Clinton County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,460. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Clinton. Its name is in honor of the seventh Governor of New York State, DeWitt Clinton. Clinton County comprises the Clinton, IA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Davenport–Moline–Rock Island Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Clinton County was formed on December 21, 1837. It was named for DeWitt Clinton, a Governor of New York and most ardent advocate for the construction of the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...

. The cities of DeWitt and Clinton were also named after him. In 1835, Elijah Buell built a log cabin for himself and his family and was thus the first settler of the region. In 1854, the first newspaper was issued and in 1858, the Lyons Female College for girls opened its doors. The tuition was set at $175 per student. The county has used three courthouses in its history. The structure currently in use was constructed in Romanesque style and opened in 1897.

Early settlement

Clinton county was first settled in 1836, by Mr. Bourne, who located upon Sec. 1, T. 80, R. 4, East. The county was surveyed in 1837, by the Messrs. Burtz. The Surveyor General's office was then at Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1840, the county was organized by Sheriff Bourne. In 1841, R. R. Bed ford and others formed a little settlement at De Witt, and during the same year Messrs. Wheeler and Evans erected a log court-house. In stepping from the past to the present, we quote the language of one of the "oldest inhabitants." He says: "Clinton County was originally settled by the poorest class of people on God's earth; and it is with great pleasure that I have witnessed their progress, slow but sure, and now find the most of them very comfortably situated." The population of this County in 1840, was 821; in 1850, 2822; in 1854, 7000; and in 1856, 11,000. The population of Lyons in 1850, was 453. In 1856 the population increased to 2700.

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 (2.1%) is water. It includes the easternmost point in the state of Iowa, on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

in Elk River township in the northeast section of the county.

Major highways

* * * *

Adjacent counties

* Jackson County (north) * Carroll County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

(northeast) * Whiteside County,

(east) *

Rock Island County Rock Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois, bounded on the west by the Mississippi River. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 147,546. Its county seat is Rock Island; its largest city is neighboring ...

(southeast) * Scott County (south) *

Cedar County Cedar County may refer to: * Cedar County, Iowa * Cedar County, Missouri * Cedar County, Nebraska * Cedar County, Choctaw Nation * Cedar County, Washington The list of county secession proposals in the United States includes proposed new co ...

(southwest) * Jones County (northwest)

National protected area

Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is a ,

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 46,460 in the county, with a population density of . 94.95% of the population reported being of one race. There were 21,517 housing units of which 19,483 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 49,116 in the county, with a population density of . There were 21,733 housing units, of which 20,223 were occupied.

2000 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 2000, there were 50,149 people, 20,105 households, and 13,671 families residing in the county. 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 72 people per square mile (28/km²). There were 21,585 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.87%

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 ...

, 1.89%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

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 ...

, 0.24% Race (United States Census), Native American, 0.56% Race (United States Census), Asian, 0.02% Race (United States Census), Pacific Islander, 0.34% from Race (United States Census), other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. 1.25% of the population were Race (United States Census), Hispanic or Race (United States Census), Latino of any race. There were 20,105 households, out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.60% were Marriage, married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.00% were non-families. 27.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.98. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.60% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,423, and the median income for a family was $46,450. Males had a median income of $35,049 versus $21,333 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,724. About 7.70% of families and 10.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.70% of those under age 18 and 7.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

*Andover, Iowa, Andover *Calamus, Iowa, Calamus *Camanche, Iowa, Camanche *Charlotte, Iowa, Charlotte * Clinton * DeWitt *Delmar, Iowa, Delmar *Goose Lake, Iowa, Goose Lake *Grand Mound, Iowa, Grand Mound *Lost Nation, Iowa, Lost Nation *Low Moor, Iowa, Low Moor *Toronto, Iowa, Toronto *Welton, Iowa, Welton *Wheatland, Iowa, Wheatland

Unincorporated communities

*Big Rock, Iowa, Big Rock *Bryant, Iowa, Bryant *Buena Vista, Iowa, Buena Vista *Elvira, Iowa, Elvira *Elwood, Iowa, Elwood *Folletts, Iowa, Folletts *Petersville, Iowa, Petersville *Teeds Grove, Iowa, Teeds Grove

Townships

Clinton County is divided into these Civil township, townships: * Bloomfield Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Bloomfield * Brookfield Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Brookfield * Camanche Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Camanche * Center Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Center * De Witt Township, Clinton County, Iowa, De Witt * Deep Creek Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Deep Creek * Eden Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Eden * Elk River Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Elk River * Grant Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Grant * Hampshire Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Hampshire * Liberty Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Liberty * Olive Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Olive * Orange Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Orange * Sharon Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Sharon * Spring Rock Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Spring Rock * Washington Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Washington * Waterford Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Waterford * Welton Township, Clinton County, Iowa, Welton

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 United States census, 2020 census of Clinton County. † ''county seat''

Politics

Similar to many other counties in Iowa, Clinton County was reliably Democratic from Michael Dukakis, Michael Dukakis's win in 1988 until 2016, when Donald Trump, Trump flipped many counties in Iowa. He improved on his results in 2020.

References

External links

Clinton County government's websiteClinton County Development Association
{{authority control Clinton County, Iowa, 1837 establishments in Wisconsin Territory Populated places established in 1837 Iowa counties on the Mississippi River