West Liberty is a city in Muscatine County,

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 th ...

, United States. The population was 3,858 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the

Muscatine micropolitan area The Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in east central Iowa, anchored by the city of Muscatine. The Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area is also a part ...

. West Liberty is located five miles south of Interstate 80 on Historic Highway 6. The city is home to the West Liberty Raceway, located in the Muscatine County Fairgrounds. The Muscatine County Fair takes place in West Liberty in July of each year.

History

West Liberty was incorporated in 1868, at the junction of the

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end ...

and Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railroads. Prior to incorporation, the town stood about a half-mile north of its current location, but was relocated to be closer to the railway. The settlement was originally called Wapsinonoc Township, which means smooth surfaced, meandering creek or stream. The name change to Liberty (after

Liberty, Ohio Liberty is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, in the U.S. state of Ohio. History Liberty was plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Un ...

, the former home of many of its settlers) is attributed to the wife of the township's first postmaster, Simeon A. Bagley. It is believed that the name was changed after the relocation.

Geography

West Liberty is located at (41.571517, -91.261229). 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 t ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

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 in ...

of 2010, there were 3,736 people, 1,251 households, and 890 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was . There were 1,316 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 71.2%

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 o ...

, 0.4%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 2.1%

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 ...

, 23.3% 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 3.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 52.2% of the population. West Liberty was the first town in the state of Iowa to achieve a Hispanic-majority population. There were 1,251 households, of which 43.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.9% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.48. The median age in the city was 32.8 years. 29.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.6% were from 25 to 44; 21.5% were from 45 to 64; and 12% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,332 people, 1,150 households, and 801 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,195 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 67.20%

, 0.30%

, 0.42% Native American, 3.54%

, 25.00% from

, and 3.54% from two or more races.

of any race were 40.49% of the population. There were 1,150 households, out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.46. 29.8% are under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,925, and the median income for a family was $41,667. Males had a median income of $29,963 versus $24,306 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 $15,420. About 4.6% 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 t ...

, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

West Liberty is home to two major employers: The West Liberty Community School District and West Liberty Foods. West Liberty Foods is a producer of turkey products that has a meat processing facility as well as its corporate headquarters in the city. Agriculture, housing development, and agribusiness are a major factor in the local economy. The West Liberty Industrial Park is located on the south side of the city. In 2005, the Chamber of Commerce and the City of West Liberty undertook the initiative to improve area economic development with the foundation of We Lead. We Lead is a non-profit organization that partners with the City of West Liberty and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in carrying out their mission.

Downtown revitalization

West Liberty's Downtown Commercial Historic District is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in Muscatine County, Iowa. A Downtown Task Force meets regularly to discuss the issues and needs for the downtown area. This task force works in partnership with We Lead to envision revitalization projects and implement them when possible. Recent projects include the adoption of the International Property Maintenance Code for aging downtown buildings and the establishment of a revolving loan fund for structural improvements and scholarships for facades. We Lead has begun to implement The Art-Full Community Project as a prototype for a business incubator; businesses in West Liberty display artwork, artists sell their work and donate part of the proceeds to a community economic development fund. Part of this community fund also benefits the downtown area.

Arts and culture

West Liberty is a historical town with many cultural events. West Liberty has a movie theater built in 1910, an internationally known puppet theater that hosts several events throughout the year and gives frequent performances, two dance studios, an arts council which organizes community art lessons during the winter months and concerts during the summer, and various local artists. West Liberty has a historical downtown, a train depot built in 1897, and a public library constructed in 1904.

Festivals and events

West Liberty is home to the Muscatine County Fairgrounds that hosts the Muscatine County Fair, its biggest annual event, every year in July. The fair features grandstand entertainment, a carnival, a talent show, a fair queen contest, pet shows, and judging of exhibits of livestock, arts and crafts, cooking, flowers and plants, photography, and antiques. More than half of the fairground buildings are original, an exceptionally large number compared to other fairgrounds. As a prelude to the fair every year, West Liberty holds the Fair Parade followed by Picnic in the Park, on the Sunday immediately preceding the fair. The Fair Parade features floats made by the community in keeping with that year's theme. The parade winds through town and is immediately followed by the Picnic in the Park. The Picnic in the Park is held in Kimberly Park and features a free swim, food sold by local vendors, and entertainment. Another annual summertime event is Summer Music in the Park. This summer concert series is organized by West Liberty Area Arts Council (WLAAC) and is free to the public. Every Friday evening for about a month in the summer a concert is given by local groups in Ron-de-Voo Park. Music styles vary from blues to classic rock to Latin American folk music. The West Liberty Children's Festival is held every year in September. A daylong event held downtown on Third Street, it is sponsored and organized by Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre with lots of volunteer help. It includes puppet shows, crafts, activities, strolling performers, performances from the local dance studios, food from local vendors, and more. The performances and puppet shows are given by both local and out of state performers. In recent years it has coordinated with the Latino Festival, which includes several hours of live Latino music as well as Mexican food and craft vendors. The 10 AM to 10 PM event is known as Fiesta West Liberty From April through August the West Liberty Raceway hosts races nearly every Saturday night. According to their website, the raceway is a "1/2 mile, slightly banked, dirt track". The IMCA Sport Compact, iWireless IMCA Late Models, and Performance Concepts are hosted at the raceway.

Museum

The historical

Rock Island Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end ...

Depot, built in 1897, now serves as a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

. It contains displays of artifacts pertaining to the history of West Liberty and the history of the railway. Heritage Park, or the Depot Campus as it is commonly known, serves as a museum of sorts. The area immediately surrounding the depot has become the final resting place for many local pieces of history. There is a restored Rock Island Lines Caboose, a local barn known as the Heritage Barn along with antique farm equipment, a tourist cabin that used to form part of the North Point complex, which in addition to the nine cabins also consisted of a diner and a service station, a

one-room school One-room schools, or schoolhouses, were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain. In most rural and s ...

house also known as the Swamp School, and the newest addition, a steam locomotive.

Library

The West Liberty Public Library building was constructed in 1904 with the help of a $7500 grant from

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

. Before that, the

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

can be traced back to its beginning as a

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

library. After the Reading Room was closed, seven women continued circulating the books until they left the handling of the library to the Peoples Library Association 5 years later. The association opened a reading room and later, in the year 1900, the community voted to approve the establishment of a public library. The West Liberty Public Library building is listed as a State Historical Building and has been renovated and expanded various times over the years with the latest repairs and renovations occurring in 2012–2013. The library holds a host of activities throughout the year including summer reading programs, screenings of educational movies, toddler story times, a morning coffee book club, and much more.

Education

The

West Liberty Community School District The West Liberty Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in West Liberty, Iowa. The district is mostly in Muscatine County, with smaller portions in Cedar County and Johnson County. The district serves the c ...

(WLCSD) consists of elementary, middle, and high schools. Construction of a new high school was completed in 2004. A new middle school was opened in 2009 with a combination of new construction and extensive renovations of parts of the old high school. The school district serves over 1220 students with a student/teacher ratio of 11/1. West Liberty High School was ranked Eighth (#8) Best High School in Iowa, according to the US News "Best High Schools 2013 Rankings."

Dual Language Program

"The West Liberty Elementary, Middle School, and High School are all International Spanish Academies (ISAs)". which offer students the opportunity to earn one of the Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera awarded by the

Instituto Cervantes Instituto Cervantes (the Cervantes Institute) is a worldwide nonprofit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), the author of ''Don Quixote'' and perhaps the most important figur ...

. International Spanish Academies are recognized by the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

and the

Government of Spain gl, Goberno de España eu, Espainiako Gobernua , image = , caption = Logo of the Government of Spain , headerstyle = background-color: #efefef , label1 = Role , data1 = Executive power , label2 = Established , d ...

. The WLCSD

Dual language Dual language is a form of education in which students are taught literacy and content in two languages. Most dual language programs in the United States teach in English and Spanish, but programs increasingly use a partner language other than Spa ...

Program allows students to take all of their classes in both Spanish and English, increasing their bilingual skills and their understanding of another culture through language immersion. Students enter the program in pre-kindergarten and parents make a commitment on behalf of their child and themselves to participate in the program through fifth grade. The WLCSD Dual Language Program was the first of its kind in the State of Iowa. It began in the fall of 1997 when the district received a five-year $1.7 million federal grant from the United States Department of Education. After a year of planning and model analysis, the program was implemented in the fall of 1998 at the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten grade levels. From 1999 through 2002, the district added grade levels as the first class advanced through each grade. In the spring of 2011, the first graduating class of Seniors marked the final establishment of the dual language program in all K-12 grade levels.

Parks and recreation

There are eight city parks scattered throughout West Liberty, varying in size and purpose from a veterans memorial to a public pool to a

sports complex A sports complex is a group of sports facilities. For example, there are track and field stadiums, football stadiums, baseball stadiums, swimming pools, and Indoor arenas. This area is a sports complex, for fitness. Olympic Park is also a kind ...

complete with

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

diamonds,

soccer field A football pitch (also known as soccer field) is the playing surface for the game of association football. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play". The pitch is typically made of natural t ...

s, a

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

, and more. The city parks are: *Dutton Park *Friendship Park *Railroad Park *Ron-De-Voo Park *Sesquincentennial Park *Veterans Memorial Park *Wapsie Park *Kimberly Park In addition to the parks, West Liberty maintains a portion of the

Hoover Nature Trail The Hoover Nature Trail (HNT) is a crushed limestone rail trail in eastern Iowa that follows the old Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad route between Burlington and Cedar Rapids. The trail is a shared-use trail for bicycling, hiking, jogging ...

. The portion of the trail in West Liberty starts at the depot and continues north to Highway 6. Just a short distance from the depot campus there is an outdoor fitness center containing workout equipment for public use. West Liberty is home to the West Liberty Golf &

Country Club A country club is a privately owned club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Typical athletic offe ...

, featuring a nine-hole golf course and a restaurant. The country club hosts a variety of events, including tournaments. The West Liberty Gun Club is a shooting range on the southwest edge of town. It has an outdoor range, an archery range, and a trap range. It holds matches for anyone, from beginners to more experienced shooters. The club has about 150 members.

Media

The West Liberty Index, the local newspaper for the town of West Liberty, has been in operation since 1868. It covers a variety of local news including news from the nearby towns of Nichols and Atalissa. The West Liberty Public Library has a collection of

microfilm Microforms are scaled-down reproductions of documents, typically either photographic film, films or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the origin ...

copies of the paper from the years 1878 through 1946.

Community engagement

Many community service organizations are active within the community, including the local Lion's Club, Rotary Club, West Liberty Area Arts Council, P.E.O, Aquarius Club, and the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

Utilities

West Liberty receives its telephone, cable, and internet services from the local telephone company Liberty Communications. West Liberty has high speed access to the internet through a fiber optic network. The town's water, electric, and sewer are all provided through the city. West Liberty generates its own electricity and is one of 64 municipal electric utilities in the State of Iowa with that capability. Garbage pickup is taken care of by the city's solid waste department. The solid waste department also provides a recycling center, dumpster rental, appliance removal for a fee, and yard waste pickup.

External links

Official city website

References

Cities in Muscatine County, Iowa Cities in Iowa 1868 establishments in Iowa {{DEFAULTSORT:West_Liberty,_Iowa was where I attended kindergarten in 1942-43 I still have some large pictures I colored in that class. I remember being a part of the 4th of July parade and insisting my parent drive to the school and rescue the drawings and other work I did BEFGORE we would leave the city to move to Winona, Minnesota. I am 84 yrs old at this time and still teaching art..