Russell is a city in Lucas 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 472 in the 2020 census, a decline from the 559 population in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

History

Russell was incorporated as a city on April 25, 1887. The town was originally settled by German and Irish settlers in the 1850s. By the early 1860s the town of Russell had been made into a farming community and provided a source of food for surrounding communities. After being incorporated, a railway and railroad grain-tower were constructed along the town's edge allowing excess produce to be travelled elsewhere on the frontier. In 1935, the town suffered a fire on the town square that burned down the eastern side and killed 3 people.

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 472 people, 202 households, and 124 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 460.4 inhabitants per square mile (177.8/km²). There were 227 housing units at an average density of 221.4 per square mile (85.5/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 96.0%

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 ...

, 0.0% Black or African American, 0.0% Native American, 0.0% Asian, 0.0%

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 ...

, 0.0% from other races and 4.0% 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 0.4% of the population. Of the 202 households, 26.7% 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, 7.4% were cohabitating couples, 21.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 24.8% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 38.6% of all households were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 45.6 years. 24.8% of the residents were under the age of 20; 3.0% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 21.4% were from 25 and 44; 29.4% were from 45 and 64; and 21.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 554 people, 212 households, and 146 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 250 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.9%

, 0.4%

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 ...

, 2.2% Native American, and 0.5% from other 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 2.0% of the population. There were 212 households, of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were

living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.1% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.10. The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 29.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.7% were from 25 to 44; 23.7% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 559 people, 239 households, and 144 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 265 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.57%

, 0.18% Native American, 0.36% Asian, and 0.89% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population. There were 239 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were

living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.97. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,125, and the median income for a family was $29,688. Males had a median income of $26,094 versus $16,406 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 $13,093. About 16.5% of families and 23.6% 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 42.6% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

The city is within the

Chariton Community School District The Chariton Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in Chariton, Iowa, USA. The district is mostly within Lucas County; a small portion is in Marion County. Its service area includes Chariton, Lucas Lucas o ...

, which operates

Chariton High School Chariton High School is located in Chariton, Iowa, part of the Chariton Community School District. There are students from six towns including Chariton, Russell, Williamson, Lucas enrolled in the school. Athletics Athletic teams of Charito ...

. The

Russell Community School District Russell Community School District was a school district headquartered in Russell, Iowa. It operated two schools: Russell Elementary School and Russell Jr./Sr. High School. History In the 1950s the bluebirds were the school mascot, but it was cha ...

at one time maintained its own K-12 school, with a five-member board of education overseeing operation of the district. Athletic teams were known as the Trojans. The Russell School District was forced to close in 2008, making it the second time this happened in the state of Iowa; the other was Hedrick in 1990. The Iowa Board of Education cited the district's financial problems, which left Russell school officials unable to provide students with a first-rate education.

Notable people

Rich Arnold Richard D. Arnold (born February 9, 1945) is an Iowa State Representative from the 72nd District. He was first elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 1994. Early life and education Arnold was raised in Russell, Iowa. He obtained his d ...

(born 1945), Iowa House Representative 1995–current (2011) * George McGill (1879–1963),

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

1930–39 * Paul McKinley Iowa Senator 2001–2013

References

External links

City-Data
Comprehensive statistical data and more about Russell {{authority control Cities in Lucas County, Iowa Cities in Iowa