Remsen is a city in Plymouth 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 ...

, United States. The population was 1,678 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

Remsen was named for Dr. William Remsen Smith. Smith had a good friend who suggested the name Smithville, but Smith thought that there were too many Smiths in the world, so she chose to give the town his middle name. Remsen was platted by the Iowa Falls and Sioux City Railroad Town Land and Lot Company on August 28, 1876, and was incorporated in the spring of 1889. The population in 1885 was given at 650, of whom 400 were American born. Remsen was settled mostly by German and Luxembourg immigrants. Plagued by religious persecution, unwelcome Prussian military conscription and economic limitations, the early immigrants left their native land to start a new life in the land of opportunity now called Remsen. Remsen citizens retained their Luxembourg traditions of deep religious faith and loyal, energetic, hard working and fun loving style. At the same time they contributed to their share in the building and development of America and were quick to respond whenever Uncle Sam called on his citizens for a service, always eager to do something for the land which gave them the opportunity to raise their families as free and independent American citizens. During Prohibition, Remsen was a major player in the brewing, transporting and sale of illegal alcohol. Its location adjacent to larger midwestern cities and the amount of farmland between homes made it a perfect area to make moonshine. Much of the moonshine produced ended up in one of two other Iowa cities: Sioux City or

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...

. On July 4, 1936, a massive fire destroyed 15 homes and 18 buildings that housed 38 businesses. The fire started when a couple young kids, never identified, were playing with fireworks when a nearby tent caught fire. With the winds and extreme heat, the fire was out of control within minutes. This resulted in an all-night battle for nearby fire departments. This led to the 84 year long ban of fireworks in Iowa.

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 , all land.

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 1,678 people, 666 households, and 447 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 1,146.1 inhabitants per square mile (442.5/km²). There were 709 housing units at an average density of 484.3 per square mile (187.0/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 94.2%

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 ...

, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.6%

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 ...

, 0.9% from other races and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 2.5% of the population. Of the 666 households, 30.5% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% 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, 6.0% were cohabitating couples, 23.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 16.5% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 32.9% of all households were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 41.5 years. 26.1% of the residents were under the age of 20; 3.9% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 23.4% were from 25 and 44; 21.8% were from 45 and 64; and 24.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 1,663 people, 645 households, and 436 families living in the city. The

was . There were 704 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.2%

, 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 ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.5% 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 1.9% of the population. There were 645 households, of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were

living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.4% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age in the city was 41.4 years. 27.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.8% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 20.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,762 people, 671 households, and 460 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 701 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.49%

, 0.06% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.34% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.34% of the population. There were 671 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were

living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.15. 28.9% were under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $37,950 and the median family income was $48,250. Males had a median income of $32,841 versus $21,094 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 $17,465. About 3.3% of families and 5.7% 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 6.3% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is within the Remsen Union Community School District. The MMC district currently operates as "MMCRU" schools as part of a grade-sharing arrangement with the Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Community School District. It also houses Remsen St. Mary's, a private, Roman Catholic school.

References

External links

City website

A short memorial book put together by the citizens of Remsen after World War II
{{authority control Cities in Plymouth County, Iowa Cities in Iowa Populated places established in 1889 1889 establishments in Iowa