Muscatine County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,235. 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 ...

is Muscatine. The southeastern border is formed by the Mississippi River. Muscatine County comprises the Muscatine, IA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Davenport- Moline, IA- IL

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

Muscatine County was formed in December 1836 as a part of Wisconsin Territory, partitioned from Des Moines County, which had been organized two years previously. One history suggests that the county was named for Muscatine Island in the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, ...

. The island lies opposite Muscatine County and was believed to be named after the

Mascouten The Mascouten (also ''Mascoutin'', ''Mathkoutench'', ''Muscoden,'' or ''Musketoon'') were a tribe of Algonquian-speaking Native Americans located in the Midwest. They are believed to have dwelt on both sides of the Mississippi River, adjacent to ...

tribe, Algonquian-speaking Native Americans who lived in the area before being driven west by settler encroachment and other tribes. Colonel

George Davenport Colonel George Davenport, born George William King (1783 – July 4, 1845), was a 19th-century English-American sailor, frontiersman, fur trader, merchant, postmaster, US Army soldier, Indian agent, and city planner. A prominent and well-known ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

sent three representatives into the territory in 1833 to establish a trade post. They were the first European Americans to settle there. In the same year, James W. Casey and John Vanatta came to the area. They opened a supply depot for

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

s on June 1, 1833, and named it Casey's Woodpile (since steamboats used wood as fuel). Muscatine County became part of

Iowa Territory The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Iowa. The remai ...

on July 4, 1838, when it was established by partitioning the area from Wisconsin Territory. The first public land sale was held in November 1838. One year later, officials began construction of the first courthouse and associated jail. A second jail, known as the "Old Jail", was built in 1857. The first courthouse was destroyed by fire on December 23, 1864. By 1866 a replacement stood on the same site. The present courthouse opened on September 26, 1907.

Geography

According to the

US Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal Statistical System of the United States, U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the Americans, Ame ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.6%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Cedar County (north) * Johnson County (northwest) * Louisa County (south, southwest) *

Rock Island County, Illinois Rock Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois, bounded on the west by the Mississippi River. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 147,546. Its county seat is Rock Island; its largest city is neighboring ...

(east), across the

* Scott County (northeast)

Transportation

Transit

List of intercity bus stops in Iowa The following is a list of presently operating intercity bus stops in Iowa with regular service. The list excludes charter buses, local transit buses, paratransit systems, and trolleybus systems. The following companies provide intercity bus serv ...

Major highways

U.S. Highway 6 – enters from Cedar County, west of Wilton, runs south two miles, then continues west and west-northwest to the northwest corner of the county, exiting into Johnson County. * US 61

U.S. Highway 61 – enters from Louisa County, southwest of Fruitland. Runs northeast through the county, passing Muscatine, before turning east to enter Scott County at Blue Grass. * Elongated circle 22

Iowa Highway 22 – begins at an intersection with Iowa 70, three miles east of Nichols. Runs east and southeast to an intersection with US 61, west of Muscatine. * Elongated circle 38

Iowa Highway 38 – begins at an intersection with US 6, three miles south of Wilton. Runs south to an intersection with US 61, north of Muscatine. * Elongated circle 70

Iowa Highway 70 – enters from Louisa County at the southwest corner of Muscatine County. Runs north, northeast and east to Cedar County, passing Nichols and West Liberty. * Elongated circle 92

Iowa Highway 92 Iowa Highway 92 (Iowa 92) is a state highway that runs from east to west across the state of Iowa. Iowa 92 is long. It begins at the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, where it is a continuation of Nebraska Highway 92. It stretches acros ...

- enters Muscatine County (and state of Iowa), running northwest across the historic Norbert F. Beckey Bridge into central Muscatine. Runs southwest along the

to intersection with US 61, southwest of Muscatine.

Other roadway designations

Great River Road The Great River Road is a collection of state and local roads that follow the course of the Mississippi River through ten states of the United States. They are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansa ...

- system of roadways marking north–south routes across the conterminous US, and generally passing through Iowa.

County highways

*County Highway F58 (formerly Hwy 927) *County Highway F62 *County Highway F65 *County Highway F70 (155th St) *County Highway G14 (180th St) *County Highway G28 (230th/231st Sts) *County Highway G34 (275th St) *County Highway G38 (Fruitland Rd) *County Highway X34 (Davis Ave) *County Highway X40 (Garfield Ave) *County Highway X46 (Kelly Ave/170th St) *County Highway X61 (Stewart Rd) *County Highway Y14 (Taylor Ave) *County Highway Y26 (Vail Ave) *County Highway Y30 (Western Ave) *County Highway Y36 (Zachary Ave)

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 43,235 in the county, with a population density of . 92.12% of the population reported being of one race. There were 18,366 housing units, of which 16,908 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 42,745 in the county, with a population density of . There were 17,910 housing units, of which 16,412 were occupied.

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 41,722 people, 15,847 households, and 11,283 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 16,786 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile (15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.72%

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 o ...

, 0.70%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...

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 ensl ...

, 0.31% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Oce ...

, 6.05% 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 1.37% from two or more races. 11.92% of the population were

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 form ...

or Latino of any race. There were 15,847 households, out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.90% 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, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.07. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.90% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $41,803, and the median income for a family was $48,373. Males had a median income of $36,329 versus $24,793 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 county was $19,625. About 6.30% of families and 8.90% 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 10.70% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over. Barclay barn 1875

Communities

Cities

* Atalissa * Blue Grass (part) * Conesville * Durant (part) * Fruitland * Muscatine * Nichols * Stockton * Walcott (part) * West Liberty * Wilton

Census-designated places

* Fairport * Kent Estates * Montpelier *

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

Other unincorporated communities

* Ardon * Cranston * Hinkeyville * Midway Beach * Petersburg * Port Allen

Townships

* Bloomington *

Cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

* Fruitland * Fulton * Goshen *

Lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

* Montpelier *

* Orono *

Pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus ...

* Seventy-Six * Sweetland * Wapsinonoc * Wilton

Population ranking

The population ranking of the table is based on the 2020 census of Muscatine County. † ''county seat''

Politics

References

External links

Muscatine County website
{{Coord, 41, 28, 52, N, 91, 07, 11, W, region:US-IA_type:adm2nd_source:dewiki, display=title Iowa placenames of Native American origin 1836 establishments in Wisconsin Territory Populated places established in 1836 Muscatine, Iowa micropolitan area Iowa counties on the Mississippi River