Montrose is a city in Lee County,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. The population was 738 at the time of the 2020 census. The town is located on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. It is part of the Fort Madison-Keokuk Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The area around Montrose has been occupied continuously since at least the 1780s, when Quashquame's village was established nearby. The area was strategically important because it is at the head of the Des Moines Rapids, a major impediment to river traffic that caused large boats to land in this area and transfer freight overland to avoid the rapids. Montrose was the location of Fort Des Moines No. 1, a military post from 1834 to 1837. In 1836 the commander of Fort Des Moines, Lieutenant-Colonel Mason, would begin to plat out the town. Later that year David W. Kilbourne would finish laying out the town, and would name it Montrose. From 1839 to 1846 Montrose was the home of many members of the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian restorationist Christian denomination and the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. Founded dur ...

. This was especially true in 1839 when many people lived in an abandoned barracks at Montrose that served as a good short term residence while homes were being built in nearby

Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its h ...

. Among Montrose's residents at this time were

Brigham Young Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...

, Wilford Woodruff and Erastus Snow. Despite legends that the streets of Montrose were aligned to allow a direct view of the Nauvoo Temple across the Mississippi River in Illinois, the streets actually align with the 1834 layout of Fort Des Moines. Montrose was incorporated in 1857, with Doctor J. Anderson elected the first mayor in June. Montrose became an important river town until the construction of a canal near Keokuk ended the

lightering Lightering (also called lighterage) is the process of transferring cargo between vessels of different sizes, usually between a barge ( lighter) and a bulker or oil tanker. Lightering is undertaken to reduce a vessel's draft so it can enter port fac ...

business.

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 , of which is land and is water. Montrose is located in Montrose Township on the

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwest, Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, CB&Q, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of ...

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 738 people, 314 households, and 205 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 610.2 inhabitants per square mile (235.6/km²). There were 352 housing units at an average density of 291.0 per square mile (112.4/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 95.7%

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, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% 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 ...

, 0.4% from other races and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 1.2% of the population. Of the 314 households, 26.1% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% 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, 6.1% were cohabitating couples, 26.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 18.2% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 34.7% of all households were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 48.4 years. 20.6% of the residents were under the age of 20; 3.9% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 22.1% were from 25 and 44; 28.2% were from 45 and 64; and 25.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 898 people, 359 households, and 242 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 405 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.2%

, 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 ...

, 0.3% Asian, and 1.0% 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 0.6% of the population. There were 359 households, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were

living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.6% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the city was 47.4 years. 18.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.2% were from 25 to 44; 32.6% were from 45 to 64; and 20.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 957 people, 374 households, and 255 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 399 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.81%

, 0.10%

, 0.73% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.21% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.84% of the population. There were 374 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were

living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.00. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,341, and the median income for a family was $40,865. Males had a median income of $30,855 versus $21,845 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 $17,010. About 7.0% of families and 8.9% 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 10.9% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Montrose is served by Central Lee Community School District.

Notable people

* Jerry R. Junkins, CEO of Texas Instruments, Incorporated * Lowell Junkins, (1973 to 1985) Iowa State Senator *

Cal McVey Calvin Alexander McVey (August 30, 1849 – August 20, 1926) was an American professional baseball player during the 1860s and 1870s. McVey's importance to the game stems from his play on two of the earliest professional baseball teams, the origi ...

, 19th century

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player. * Margaret Warner Morley (1858–1923) educator, scholar and writer. * Cato Mead,

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

veteran * Nedra Volz (1908–2003) character actress

Buildings

* St. Barnabas Episcopal Church (Montrose, Iowa)

References

External links

Welcome to Montrose, Iowa
Comprehensive statistical data and more about Montrose {{authority control Cities in Iowa Iowa populated places on the Mississippi River Cities in Lee County, Iowa Fort Madison–Keokuk, IA-IL-MO Micropolitan Statistical Area