Beacon is a city in

Mahaska County Mahaska County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,190. The county seat is Oskaloosa. Mahaska County comprises the Oskaloosa, IA Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Mahaska 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 445 at the 2020 census.

History

Coal miners in Beacon joined the

United Mine Workers The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American Labor history of the United States, labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing work ...

union in 1894, organizing local 178. By 1902, this had 100 members.Trade Unions in Iowa – Table No. 1, Mine Workers of America, United
Tenth Biennial Report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the State of Iowa, 1901-1902
Murphy, Des Moines, 1903; page 232. Evans, Iowa was a coal camp to the northwest founded by Evan Evans. This was home to mines that opened in 1879 and were combined and reorganized as the American mine in 1884, at which time, the daily output was 100 tons. By 1894, the mine face was from the foot of the

slope In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a Line (mathematics), line is a number that describes the direction (geometry), direction of the line on a plane (geometry), plane. Often denoted by the letter ''m'', slope is calculated as the ratio of t ...

, and the mine was producing 1000 tons of coal a day from a coal seam thick. This was one of the very few mines where the miners did not join the Bituminous coal miners' strike of 1894. In 1899

United Mine Workers of America The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing workers and public employees in the Unit ...

local 835 was organized, and in 1902, local 1932 was organized. Memberships in these two locals, combined, was 210 in 1901.

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 of it 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 445 people, 194 households, and 118 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 441.3 inhabitants per square mile (170.4/km²). There were 212 housing units at an average density of 210.2 per square mile (81.2/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 92.4%

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 ...

, 0.0% Black or African American, 0.0% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.0% from other races and 5.6% 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 1.3% of the population. Of the 194 households, 28.4% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% 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, 11.3% were cohabitating couples, 22.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 23.2% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 39.2% of all households were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 47.3 years. 24.0% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.7% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 18.0% were from 25 and 44; 32.1% were from 45 and 64; and 21.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.1% male and 49.9% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 494 people, 213 households, and 144 families living in the city. The

was . There were 237 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.0%

, 0.6%

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 ...

, 1.2% Native American, and 0.2% 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 2.0% of the population. There were 213 households, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were

living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.4% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8% 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 2.76. The median age in the city was 41 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26% were from 25 to 44; 29% were from 45 to 64; and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.8% male and 49.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 518 people, 208 households, and 153 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 217 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.53%

, 0.39%

, 0.58% Native American, and 2.51% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.39% of the population. There were 208 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were

living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.85. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,000, and the median income for a family was $35,469. Males had a median income of $31,500 versus $26,641 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 $16,972. About 5.5% of families and 8.8% 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 8.7% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The

Oskaloosa Community School District Oskaloosa Community School District is a public school district headquartered in Oskaloosa, Iowa. The district is completely within Mahasaka County, and serves the city of Oskaloosa and surrounding areas including the towns of Beacon, Keomah ...

operates local public schools.

References

External links

{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Mahaska County, Iowa