Traer is a city in Tama 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 1,583 at the time of the 2020 census. Traer is known for the iron spiral staircase that originally led to the office of the local newspaper. The staircase is freestanding, reverse-spiral and connected to the building with a suspended walkway, a somewhat rare arrangement.

History

Traer got its start in the year 1873, following construction of

Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway The Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway (BCR&N) was a railroad that operated in the United States from 1876 to 1903. It was formed to take over the operations of the bankrupt Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Minnesota Railway, which was, in ...

through the territory. The city was named for John W. Traer.

Geography

Traer is located in Perry Township. 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. Important roads in Traer include

U.S. Route 63 U.S. Route 63 (US 63) is a , north–south United States Highway primarily in the Midwestern and Southern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at Interstate 20 (I-20) in Ruston, Louisiana; the northern terminus is at US&nbs ...

and Iowa Highway 8.

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 1,583 people, 677 households, and 418 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 1,227.7 inhabitants per square mile (474.0/km²). There were 742 housing units at an average density of 575.5 per square mile (222.2/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 94.3%

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 ...

, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.4% from other races and 3.4% 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 1.5% of the population. Of the 677 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, 5.8% were cohabitating couples, 27.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 20.1% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 38.3% of all households were non-families. 32.6% 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 45.8 years. 23.6% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.6% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 20.7% were from 25 and 44; 25.2% were from 45 and 64; and 25.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 1,703 people, 693 households, and 458 families living in the city. The

was . There were 778 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.0%

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1%

, 0.1% from other races, and 1.1% 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 0.8% of the population. There were 693 households, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were

living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.9% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age in the city was 43.5 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 22.2% were from 45 to 64; and 25.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,594 people, 686 households, and 443 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 728 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.31%

, 0.31%

, 0.13% Asian, and 0.25% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.13% of the population. There were 686 households, out of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were

living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.75. 20.9% were under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 28.2% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,329, and the median income for a family was $43,375. Males had a median income of $30,882 versus $20,670 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 $17,811. About 4.9% of families and 7.0% 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 7.6% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The city is governed by a mayor-council government, with a five-member council. It employs an attorney, a treasurer, a clerk and deputy clerk, and a gas and building inspector. The city runs multiple committees, on finance, streets, airport and garbage, recreation, public services, and protection. City boards include those responsible for the library, the airport, the parks, the memorial building, planning and zoning, the Wilson Nature Preserve, and historic preservation.

Education

Traer is within the North Tama County Community School District.

Infrastructure

Services provided by the city include a fire department, an ambulance service, a swimming pool, a public library, an airport, and two parks.

Notable people

* James "Tama Jim" Wilson lived in Traer after serving as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. *

Margaret Wilson Margaret Anne Wilson (born 20 May 1947) is a New Zealand lawyer, academic and former Labour Party politician. She served as Attorney-General from 1999 to 2005 and Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2005 to 2008, during the Fifth ...

, who won the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

for fiction in 1924, was born in Traer.

References

External links

Traer Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Tama County, Iowa Cities in Iowa