Mount Vernon is a city in Linn County,

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, adjacent to the city of

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

. The population was 4,527 at the time of the 2020 census. Mount Vernon is part of the

Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and northeast of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city. I ...

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

Mount Vernon was laid out in 1847, but its origins date back to at least 1838, when it was known as Pinhook, a popular rest stop on Military Road, which ran between

Dubuque Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a ...

, on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

, and

Iowa City Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

. It was renamed Mount Vernon in 1847, after the estate of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

. A post office has been in operation in Mount Vernon since 1849. The Iowa Conference Male and Female Seminary (which later became

Cornell College Cornell College is a private college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by George Bryant Bowman. Four years later, in 1857, the name was changed to Cornell College, in honor of iron tyc ...

) was established in the town in 1853, and the Northwestern Railroad reached it in 1859, bringing new business to the town as its population expanded.

Geography

Mount Vernon is located at (41.924096, -91.419679). 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. The most prominent geographic feature of Mount Vernon is the "mountain" on which it sits. This "mountain" is actually a paha, a ridge formed of sand and

loess Loess (, ; from german: Löss ) is a clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loess or similar deposits. Loess is a periglacial or aeoli ...

along the line of the prevailing wind during the ice ages. The Mount Vernon paha is roughly one mile (2 km) long and 1/4 mile (1/2 km) wide, aligned along a roughly northwest to southeast axis and standing up to 100 feet (30 m) above the surrounding landscape. Uptown Mount Vernon is aligned with the southeast end of the ridge crest, while the campus of

crowns the northwest end of the ridge.

Transportation

The town is located on significant transportation corridors, both current and historical. The main line of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

passes through the city, and the town is located on the historic

Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 191 ...

. U.S. Route 30 and

Iowa Highway 1 Iowa Highway 1 (Iowa 1) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Iowa that extends from Keosauqua to Anamosa. It travels nearly , mainly through rich farmland and small communities. Iowa 1 provides an important link to Iowa City and ...

intersect in the southern part of town. Passenger train service was once provided by the

Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states bef ...

from a station in the north of town. The CRANDIC interurban electric railway ran from Cedar Rapids, through downtown Mount Vernon, and ended in nearby

. The interurban ran from 1914 to 1928 and took 45 minutes to travel to the western terminus of Cedar Rapids. Nearby stops included

Bertram Bertram may refer to: Places *Bertram, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth, Australia *Bertram, Iowa, United States, a city *Bertram, Texas, United States, a city *Bertram Building, a historic building in Austin, Texas *Bertram Glacier, Palmer La ...

, the Palisades and

Demographics

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 4,506 people in 1,353 households, including 894 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 1,397 housing units at an average density of . The racial makup of the city was 95.0% White, 0.9% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9%. Of the 1,353 households 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.9% were non-families. 26.5% of households were one person and 8.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.14. The median age was 24.4 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 27.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.7% were from 25 to 44; 20.1% were from 45 to 64; and 9.5% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

The city's population was 3,390 when the 2000 census figures were released, but that number was later revised to 3,808 because the Census Bureau had incorrectly reported that 418 residents of a

dormitory in Mount Vernon lived in the nearby city of

.eReport: Spring 2002
,

, 2002. Accessed 2007-08-18. At the 2000 census there were 3,390 people in 1,129 households, including 795 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 1,192 housing units at an average density of . The racial makup of the city was 97.05% White, 0.65% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.94%. Of the 1,129 households 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 23.3% of households were one person and 7.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.09. The age spread: 25.6% under the age of 18, 20.5% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% 65 or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.9 males. The median household income was $51,228 and the median family income was $59,205. Males had a median income of $39,402 versus $27,358 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,027. About 4.1% of families and 5.5% 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 ...

, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Located on Highway 30, is a local artist, Mark Benesh's rendition of Grant Wood's American Gothic, on the side of a barn.

Annual events

A sidewalk chalk festival, ''Chalk the Walk'', has taken place in Mount Vernon each May starting in 2006. Several blocks in Uptown Mount Vernon are closed to traffic, and people from all over are encouraged to create their own artwork on more than of the main street. The event attracts over 300 artists and requires more than a half-ton of chalk. Artists can register to color an 8' x 10' section of pavement with their own design. Although participation is free, cash prizes awarded for these large drawings. Each year there is also one large collaborative piece of art that is 20' by 40'. Interested participants recreate a single 2' by 2' square of the image, and the result is a giant image colored with pastel chalk by dozens of artists of all ages and abilities. Chalk the Walk is Iowa's largest annual Madonnari Festival. ''Magical Night'', a downtown Christmas festival, takes place in December. Other events include the ''Chocolate Stroll, Heritage Days, Chili Cook-Off'', and ''Uptown Thursday Nights''.

Popular culture

In the October 2009 edition of ''Budget Travel Magazine'' in an article entitled ''America's Coolest Small Towns,'' Mount Vernon was included as one of the ten selected. A quote from the magazine. "Every now and then, you stumble upon a town that's gotten everything right—great coffee, food with character, shop owners with purpose."

Education

Mount Vernon is the home of

, a liberal arts institution with an enrollment of approximately 1,200 students. Cornell's entire campus is 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 ...

. Mount Vernon has an elementary school, middle school, and high school all situated on the Mount Vernon Community School District campus. The newest building of the three, Mount Vernon's high school, was built in 2006. Previously, the high school was situated at the current middle school. The middle school at the time, however, instead was located uptown for what is now the First Street Community Center. In the United States general elections, 2006, Cornell political science professor David Loebsack was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in an upset victory over 15-term incumbent Jim Leach.

Notable people

* Leo Beranek (1914-2016), MIT professor, scientist & businessman, attended college in Mount Vernon *

Dan Bern Dan Bern (also known as Bernstein; born July 27, 1959) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, novelist and painter. His music has been compared to that of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Ochs and Elvis Costello.Brett ...

(b. 1959), folk musician * Matt Kroul (b. 1986),

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

player *

Tristan Wirfs Tristan Wirfs (born January 24, 1999) is an American football offensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa. High school career Wirfs played high school football at Mo ...

(b. 1999),

player *

Peter Kollman Peter Andrew Kollman (July 24, 1944–May 25, 2001) was a professor of chemistry and pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco. He is known for his work in computational chemistry, molecular modeling and bioin ...

(1944-2001), chemist and professor

References

External links

City of Mount Vernon

Mount Venon Schools
Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Mount Vernon {{Authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Linn County, Iowa Cedar Rapids, Iowa metropolitan area 1847 establishments in Iowa