Alden is a city in Hardin County,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, 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

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. The town was incorporated February 11, 1879.

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 , of which is land and is water.

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 763 people, 327 households, and 205 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 495.2 inhabitants per square mile (191.2/km²). There were 356 housing units at an average density of 231.0 per square mile (89.2/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 91.9%

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, 0.0% Native American, 0.0% Asian, 0.3%

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 ...

, 1.4% from other races and 6.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 6.0% of the population. Of the 327 households, 27.2% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% 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, 7.3% were cohabitating couples, 26.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 17.4% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 37.3% of all households were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 41.4 years. 26.6% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.3% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 23.7% were from 25 and 44; 23.3% were from 45 and 64; and 22.0% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 787 people, 338 households, and 214 families living in the city. The

was . There were 368 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.5%

, 0.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, and 1.7% 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 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

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% Asian, 1.66% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races.

or Latino 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

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 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 $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 ...

, 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 History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

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

* Randy George (b. 1964)

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

general, 41st Chief of Staff of the United States Army * Gordon Jones, actor * Bruce Rastetter, businessman and former president of the Iowa Board of Regents

References

External links

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