 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 ...
living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.6% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age in the city was 40.2 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 20.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.


2000 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 inc ...
of 2000, there were 1,983 people, 858 households, and 513 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 966 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.64%
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 ...
, 0.10%
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 ...
, 0.20% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.05% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.50% 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 for ...
or Latino of any race were 1.56% of the population. There were 858 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% 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 ...
living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.90. Age spread: 24.7% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $24,390, and the median income for a family was $33,083. Males had a median income of $24,100 versus $18,849 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 $13,015. About 12.7% of families and 16.6% 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 20.9% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over.


Notable residents

*
Steven V. Carter Steven V. Carter (October 8, 1915 – November 4, 1959) was a Democratic U.S. Representative from south central Iowa in 1959. Born in Carterville, Utah, at age fourteen Carter moved with his parents to Lamoni, Iowa, and graduated from Lamoni H ...
, politician *
Sarah Bond Hanley Sarah Bond Hanley (January 1865 – April 15, 1959) was an American politician most notable for being one of the first two Democratic women to serve in the Illinois General Assembly. Biography She was born in Leon, Iowa in 1865. She attended Monm ...
, politician *
John Clinton Porter __NOTOC__ John Clinton Porter (April 4, 1871 – May 27, 1959) was a U.S. political figure. The ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote that he represented a "unique mixture of reform politics and xenophobic Protestant populism hattook him quite literall ...
, politician


City Council

Bob Frey, Mayor
Tonya Lindsey
Cody Cooper
Jerry Parsons
Jonathan Erb
Daniel Moffett


City Officials

City Administrator
Kyle Sheetz Deputy Clerk/City Treasurer
Lorrie Scrivner Chief of Police
Brad Gardner Fire Chief
Doug Moffett


Chamber of Commerce

The community of Leon offers small town living in a safe environment with progressive schools and healthcare, active community members, and outdoor recreation with a focus on economic improvement and strong leadership.


Chamber history

On January 15, 1888, a meeting of the business men of Leon was held at the Courthouse at which steps were taken towards organizing a business men's association. At this meeting a committee was appointed for the purpose of drawing up a plan of organization. At a second meeting, the committee recommended that an association be formed at once under the name of the Leon Board of Trade. The shares of stock were fixed at $5 each, and each member of the board was required to take not less than one share of the stock. The constitution and by-laws were at once circulated for signatures, and within 15 minutes thirty of the business men of the town had signified their intention of becoming members of the board. The Board of Trade existed successfully and helpfully for a number of years. The Leon Commercial Club was established on April 26, 1907. The object of the club was to promote the civic and industrial interests of the city and to place Leon on equal footing with similarly sized cities in the State. The officers were: James F. Harvey - President A.L. Ackerly - Vice President William J Springer - Secretary CW Robinson - Treasurer (Adapted from History of Decatur County Iowa and Its People, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1915) Today this organization is known as the Leon Chamber of Commerce. Current membership consists of 58 business members and a number of private, individual members. The purpose of this organization is to unite into one central organization all of the civic, industrial and commercial activities of this community, To aid, encourage and promote the best interests of the City of Leon and the County of Decatur, To acquire real and personal property, to mortgage, lease and dispose of same, To do any and all things permitted by law for a non-profit corporation, and to exercise any and all powers and privileges permitted by law concerning the same. In 2013, the Leon Chamber of Commerce and the Leon Community Development Corporation (LCDC) were merged into one organizations. Leon Chamber of Commerce remained and LCDC become a subcommittee of the Leon Chamber of Commerce.


Chamber Officials

President
Shane Akers Vice President
Shannon Erb Secretary/Treasurer
Kolton Hewlett


Education

The
Central Decatur Community School District Central Decatur Community School District is a rural public school district for Decatur County, Iowa, headquartered in the community of Leon, Iowa. The district contains students from Decatur City, Grand River, Davis City, and Pleasanton. ...
operates local area public schools.


See also

* Central Decatur Junior - Senior High School *
Decatur County Courthouse (Iowa) The Decatur County Courthouse, located in Leon, Iowa, United States, was built in 1908. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the sixth bu ...
, listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...


References


External links


Official Website

{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Decatur County, Iowa County seats in Iowa