Ottumwa ( ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in and 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 st ...

Wapello County Wapello County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,437. The county seat is Ottumwa. The county was formed on February 17, 1843, and named for Wapello, a Meskwaki chief. Wapello County ...

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 the ...

, United States. The population was 25,529 at the time of the

2020 U.S. Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

. Located in the state's southeastern section, the city is split into northern and southern halves by the

Des Moines River The Des Moines River () is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwestern United States that is approximately long from its farther headwaters.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe Na ...

. Ottumwa serves as a major economic, commercial, and cultural hub for the Southeastern Iowa region.

Etymology

The city's name derives from Native American Sac and Fox, alternatively

Meskwaki The Meskwaki (sometimes spelled Mesquaki), also known by the European exonyms Fox Indians or the Fox, are a Native American people. They have been closely linked to the Sauk people of the same language family. In the Meskwaki language, th ...

, language. The

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

translation is generally presumed to refer to the

Appanoose Appanoose was a 19th-century Meskwaki chief who lived in Iowa; he was son of Taimah (Chief Tama) and probably a grandson of Quashquame. Prior to European-American settlement in the 19th century, the tribe occupied territory in what became Michiga ...

Rapids of the Des Moines River, as "tumbling waters" or similar. Earlier version of the name were suffixed by the Sac word for place, noc. Alternative translations of the Native American name include: *Place of Perseverance or Self will *Place of Hermits *Place of the lone chief

History

In May 1843, several investors formed the Appanoose Rapids Company and staked claim to 467 acres of land in the present site of Ottumwa. Their colonization involved claiming land supporting three

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

settlements. The first official cabin was built in May 1843 after the area was opened to settlement (an earlier cabin built in defiance of this date was destroyed by Army troops at that time). The original platt was titled Louis Ville. In 1844 the city was named as the county seat. The town was severely damaged during the

flood of 1851 The Great Flood of 1851 occurred after record-setting rainfalls across the Midwestern United States and Plains from May to August, 1851. Hardest hit was the State of Iowa, with significant flooding extending to the Lower Mississippi River basin. His ...

. In 1857, coal was being mined from the McCready bank, a site along Bear Creek four miles west of Ottumwa. In 1868, Brown and Godfrey opened a

drift mine Drift mining is either the mining of an ore deposit by underground methods, or the working of coal seams accessed by adits driven into the surface outcrop of the coal bed. A drift mine is an underground mine in which the entry or access is above ...

four miles northwest of town. By 1872, Brown and Godfrey employed 300 men and had an annual production of 77,000 tons. In 1880, the Phillips Coal and Mining Company opened a

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...

two miles northwest of town. In subsequent years, they opened 5 more

shafts ''Shafts'' was an English feminist magazine produced by Margaret Sibthorp from 1892 until 1899. Initially published weekly and priced at one penny, its themes included votes for women, women's education, and radical attitudes towards vivisection, ...

in the Phillips and Rutledge neighborhoods, just north of Ottumwa. The Phillips number 5 shaft was 140 feet (43 meters) deep, with a 375-HP steam hoist. By 1889, the state mine inspector's report listed 15 mine shafts in Ottumwa. In 1914, the Phillips Fuel Company produced over 100,000 tons of coal, ranking among the top 24 coal producers in the state. Coal mining was so important to the local economy that, from 1890 to 1892, the

Coal Palace The Coal Palace was a temporary exhibition center that stood in Ottumwa, Iowa from 1890 until 1892. It was used most prominently to showcase the local coal mining industry. During its brief history President of the United States, President Benj ...

was erected in Ottumwa as an

exhibition center A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...

. John Morrell & Company and their meat packing comples played a significant role in the development of Ottumwa from 1877 to 1973. When the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad arrived in Ottumwa in September 1859, it ran parallel to the river channel. The availability of rail transportation encouraged both commercial and industrial expansion along the northwest to southeast axis. Access to the south bank of the river at first was by ferry from the foot of Green Street. By 1875 this ferry had been replaced by a bridge, and a number of additions had been made to the city during the first thirty years, all located on the north side of the Des Moines River. As development (almost exclusively residential) climbed the bluffs, the streets on top of the hills were laid out to compass points, rather than parallel to the river. Although there was some development on the south side of the river, South Ottumwa was not brought into the city limits until the 1880s.

Presidential visits

Because of the

Iowa caucuses The Iowa caucuses are biennial electoral events for members of the Democratic and Republican parties in the U.S. state of Iowa. Unlike primary elections in most other U.S. states, where registered voters go to polling places to cast ballot ...

, Ottumwa is no stranger to visits by presidential hopefuls. On five occasions a sitting U.S. President has visited the Bridge City: *

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

was the first, in 1890, touring the Coal Palace and then speaking to a crowd of over 40,000 people. * In 1903 President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

made a brief stop while on a train trip around America. * President

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

spent part of his 66th birthday, May 8, 1950, in Ottumwa while on a 16-state train trip in support of his

Fair Deal The Fair Deal was a set of proposals put forward by U.S. President Harry S. Truman to Congress in 1945 and in his January 1949 State of the Union address. More generally. the term characterizes the entire domestic agenda of the Truman administr ...

program. * In July 1971, President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

arrived in Air Force One at the Ottumwa Industrial Airport on his way to dedicate the nearby Rathbun Lake dam and reservoir. It was a homecoming for Nixon of sorts, as he had been stationed at the Ottumwa airport while serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. * On April 27, 2010 President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

spoke to a large crowd at the Hellyer Student Center on the campus of

Indian Hills Community College Indian Hills Community College (IHCC) is a public community college in Iowa with campuses in Ottumwa and Centerville. IHCC serves both traditional residential students and commuter students, primarily from a ten-county area in southeast Iowa as ...

Geography

Ottumwa lies at N41.012917, W92.414817. 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 the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Northeastern Wapello County contains large deposits of coal, and there are also large deposits of clay in the region, which played an important role in the industrial development of Ottumwa. Ottumwa is the center of the Ottumwa Micropolitan Statistical Area which includes all of

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, notabl ...

system, Ottumwa 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

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

there were 25,023 people, 10,251 households, and 6,208 families in the city. The population density was . There were 11,257 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.2%

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 ...

, 4.06%

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 forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

, 1.6%

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 ...

, 0.6% Native American, 0.9%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.2%

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 O ...

, 4.5% 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 1.8% from two or more races. There were 10,251 households, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.4% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in the city was 37.4 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 25% were from 45 to 64; and 16% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

, there were 24,998 people, 10,383 households, and 6,530 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 11,038 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.33%

, 1.27%

, 0.33% Native American, 0.78%

, 0.02%

, 1.38% from

, and 0.89% from two or more races.

of any race were 2.76% of the population. There were 10,383 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88. Age spread: 22.9% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,174, and the median income for a family was $37,302. Males had a median income of $31,222 versus $20,934 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,040. About 10.9% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

"Video Game Capital of the World"

As the home of

Twin Galaxies Twin Galaxies is an organization and social media platform for people involved in the culture and activity of playing video games. It facilitates their interaction as well as their competition and recognizes their achievements. Twin Galaxie ...

, Ottumwa was proclaimed the "Video Game Capital of the World" by a mayoral decree issued on November 30, 1982, by Ottumwa Mayor Jerry Parker. The city's proclamation was recognized by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley. In connection with this proclamation, the city hosted the first North American Video Olympics in the fall of 1982. In 2009, the city council and chamber of commerce authorized a steering committee to plan out the International Video Game Hall of Fame museum, which, while not yet built, has inducted several video game industry professionals, developers and designers, and high-scoring players into the Hall of Fame.

In popular culture

Owl City Owl City is an American electronic music project created in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. It is one of several projects by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young, who created the project while experimenting with music in his pa ...

- In his song "The 5th of July", Adam Young mentions Ottumwa as the town in which he was born. * Cpl. "Radar" O'Reilly – Company clerk from ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. Th ...

'' television series and books was from Ottumwa, Iowa. * The movie ''

The Tuskegee Airmen ''The Tuskegee Airmen'' is a 1995 HBO television movie based on the exploits of an actual groundbreaking unit, the first African-American combat pilots in the United States Army Air Corps, that fought in World War II. The film was directed by Ro ...

'' featured the character Hannibal "Iowa" Lee Jr. (played by

Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. He is a three time Emmy Award and Tony Award winning actor known for his roles on stage and screen. He has been hailed for his forceful, militant, and authoritative charact ...

), who claimed Ottumwa as his hometown. * The television movie ''

The Woman Who Loved Elvis ''The Woman Who Loved Elvis'' is a 1993 American drama television film, directed by Bill Bixby and written by Rita Mae Brown, based on the 1992 novel ''Graced Land'' by Laura Kalpakian. It stars Roseanne Barr and her then-husband Tom Arnold. Also ...

'' starring

Roseanne Barr Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and former presidential candidate. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom ''Roseanne'' (1988–1 ...

(then the wife of Ottumwa native

Tom Arnold Tom Arnold may refer to: * Tom Arnold (actor) (born 1959), American actor * Tom Arnold (economist) (born 1948), Irish CEO of Concern Worldwide * Tom Arnold (footballer) (1878–?), English footballer * Tom Arnold (literary scholar) (1823–1900), ...

) was partially filmed in Ottumwa. * In the sitcom '' Roseanne'', Roseanne Conner's restaurant, the Lanford Lunch Box, was based on the

Canteen Lunch in the Alley Canteen Lunch in the Alley is a restaurant located in Ottumwa, Iowa. The original five-stool Canteen Lunch was opened in 1927 in a different location, and moved to its current address in 1936. It has since been a local institution known for their ...

, in central downtown Ottumwa, which has been a stopping point for Ottumwans since the 1920s. Many famous patrons have been seen eating a "Canteen", a

loose meat A tavern sandwich (also called a loose meat sandwich or loosemeat) is a sandwich consisting of ground beef on a bun, mixed with sauteed onions, and sometimes topped with pickles, ketchup, mustard, and cheese. The tavern sandwich is unlike a ha ...

sandwich similar to a

Maid-Rite Maid-Rite is an American casual dining franchise restaurant chain. Before it became a restaurant chain, it was a single restaurant, opened in 1926 by Fred Angell. By the end of the 1920s, four franchises were granted; these four restaurants are s ...

Education

Public School System The city of Ottumwa and the surrounding rural areas of

are served by the

Ottumwa Community School District Ottumwa Community School District is a public school district serving the U.S. city of Ottumwa, Iowa, as well as the surrounding rural area in Wapello County. History In the 1950s, the smaller Dahlonega School District was absorbed into t ...

. Ottumwa is served by

Ottumwa High School Ottumwa High School is a public high school located in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Ottumwa Community School District, and is the district's only high school. It was established in 1923. The school sports mascot is a bull ...

, Evans Middle School, and then multiple neighborhood elementary schools that include Douma and Liberty on the Southern side of the city, while James, Horace Mann, Wilson, and Eisenhower serve the Northern side. The Ottumwa School District mascot is the Bulldog. The Bulldog athletics participate in the Iowa Alliance Conference. ; ; ;Higher education Ottumwa is the home of

, a two-year community college. Between 1928 and 1980, it was also home to

Ottumwa Heights College Ottumwa Heights College began as a liberal arts women's college based in Ottumwa, Iowa. It became coed in 1967. The school was affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church and was operated by the Sisters of Humility of Mary. Although the student bo ...

, a

women's college Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women. Some women's colleges admit male stud ...

that merged with Indian Hills in 1979 to create one institution. Indian Hills is located at the former Ottumwa Heights campus.

Buena Vista University Buena Vista University is a private university in Storm Lake, Iowa. Founded in 1891 as Buena Vista College, it is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. The university's campus is situated on the shores of Storm Lake, a natural lake. At i ...

also has a regional campus located on the Indian Hills campus.

Economy

Top employers

According to Ottumwa's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city were: The

Quincy Place Mall Quincy Place Mall is shopping mall located in Ottumwa, Iowa. The mall is managed by Lexington Realty International. The mall's anchor stores are Harbor Freight Tools, Dunham's Sports and Dollar Tree. There are 2 vacant anchor stores that were onc ...

is a

Shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

located in Ottumwa.

Media

Paired with Kirksville, Missouri, Ottumwa is a

media market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...

region, ranked #201 by Nielsen. Television stations include

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

The CW+ The CW Television Network (commonly referred to as just The CW) is an American English-language commercial terrestrial television, broadcast television television network, network controlled by Nexstar Media Group, with a 75-percent ownership in ...

affiliate

KYOU-TV KYOU-TV (channel 15) is a television station licensed to Ottumwa, Iowa, United States, serving the Ottumwa, Iowa– Kirksville, Missouri market as an affiliate of Fox, NBC and The CW Plus. The station is owned by Gray Television and maintain ...

( channel 15) and K18GU-D ( channel 12;

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...

of KIIN channel 12 in Iowa City). Dual

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

affiliate

KTVO KTVO (channel 3) is a television station licensed to Kirksville, Missouri, United States, serving the Ottumwa, Iowa–Kirksville, Missouri market as an affiliate of ABC and CBS. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station maintains studios ...

( channel 3) is licensed to and has its main offices near Kirksville, but has a second studio and news bureau in Ottumwa. The ''

Ottumwa Courier The ''Ottumwa Courier'' (formerly called ''Ottumwa Daily Courier'') is a three-day (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) newspaper published in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States, and covering Wapello County, Iowa. It also publishes digital-only editions on Wed ...

'' is the primary daily newspaper. "Ottumwa Radio" is the primary regional radio provider with multiple stations.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Ottumwa Regional Airport Ottumwa Regional Airport , formerly Ottumwa Industrial Airport, is six miles northwest of Ottumwa, in Wapello County, Iowa. The airport is owned by the City of Ottumwa and is operated by the Airport Advisory Board. It is listed as a general avia ...

is a general aviation airport owned by the City of Ottumwa and is operated by the Airport Advisory Board.

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

, the national passenger rail system, provides service to the

Ottumwa Amtrak station Ottumwa station is an Amtrak intercity train station in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States. The station was originally built by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, and has been listed as Burlington Depot by the National Register of Historic Pla ...

, operating its ''

California Zephyr The ''California Zephyr'' is a passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area (at Emeryville), via Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Reno. At , it is Amtrak's longest daily route, and second-longest overall ...

'' daily in both directions between

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

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

, and

Emeryville Emeryville may refer to: * Emeryville, California Emeryville is a city located in northwest Alameda County, California, in the United States. It lies in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, with a border on the shore of San ...

, California, across the San Francisco Bay from San Francisco. Ottumwa Transit Authority operates bus services throughout the Ottumwa area. The fixed-route system includes five routes and a shopping shuttle. It also operates a para-transit service known as Ottumwa Transit Authority Lift and Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC), a dial-a-ride service geared towards employees. The five routes that operate Monday through Friday are: #1 North, #2 East West, #3 South Residential, #4 South Commercial, and #7 Airport. There are also two routes that operate on Saturday only; no routes operate on Sunday. 10–15 Regional Transit Agency provides a regional dial-a-ride service throughout Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lucas, Mahaska, Monroe, Van Buren, Wapello and Wayne counties. Jefferson Street Viaduct

Currently,

U.S. Route 34 U.S. Route 34 (US 34) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from north-central Colorado to the western suburbs of Chicago. Through Rocky Mountain National Park it is known as the Trail Ridge Road where it reaches elevation ...

and

Iowa Highway 149 Iowa Highway 149 is a highway which runs from south to north in Iowa. It has a length of . Iowa 149 begins at U.S. Highway 34 in Ottumwa and ends at Williamsburg at Interstate 80. The first of Iowa 149 are overlapped by U.S. Highway 63 Bu ...

serve the town, replacing a former segment of U.S. Highway 63. Route 63 now bypasses the town as part of the

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

to Des Moines expressway. The Jefferson Street Viaduct over the Des Moines River is 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 v ...

Railroads

The BNSF Railway has tracks through Ottumwa. This is a major corridor in the Chicago-Omaha line that is double track, and western coal makes up a large percentage of the freight carried on this line. The BNSF tracks travel under U.S. Highway 34, pass through the business district, under the U.S. Highway 63 bridge, cross the

Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad The Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad (IC&E) was a Class II railroad operating in the north central United States. It has been controlled by the Canadian Pacific Railway and operated as a part of its system since October 30, 2008. Formerly, the ...

tracks at grade, exit Ottumwa, and later cross over the

on their way to

Albia, Iowa Albia is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, in southern Iowa, United States. The population was 3,721 at the 2020 census. The city of Albia is known for its historic square and city-wide Victorian Architecture. Albia is also known ...

, and later

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

. The

was acquired by the Canadian Pacific in 2008. Ottumwa is located on the Davenport, Iowa, to Kansas City, Mo. line and is a crew change point. The Norfolk Southern Railway has trackage rights over the BNSF through Ottumwa.

Historic preservation

Ottumwa has many historic structures as well as several historic districts that are listed on the National Register. The city has an active Historic Preservation Commission that works to preserve some of the most important structures in the community since 1989. The following structures and districts are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 101 Vogel Place

Historic districts

* Historic Railroad District *

Fifth Street Bluff Historic District The Fifth Street Bluff Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. At the time of its nomination it contained 67 reso ...

* Ottumwa Cemetery *

Court Hill Historic District Court Hill Historic District is a Historic districts in the United States, historic district located in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States. It is a residential area of large homes with a few small homes in between. The district was listed on the ...

* Vogel Place Historic District *

North Fellows Historic District The North Fellows Historic District is a historic district located in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States. The city experienced a housing boom after World War II. This north side neighborhood of single-family brick homes built between 1945 and 195 ...

Historic structures

* First National Bank Building 1915 * Hotel Ottumwa * Hoffman Building * Benson Building 1930 * B'nai Jacob Synagogue * Foster/Bell House * Trinity Episcopal Church *

Benson Block The Benson Block is a historic building located in downtown Ottumwa, Iowa, United States. It is two-fifths of a building that was originally constructed in 1883 and was damaged in a fire in 1923. with This part of the building was re-constructed ...

* Burlington Depot * J.W. Garner Building * Jay Funeral Home * Jefferson Street Viaduct * Ottumwa Public Library * St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church * Ottumwa City Hall *

Wapello County Courthouse The Wapello County Courthouse in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States, was built in 1894. 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 fourth buildin ...

* Ottumwa Young Women's Christian Association

Notable people

Walter Day and his Business Partner from the early 1980's

– actor * Chris Ash - head football coach,

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

* Steve Bales –

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, ...

flight controller *

Jason Black Jason Douglas Black (born August 15, 1972) is an American retired mixed martial artist who competed in the lightweight and welterweight divisions. He is a veteran of the King of the Cage, UFC, and PRIDE Fighting Championships organizations, a ...

, former professional mixed martial artist * Stephen Blumberg – notorious rare book thief * Bud Clancy – major league baseball player *

Walter Day Walter Aldro Day (born May 14, 1949) is an American businessman and the founder of Twin Galaxies, an organization that tracks world records for video games and conducts a program of electronic-gaming promotions. Biography Day was born in Oakl ...

– video game statistician *

Edna Ferber Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' So Big'' (1924), ''Show Boat'' (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), '' Ci ...

– novelist who lived in Ottumwa as a child * Elnora M. Gilfoyle – occupational therapist and educator. *

Donald Keyhoe Donald Edward Keyhoe (June 20, 1897 – November 29, 1988) was an American Marine Corps naval aviator, Donald E(dward) Keyhoe. (April 30, 1998) Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2002. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, M ...

–

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

major and aviator,

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

researcher and author * Dan Knight – jazz pianist,

Steinway Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway (), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in Manhattan by German piano builder Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth led to the opening of a ...

artist, composer, Pulitzer Prize nominee *

Bob Lee (baseball) Robert Dean Lee (November 26, 1937 – March 25, 2020) was an American closer and spot starter in Major League Baseball who played from 1964 through 1968 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles/California Angels, and the Cincinnati Reds. Lis ...

– major league baseball pitcher *

Herschel Loveless Herschel Cellel Loveless (May 5, 1911May 4, 1989) was the 34th Governor of Iowa, from 1957 to 1961. He was also mayor of Ottumwa, Iowa. He was born in 1911 in Hedrick, Iowa and died in 1989 in Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the most north ...

(1911–1989) – 34th Governor of Iowa 1957–61, Mayor of Ottumwa 1949–53 * Emma Louise Lowe - musician, educator, former First Lady of American Samoa and former First Lady of Guam. Born in Ottumwa. * E. J. Mather – college football and basketball player and coach. Born in Ottumwa. *

Mariannette Miller-Meeks Mariannette Jane Miller-Meeks (born September 6, 1955) is an American physician and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Iowa's 2nd congressional district since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Miller-Meeks served as Iowa s ...

– Iowa Congresswoman, U.S. House of Representatives. Long-time Ottumwa resident. *

Jack E. McCoy Jack E. McCoy (May 28, 1929 – December 29, 2014) was a politician and labor activist. Born in Ottumwa, Iowa, he worked at the Ottumwa meatpacking plant and served as an officer in the local United Packing House Workers Local 1. He served ...

– Iowa state legislator * Arthur A. McGiverin – The longest-serving Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court. Lived in Ottumwa for many years. Died in 2019 at the age of 90. * R. W. Scott McLeod - U.S. Department of State official and Ambassador to Ireland; grew up in Ottumwa *

Karen Morley Karen Morley (born Mildred Linton; December 12, 1909 – March 8, 2003) was an American film actress. Life and career Born Mildred Linton in Ottumwa, Iowa, Morley lived there until she was 13 years old. When she moved to Hollywood, she attend ...

– actress and political activist; born as Mildred Linton, she was adopted and left Iowa for California with her family at age 13 * Carol Morris –

Miss Iowa USA The Miss Iowa USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Iowa in the Miss USA pageant. It is directed by Future Productions based in Savage, Minnesota since 2008. While Iowa has not been greatly successful ...

1956, Miss USA 1956,

Miss Universe 1956 Miss Universe 1956, the 5th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 20 July 1956 at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States. There were thirty contestants on stage. The nineteen-year-old Carol Morris was the secon ...

, actress *

Honoré Willsie Morrow Honoré Willsie Morrow (, McCue; February 19, 1880 – April 12, 1940) was an American novelist and short story writer, as well as a magazine editor. Traveling to every state of the Union with her first husband, she used these experiences as backg ...

– author, editor *

– former President of the United States lived in Ottumwa while he was stationed at the Ottumwa Naval Station (now decommissioned) * Harry Ostdiek –

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player *

Beverley Owen Beverley Owen (née Ogg; May 13, 1937 – February 21, 2019) was an American television actress, best known for having played the original role of Marilyn Munster on the sitcom ''The Munsters'' before the role was taken over by Pat Priest. Ear ...

– actress *

Mary Florence Potts Mary Florence Potts (née Webber; November 1, 1850June 24, 1922) was an American businesswoman and inventor. She invented clothes irons with detachable wooden handles, and they were exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia Exposi ...

- inventor of the cold handle clothes iron, the most popular iron used. *

J. R. Richards John Robert Richards later Reid-Richards (born April 30, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and television and film composer. Richards was the original lead singer and principal songwriter for the alternative ro ...

– musician/songwriter, author of "A Tribute to the American Farmer". * Daniel F. Steck - U.S. Senator (1926-1931) *

Hal Walker Hal Walker (March 20, 1896 – July 3, 1972) was an American film director. He was known for doing some of the earliest Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis films such as '' At War with the Army'' and '' Sailor Beware'' and some with the team of Bing Cr ...

(1896–1972) – film director * Jake Weimer (1873–1928) –

player 1903–05 * Adam Young - singer-songwriter; founding member of

Namesake

* The U.S. Navy harbor tug

USS Ottumwa (YTB-761) ''Ottumwa'' (YTB–761) was a United States Navy named for Ottumwa, Iowa. Construction The contract for ''Ottumwa'' was awarded 14 October 1960. She was laid down on 27 December 1960 at Jakobson Shipyard, Oyster Bay, New York and launched ...

was named for the city. * A crater on Mars was named after the city.

References

External links

Ottumwa portal style website
City government, Health, Transit, Airport and more * * *
''The Lost City of Ottumwa''
photo gallery on Picasa Web Albums
Ottumwa Courier
Local newspaper online

Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Ottumwa * {{authority control Cities in Iowa County seats in Iowa Micropolitan areas of Iowa Populated places established in 1843 Cities in Wapello County, Iowa 1843 establishments in Iowa Territory