Nora Springs, Iowa
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Nora Springs is a city that is partially in Cerro Gordo and Floyd counties in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
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 ...
, along the
Shell Rock River The Shell Rock River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the West Fork Cedar River in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa in the United State ...
. The population was 1,369 at the time of the 2020 census. The Cerro Gordo County portion of Nora Springs is part of the Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area.


History

Nora Springs was founded in 1857 and was incorporated in 1875. It was first called Woodstock, but community pioneer Edson Gaylord, managed to persuade wealthy pioneer Edward Greeley of nearby Woodbridge (later Nashua) to come to town. Greeley agreed to buy and improve the gristmill, and to purchase 20 acres of land from Gaylord, if the town would change its name from Woodstock to Elnora, in honor of a former lady love from Vermont. Gaylord had wanted the town to be named "Springs" and as a result of a compromise, Woodstock became Elnora Springs, quickly shortened to Nora Springs. Shortly thereafter, Greeley made a trip to Vermont; upon his return, he sold the land back to Gaylord, returned to Woodbridge, and never visited Nora Springs again. At its founding, the town's business district was located near the millpond and nearby gristmill, at the western end of present day Sixth Street NW. Two competing railroads began laying track several blocks to the south; as a result, the downtown gradually moved nearer to the rail lines, and the former business district became known to locals as Old Town. The gristmill went out of business, and stood empty for many years. It was demolished in the late 1950s. The millrace and dam still exist, and in recent years, the city has developed the area into a scenic park. A footbridge over the Shell Rock River dam was constructed in 2019,


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.


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 1,369 people, 574 households, and 358 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 617.7 inhabitants per square mile (238.5/km2). There were 620 housing units at an average density of 279.7 per square mile (108.0/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 92.5%
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 ...
, 1.7% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1%
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 ...
, 1.3% from other races and 3.9% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...
persons of any race comprised 3.9% of the population. Of the 574 households, 28.2% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% 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, 6.6% were cohabitating couples, 26.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 20.7% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 37.6% of all households were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 41.4 years. 25.3% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.1% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 23.4% were from 25 and 44; 24.0% were from 45 and 64; and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.


2010 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 2010, there were 1,431 people, 577 households, and 388 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 . There were 636 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.1%
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%
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 ...
, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.6% 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 1.4% of the population. There were 577 households, of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% 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, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.8% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% 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 2.91. The median age in the city was 41.2 years. 24% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.3% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 18% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.


2000 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 2000, there were 1,532 people, 597 households, and 401 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 629 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.54%
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 ...
, 0.07%
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 ...
, 0.13% Native American, 0.07% from other races, and 0.20% 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 0.85% of the population. There were 597 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% 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, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.95. 24.0% are under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,926, and the median income for a family was $43,516. Males had a median income of $28,043 versus $21,536 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 $16,246. About 3.0% of families and 5.3% 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 ...
, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.


Nora Springs Buffalo Days

The last week of June always marks Nora Springs Buffalo Days. Festivities include a parade, entertainment at Boulder Park such as food vendors, and inflatable rides. Other activities include a 5K Run/Walk and Bingo. At the Fire Department the Fireman's Ball is held from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.


Education

Its public schools are operated by the Central Springs Community School District, established on July 1, 2011, by the merger of North Central Community School District and Nora Springs–Rock Falls Community School District. The athletic teams are the Central Springs Panthers. All high school students in the district, grades 9-12, as well as K-3 elementary students from the Plymouth, Manly, and Hanlontown area attend school at the Manly site. Meanwhile, all middle school students, grades 4-8, plus grades K-3 from the Nora Springs and Rock Falls area, plus those from the unincorporated community of Portland, attend school at the Nora Springs site. The school colors are black and blue, the mascot being a panther.


Notable people

* Louis Bauman Brethren, minister, writer, and Bible conference speaker, and was born in Nora Springs. * Wilberforce P. Gaylord, former Iowa House of Representatives that lived near Nora Springs * Arthur Gratias, Iowa State Senator, farmer, and educator, was born in Nora Springs.Iowa General Assembly-Arthur L. Gratias
/ref> * John P. Gregg LSU college football coach, Wisconsin quarterback, and died in Nora Springs. * Hazel Gertrude Kinscella, American musicologist, composer and teacher born in Nora Springs


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Floyd County, Iowa This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Floyd County, Iowa. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Floyd County, Iowa, United States ...


References


External links

*
City-Data
Comprehensive statistical data and more about Nora Springs * History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century – Floyd County {{authority control Cities in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa Cities in Floyd County, Iowa Cities in Iowa Mason City, Iowa micropolitan area