Massena is a city in Cass 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 359 at the time of the 2020 census. Massena's motto is: "The Home of Friendly People". Massena's sister community is Cumberland, Iowa. Massena is named after

Massena, New York Massena is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. Massena is along the county's northern border, just south of the St. Lawrence River and the Three Nations Crossing of the Canada–United States border. The population was 12 ...

Geography

Massena is located at (41.253802, -94.768866), among the rolling hills of Iowa at the intersection of Iowa highways 92 and 148. 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. Massena is located approximately halfway between Des Moines and

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, 15 miles south of Interstate 80.

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 355 people, 161 households, and 97 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 191 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.4%

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 ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, and 0.3% 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 ...

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 ...

or Latino of any race were 2.8% of the population. There were 161 households, of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 0.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.8% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age in the city was 44.3 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.7% were from 25 to 44; 30.1% were from 45 to 64; and 19.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.4% male and 49.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 414 people, 182 households, and 113 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 193 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.76%

(413 people), and 0.24% from two or more races (1 person).

or Latino of any race were 0.24% of the population (1 person). There were 182 households, out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,625, and the median income for a family was $43,173. Males had a median income of $31,319 versus $20,909 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 $15,012. About 8.4% 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 11.4% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

History

The city of Massena 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. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad on land purchased from A. Vredenburgh in 1883 and 1884 that included most of Section 33 of Cass County. The incorporated city was platted in 1886. The first meeting of the city council was on March 21, 1887 and a special election was held on December 10, 1887 to enlarge the corporate limits to include all of section 33. The city was platted with the name of "Smith", but the post office authorities refused the name because of another city with a similar spelling. Lume A. Stone, an

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

from

, suggested Massena after his hometown, and thus the name of the township and town. Massena, New York was named after a French Marshal under

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

André Masséna André Masséna, Prince of Essling, Duke of Rivoli (born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817) was a French military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.Donald D. Horward, ed., trans, annotated, The Fre ...

Culture

The Massena Historical Society restored, maintains and gives tours of a country school house, a barber shop and a

filling station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Ga ...

. The country school house, Victoria No. 8, was brought in to town from Victoria Township. Every 3 July the local

volunteer fire department A volunteer fire department (VFD) is a fire department of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction. Volunteer and retained (on-call) firefighters are expected to be on call to respond ...

sponsors a street dance on Main Street to raise money for the fire department funds. The annual Fontanelle & Massena Independence Day parade is alternated between Massena and the community of Fontanelle, Iowa. Baseball has a strong tradition in Massena. Massena's local team is the Massena Red Sox, formally the Cumberland Red Sox, which has been in existence since the 1920s.

Education

CAM Community School District serves Massena. Massena was home of the Massena School District until 1959 when it reorganized with the city of Cumberland, Iowa to create the C & M Community School District. In 2003, the C & M Community School District started whole grade sharing with the Anita Community School District of

Anita, Iowa Anita is a city in Cass County, Iowa, United States, platted in 1869 and incorporated in 1875. The population was 963 at the 2020 census. Lake Anita State Park is located just outside the town. History A violent F5 tornado occurred just east o ...

, going under the name of CAM for Cumberland, Anita and Massena. C & M merged with Anita reorganized on July 1, 2011 to create the CAM District.REORGANIZATION & DISSOLUTION ACTIONS SINCE 1965-66
" Iowa Department of Education. Retrieved on July 20, 2018. Massena is currently the home of the CAM Middle School and C & M Elementary. CAM High School is in Anita where there is also an elementary school.

Business

Most of Massena's economy is based on

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

. Many of the people from Massena are family farmers. Massena is also known as a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

. It is located centrally between

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, the

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 ...

of Cass County, Greenfield, the county seat of Adair County and Corning, the county seat of Adams County. Many Massenans commute to these cities as well as others. 21st century

Co-op A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

is based in Massena. Its territory covers most of Adair County and Cass County. The co-op runs a

. Massena has a John Deere service center, a

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

, a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

, a medical center, a

tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern t ...

, a

grocery store A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, a ...

, two

mechanics Mechanics (from Ancient Greek: μηχανική, ''mēkhanikḗ'', "of machines") is the area of mathematics and physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among physical objects. Forces applied to object ...

, a welder, a

craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pro ...

store and a sale barn. There is also a

chiropractor Chiropractic is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine. It has esoteric origins and is based on several pseudoscien ...

, a

massage therapist Massage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. In Eu ...

and several beauticians.

Churches

The city of Massena is home to a Baptist Church, a

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...

, and a

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. St. Patrick Catholic Church serves the communities of Massena and Bridgewater, Iowa as well as part of the community of Cumberland, Iowa. St. Patrick is part of the Catholic Diocese of Des Moines. Two country churches hold a Massena address: St. Peter's

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximatel ...

and Pine Grove

. A Christian church, Disciples of Christ, named

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

, is located in the city of Bridgewater, Iowa. Trinity Christian Church serves the communities of Massena, Bridgewater and Cumberland.

References

External links

Official City Website

CAM High School Website

CAM Middle School Website
{{authority control Cities in Cass County, Iowa Cities in Iowa 1886 establishments in Iowa