Webster City is a city in Hamilton 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 7,717 at th
2023 census
It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Hamilton County. Webster City is known as 'Boone River Country', as the

Boone River The Boone River is a tributary of the Des Moines River in north-central Iowa in the United States. It is longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 26, 2011 and drains a ...

meanders along the east side of the city.

History

Webster City was originally called Newcastle by settlers of European descent. Under the latter name it was

changed Change, Changed or Changing may refer to the below. Other forms are listed at Alteration * Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time * Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of th ...

in 1854 by Wilson Brewer. In 1855, Walter C. Willson came to Newcastle. Webster City IA

Willson was elected to the Iowa State House the next year and, with John F. Duncombe, crafted a bill to divide the very large Webster County in half. Newcastle would be renamed "Webster City," named after Daniel Webster of Massachusetts and would become the county seat of the new county. Willson suggested "Hamilton County" after William W. Hamilton, the president of the State Senate. He helped pass the legislation. The law took effect on January 1, 1857, renaming Webster City and designating it as the county seat of the newly organized Hamilton County. Willson was also instrumental in getting the Dubuque & Sioux City rail line to be constructed through Webster City on its way to

Fort Dodge Fort Dodge is a city in and the county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Ce ...

. He personally oversaw the laying of track.

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 , of which is land and is water.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Webster City has a

hot-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.

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 7,825 people, 3,320 households, and 1,992 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 879.9 inhabitants per square mile (339.7/km²). There were 3,734 housing units at an average density of 419.9 per square mile (162.1/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 80.8%

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 ...

, 1.0% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 3.9% 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 ...

, 7.4% from other races and 6.3% 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 15.2% of the population. Of the 3,320 households, 28.0% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% 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, 7.2% were cohabitating couples, 27.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 21.8% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 40.0% of all households were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 40.7 years. 25.6% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.3% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 23.7% were from 25 and 44; 24.5% were from 45 and 64; and 20.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 8,070 people, 3,433 households, and 2,096 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 3,800 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.8%

, 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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 3.4% Asian, 3.5% from other races, and 1.7% 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 7.4% of the population. There were 3,433 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were

living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.9% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 40.2 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 25.1% were from 45 to 64; and 19.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,176 people, 3,502 households, and 2,227 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,679 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.41%

, 0.33%

, 0.26% Native American, 2.45% Asian, 0.01%

, 0.48% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.32% of the population. There were 3,502 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were

living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.89. Age spread: 24.1% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,582, and the median income for a family was $44,342. Males had a median income of $30,404 versus $23,163 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 $19,057. About 5.2% of families and 7.3% 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 10.6% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Business and industry

Webster City is the headquarters of several companies, including Vantec,Van Diest Supply Company, Mary Ann's Specialty Foods, Webster City Custom Meats, and Tasler. Webster City's top industries are advanced manufacturing, plastics manufacturing, food processing, agricultural related products, and warehousing and distribution. Since 2010, Webster City has attracted new projects and business expansions, including the Van Diest Medical Center, a $35 million critical access hospital; and a $13 million competition gym at the high school

Education

Public education in Webster City is provided by

Webster City Community School District The Webster City Community School District is a public school district headquartered in Webster City, Iowa. In 2012, the Webster City School District enrolled approximately 1600 students, with an estimated 700 receiving free or reduced lunch, ...

, with Webster City High School, Webster City Middle School, and Pleasant View or Sunset Heights for elementary education. A private Catholic school at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church offers a preschool through 6th grade elementary education.

Transportation

U.S. Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. ...

, a four-lane east-west corridor through north central

, was built along Webster City. Approximately 12 miles east is

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...

. The city has a municipal airport with a runway and full-time Fixed-base operator. A junction of lines of the

Canadian National The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue an ...

and

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

s is located in Webster City. There is no

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...

in the community.

Recreation

Webster City has eleven parks, two golf courses, indoor and outdoor community swimming pools, a recreation center, more than seven miles of walking trails, and many camping areas: * Kendall Young Park, along the Boone River, has 4 shelter houses, 6 picnic areas, a baseball diamond, 2 shuffle board courts, a volleyball court, horseshoe pit, playground, walking trail and fishing area. * Twin Parks, located in downtown Webster City, features a new shelter house, picnic tables, modern playground, sun shelter, and a

skatepark A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, Freestyle scootering, scootering, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairw ...

. * Nokomis Park features a canoe access point. * Middleton Sports Complex has 2 softball fields and an ice rink. * Lions Park includes a play area, picnic area and basketball court. * Riverside Park is located off East Second Street. * Brewer Creek Park is open year-round and includes a shelter house with picnic tables along Brewer Creek. Brewer Creek is home to a 2.2-mile nature/walking trail, volleyball court and nine-hole disc golf course. In the winter "Hospital Hill" is a popular public sledding location. * Sketchly Park features a picnic area and playground. * E.V. Wehrhelm Park is a neighborhood park with play equipment and a shelter. * Boone River Recreational Trail is a 5.7-mile trail from the Webster City Links Golf Course in the north part of the city limits to Briggs Woods Park in the south of the city limits. The trail winds along the Boone River and features a 10-foot-wide concrete pathway for biking, walking, running, and

rollerblading Inline skating is a multi-disciplinary sport and can refer to a number of activities practiced using inline skates. Inline skates typically have two to five polyurethane wheels depending on the style of practice, arranged in a single line by a ...

. * Briggs Woods Park is a 550-acre park with an 18-hole

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

, 81 campsites, 3 shelters, 4 cabins and a 62-acre lake for fishing, boating and swimming. * Webster City Municipal Swimming Pool is an outdoor

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

with a zero-depth entry, 25-meter lap lanes, a diving well with high and low diving boards, and a

waterslide A water slide (also referred to as a flume, water chute, or hydroslide) is a type of slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at swimming pools or water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size. So ...

. * Fuller Hall Recreation Center is partially endowed and managed by the Fuller Hall Trust. It features activities for adults, children, and families, including a

with 25-meter lap lanes, a fitness room, a

game room Game Room was a video game compilation developed by Krome Studios and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Windows Phone 7. Launched on March 24, 2010, Game Room let players download classic video games and co ...

with

pool tables A billiard table or billiards table is a bounded table on which cue sports are played. In the modern era, all billiards tables (whether for carom billiards, pool, pyramid or snooker) provide a flat surface usually made of quarried slate, that i ...

, television lounge,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

court, locker rooms, two

racquetball Racquetball is a racquet sport and a team sport played with a hollow rubber ball on an indoor or outdoor court. Joseph Sobek invented the modern sport of racquetball in 1950, adding a stringed racquet to paddleball in order to increase vel ...

courts, and a remodeled conference facility. * Briggs Woods Golf Course is a public 18-hole golf course located south of town. * The Webster City Links Golf Course is a nine-hole public course situated along the Boone River. It was formerly the private Webster City Country Club.

Events and activities

Webster City is home to the Hamilton County Fairgrounds, which holds the county fair every July. In addition, the fairgrounds is home to the Historic Hamilton County Speedway. Webster City's annual community celebration is the Boone Bash River Dash, which features a cardboard regatta. It is held every June.

Media

The local radio stations are KZWC and

KQWC-FM KQWC-FM (95.7 MHz) is a radio station broadcasting an adult contemporary music format. Licensed to Webster City, Iowa, United States, the station serves the Fort Dodge area. The station is currently licensed to Fieldview Broadcasting LLC. Histo ...

. The '' Daily Freeman Journal'' is the city's local newspaper and is published Monday through Friday.

Notable people

Jeremy Ferguson Jeremy Miles Ferguson (born January 7, 1981), better known by the stage name Jinxx, is an American musician best known as the rhythm guitarist and violinist of the rock band Black Veil Brides. History Jinxx joined Black Veil Brides in mid-200 ...

(Jinxx),

Black Veil Brides Black Veil Brides is an American rock band based in Hollywood, California. The group formed in 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is currently composed of lead vocalist Andy Biersack, multi instrumentalist Jinxx, lead guitarist Jake Pitts, dru ...

' rhythm guitarist and violinist * John Gregory, football coach and player * Asher Howard, lawyer and Minnesota state legislator *

MacKinlay Kantor MacKinlay Kantor (February 4, 1904 – October 11, 1977), born Benjamin McKinlay Kantor, was an American journalist, novelist and screenwriter. He wrote more than 30 novels, several set during the American Civil War, and was awarded the ...

, writer and

1956 Pulitzer Prize The following are the Pulitzer Prizes for 1956. Journalism awards *Public Service: ** '' Watsonville Register-Pajaronian'' for courageous exposure of corruption in public office, which led to the resignation of a district attorney and the conv ...

winner for fiction for his novel ''Andersonville'' * Chuck Lamson, professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player * Alan Larson (born 1949), diplomat and ambassador * Faye Cashatt Lewis, doctor and writer * Clark R. Mollenhoff, journalist and

1958 Pulitzer Prize The following are the Pulitzer Prizes for 1958. Journalism awards *Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, Public Service: **The ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Gazette'', for demonstrating the highest qualities of civic leadership, journalisti ...

winner for journalism in the category of National Reporting. * Carla Nelson, Minnesota state Senator, candidate for

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

in 2018 * Rod Rust, football coach *

Jennifer Simpson Jennifer Simpson (married and maiden names, née Barringer; born August 23, 1986) is a retired American Middle-distance running, middle- and Long-distance running, long-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 1500 metres, 1500 meters at t ...

, distance runner, medalist at Olympics and World Championships * Abastenia St. Leger Eberle, sculptor

References

External links

City website

''Freeman Journal'' newspaper

Webster City Tourism website

Webster City Economic Development
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Hamilton County, Iowa County seats in Iowa