Alden is a city in Hardin 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 763 at the 2020 census.

History

Alden was laid out in 1855. It was named for its founder, Henry Alden, a native of

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. The town was incorporated February 11, 1879.

Geography

Alden's longitude and latitude coordinates in decimal form are 42.516867, -93.375809. 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 , of which is land and is water.

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 787 people, 338 households, and 214 families living 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 368 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.5%

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 ...

, 0.5%

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, 0.3%

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 ...

, and 1.7% 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 1.1% of the population. There were 338 households, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.7% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in the city was 41.6 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.3% were from 25 to 44; 29.1% were from 45 to 64; and 17.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.6% male and 49.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 904 people, 351 households, and 250 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 372 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.68%

, 0.22%

, 1.66% 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 0.44% from two or more races.

of any race were 5.09% of the population. There were 351 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.12. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,966, and the median income for a family was $39,524. Males had a median income of $29,489 versus $22,000 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 $16,011. About 6.7% of families and 10.6% 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 t ...

, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Alden Community School District operates public schools serving the community.

Library

Alden is believed to have the smallest endowed Carnegie Library built in the United States. It was built at a cost of $9,000, and was a gift 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 ...

on November 3, 1913. The original Library was built in 1914 with the grant from the Carnegie Foundation. The Library was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The building served Alden for 85 years. In 1998 a Capital Campaign was started to raise $550,000 for an addition that would double the size of the library.

Notable people

* Gordon Jones, actor * Bruce Rastetter, businessman and former president of the

Iowa Board of Regents The Board of Regents, State of Iowa (commonly referred to as the Iowa Board of Regents) is the 9-member governing body overseeing the three public universities in the state of Iowa: the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University ...

References

External links

Dr. Grace O. Doane Alden Public Library
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Hardin County, Iowa 1855 establishments in Iowa