Rock Valley is a city in

Sioux County, Iowa Sioux County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,872. Its county seat is Orange City. Its largest city is Sioux Center. History Sioux County was formed on January 15, 1851. It has been ...

, the North Western corner 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 the ...

, United States, along the Rock River. The population was 4,059 at the time of the 2020 census.

Geography

Rock Valley is located at (43.201624, -96.296379). 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. Rock Valley is located on

U.S. Route 18 U.S. Route 18 (US 18) is an east–west U.S. highway in the Midwestern United States. The western terminus is in Orin, Wyoming at an interchange with Interstate 25. Its eastern terminus is in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, US 18 run ...

History

The town of Rock Valley was platted in 1879 by a Colonel Ira Warren, a

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

veteran, and the Chicago Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway on ground owned by Warren.

Economy

In February 2022, a methane digester of Winding Meadows Dairy near Rock Valley owned by

Gevo The Evolution Series is a line of diesel locomotives built by GE Transportation Systems (now owned by Wabtec), initially designed to meet the U.S. EPA's Tier 2 locomotive emissions standards that took effect in 2005. The first pre-production ...

spilled manure which flowed across frozen fields into

Lizard Creek (Iowa) Lizard Creek is a stream located near Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Iowa in the United States. The streambed is almost all rock and sand with many large boulders. It is west of Fort Dodge, Iowa. Also the water is known to be unusually clear for midweste ...

, a tributary of the Rock River. Eventually it was found 376,414 gallons of liquid manure spilled into waterways and Gevo had no license to operate the digester. The

Iowa Department of Natural Resources The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR or IA DNR) is a department/agency of the U.S. state of Iowa formed in 1986, charged with maintaining state parks and forests, protecting the environment of Iowa, and managing energy, fish, wild ...

fined the dairy farmer $10,000 for the spill, but not Gevo.

Notable people

Florence Fallgatter Florence Alberta Fallgatter (1891 – April 8, 1973) was an American educator and home economist. She was head of the home economics department at Iowa State University from 1938 to 1958, the first woman president of the American Vocational Ass ...

, home economist, was born in Rock Valley. *

James Francis Macbride James Francis Macbride (19 May 1892 16 June 1976) was an American botanist who devoted most of his professional life to the study of the flora of Peru. Early life and education Born on 19 May 1892 in Rock Valley, Iowa, Macbride graduated from th ...

, botanist, was born in Rock Valley. *

Stephen A. Mitchell (politician) Stephen A. Mitchell (August 3, 1903 – April 23, 1974) was an American attorney and Democratic Party official. He served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1952 to 1956, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic no ...

, was born in Rock Valley. * Richard Mulder (1938-2022), physician and Minnesota state legislator was born in Rock Valley. Minnesota Legislators Past & Present-Richard Mulder
/ref> * Katy Olson, politician, was born in Rock Valley. *

Andrew Van Ginkel Andrew Van Ginkel (born July 1, 1995) is an American football linebacker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Dakota before transferring to Wisconsin and was drafted by the Dolphins in ...

, football player, was born in Rock Valley

Demographics

2010 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 incl ...

of 2010, there were 3,354 people, 1,283 households, and 870 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 1,356 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.2%

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 on ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.4%

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 ...

, 5.8% 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 1.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

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 ...

of any race were 12.2% of the population. There were 1,283 households, of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% 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, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.2% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.16. The median age in the city was 35.8 years. 27.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 19.4% were from 45 to 64; and 19.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,702 people, 1,124 households, and 750 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,202 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.48%

, 0.11%

, 0.07% Native American, 0.33%

, 0.59% from

, and 0.41% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.04% of the population. There were 1,124 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were

living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,967, and the median income for a family was $45,074. Males had a median income of $31,219 versus $20,833 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 city was $19,660. About 1.9% of families and 4.1% 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 t ...

, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

External links

Rock Valley webpage
* http://www.cityofrockvalley.com/site/rivers-bend

References

{{authority control Cities in Sioux County, Iowa Cities in Iowa