Afton is a city in

Union County, Iowa Union County is a County (United States), county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population was 12,138. The county seat is Creston, Iowa, Creston. Organized at a tim ...

. The population was 874 at the time of the 2020 census. Its peak of population was in 1880, at 1,231 residents, when numerous European immigrants and migrants from the eastern United States settled here for the farmland. Mechanization of farming and consolidation of farms has reduced the population.

History

Afton 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 Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1854 and named after the poem "

Sweet Afton "Sweet Afton" is a lyrical poem describing the Afton Water in Ayrshire, Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, ...

" by

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

. Afton became incorporated November 30, 1868.

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 , all land.

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 874 people, 357 households, and 225 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 869.1 inhabitants per square mile (335.6/km²). There were 402 housing units at an average density of 399.7 per square mile (154.3/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 94.5%

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 ...

, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% 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 ...

, 0.8% from other races and 4.1% 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 4.3% of the population. Of the 357 households, 31.7% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% 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, 6.4% were cohabitating couples, 31.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 14.0% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 37.0% of all households were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 39.3 years. 27.9% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.8% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 and 44; 25.6% were from 45 and 64; and 17.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 845 people, 355 households, and 218 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 400 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.6%

, 0.5% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.4% 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 0.9% of the population. There were 355 households, of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were

living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.6% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% 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 2.91. The median age in the city was 38.6 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17.6% 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 2000 United States census, there were 917 people, 384 households, and 251 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 407 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.69%

, 0.87% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.85% of the population. There were 384 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were

living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,281, and the median income for a family was $35,848. Males had a median income of $25,707 versus $17,917 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 $12,920. About 13.6% of families and 19.4% 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 25.8% of those under age 18 and 19.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Cynthia May Alden, early 20th-century journalist * J. B. West,

White House chief usher The White House chief usher is the head of household staff and operations at the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. The position is currently held by Robert B. Downing. About the ch ...

from 1957 to 1969

References

External links

City of Afton
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Union County, Iowa