Lee County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,555. The county seats are

Fort Madison Fort Madison is a city and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States along with Keokuk. Of Iowa's 99 counties, Lee County is the only one with two county seats. The population was 10,270 at the time of the 2020 census. Located along the ...

and Keokuk. Lee County is part of the Fort Madison–Keokuk, IA- IL- MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

dates to the War of 1812. Lee County was the location of the

Half-Breed Tract A Half-Breed Tract was a segment of land designated in the western states by the United States government in the 19th century specifically for Métis of American Indian and European or European-American ancestry, at the time commonly known as ha ...

, established by treaty in 1824. Allocations of land were made to American Indian descendants of European fathers and Indian mothers at this tract. Originally the land was to be held in common. Some who had an allocation lived in cities, where they hoped to make better livings. Lee County as a named entity was formed on December 7, 1836, under the jurisdiction of Wisconsin Territory. It would become a part of Iowa Territory when it was formed on July 4, 1838. Large-scale European-American settlement in the area began in 1839, after Congress allowed owners to sell land individually. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) under the direction of Brigham Young fled persecutions in Missouri to settle in Illinois and Iowa. Nauvoo, across the border in Hancock County, Illinois, became the main center of Latter-day Saints settlement, but there was also a Latter Day Saints stake organized in Lee County under the direction of John Smith, the uncle of Joseph Smith, land that was sold to them by

Isaac Galland Isaac Galland (May 15, 1791 – September 27, 1858) was a merchant, postmaster, land speculator, and doctor. He is best known for selling large tracts of land around Commerce, Illinois, to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1839. ...

in 1839. Lee has two county seats —

and Keokuk. The latter was established in 1847 when disagreements led to a second court jurisdiction. Lee County's population grew to about 19,000 in 1850, the first US census, to 37,000 per the 3rd census in 1870, peaking at 44,000 people in 1960. It has continuously decreased since and as of 2020, 33,555 people lived there, comparable to the years between 1860 and 1870.

Name

There is no agreement about the derivation of the name "Lee." It has been variously proposed that the county was named for Marsh, Delevan & Lee, of Albany, New York, and the 'New York Land Company', who owned extensive interests in the

in the 1830s;

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

, who surveyed the Des Moines Rapids; or Albert Lea, who helped explore the interior of Iowa.

Geography

According to the

U.S. 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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.0%) is water. The

lowest point This article lists extreme locations on Earth that hold geographical records or are otherwise known for their geophysical or meteorological superlatives. All of these locations are Earth-wide extremes; extremes of individual continents or coun ...

in the state of Iowa is located on the Mississippi River in Keokuk in Lee County, where it flows out of Iowa and into Missouri and Illinois.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designated ...

* U.S. Highway 136 *

U.S. Highway 218 U.S. Highway 218 (US 218) is an original United States Highway that was created in 1926. Although technically a spur of U.S. Route 18, US 18, US 218 neither begins nor ends at US 18, but overlaps US 18 for near Charles C ...

* Iowa Highway 2 *

Iowa Highway 16 Iowa Highway 16 (Iowa 16) is a state highway (Iowa), state highway running from west to east in southeastern Iowa. The highway has a length of . The western terminus of Iowa Highway 16 is at an intersection with U.S. Highway 34 (Iowa), U.S. Highwa ...

* Iowa Highway 27

Transit

* Fort Madison station *

List of intercity bus stops in Iowa The following is a list of presently operating intercity bus stops in Iowa with regular service. The list excludes charter buses, local transit buses, paratransit systems, and trolleybus systems. The following companies provide intercity bus servic ...

Adjacent counties

* Henry County (north) *

Des Moines County Des Moines County is located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 38,910. The county seat and largest city is Burlington, Iowa, Burlington. It is one of Iowa's two original counties alo ...

(northeast) * Henderson County, Illinois (across the river east) * Hancock County, Illinois (southeast) * Clark County, Missouri (southwest) * Van Buren County (west)

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 33,555 in the county, with a population density of . 94.67% of the population reported being of one race. There were 15,858 housing units, of which 14,036 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 35,862 with a population density of . There were 16,205 housing units, of which only 14,610 were occupied.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 38,052 people, 15,161 households, and 10,248 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 16,612 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.24% White, 2.80% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.39%

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 ...

, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.03% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 2.37% of the population were Hispanic or

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. There were 15,161 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.70% 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, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 28.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.93. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,193, and the median income for a family was $42,658. Males had a median income of $32,286 versus $21,821 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,430. About 7.10% of families and 9.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.60% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Donnellson *

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

* Houghton * Keokuk * Montrose * St. Paul * West Point

Census-designated places

* Argyle * Denmark * Mooar * Sandusky * Wever

Other unincorporated communities

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

* Croton * New Boston * Pilot Grove

Townships

* Cedar *

* Denmark *

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

* Green Bay * Harrison * Jackson *

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

* Marion * Montrose * Pleasant Ridge *

Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

* Washington * West Point

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Lee County. † ''county seat''

Notable people

Cleng Peerson Cleng Peerson (17 May 1783 – 16 December 1865) was a Norwegian emigrant to the United States; his voyage in 1824 was the precursor for the boat load of 52 Norwegian emigrants in the following year. That boat load was a precursor for the main ...

(1783–1865), pioneer settler in Lee County in 1840 * Richard Proenneke (1916–2003), naturalist, subject of books and documentary * William Elliott Whitmore (born 1978), singer and songwriter

Politics

In recent presidential elections, Lee County had a strong Democratic lean, voting for the party's candidate in every election from 1984 to 2012. In 2016 however, the county swung hard to vote for Republican Donald Trump by a wide margin, a swing of over 31 points compared to 2012.

Education

School districts include: * Central Lee Community School District *

Fort Madison Community School District Fort Madison Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in Fort Madison, Iowa.Home
Fort Madison Commu ...

Keokuk Community School District Keokuk Community School District (KCSD) is a public school district headquartered in Keokuk, Iowa. It is entirely in Lee County, and serves Keokuk and the rural areas to the north and west of Keokuk. The district borders the states of Illinois ...

Mount Pleasant Community School District The Mount Pleasant Community School District is a public school district headquartered in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. The district is mainly in Henry County, but has small areas in Jefferson, Lee, and Van Buren counties. The district serves the c ...

Van Buren County Community School District The Van Buren County Community School District (VBCSD) is a rural public school district headquartered in Keosauqua, Iowa. It is mostly in Van Buren County, and extends into Davis, Henry, and Lee counties. In addition to Keosauqua, it also se ...

Former school districts: *

Harmony Community School District Harmony Community School District was a school district which was, at the end of its existence, headquartered in unincorporated Van Buren County, Iowa, near Farmington. It served sections of Van Buren, Henry, and Lee counties. Communities in its se ...

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References

External links

Lee County government's website
{{authority control 1836 establishments in Wisconsin Territory Fort Madison–Keokuk, IA-IL-MO Micropolitan Statistical Area Iowa counties on the Mississippi River Populated places established in 1836