Brighton is a city in Washington 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. It's part of the

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, fifth-most populous c ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 600 at the 2020 census.

History

Brighton was laid out in 1840. During the 1840s and 1850 quickly developed into one of the largest centres of hog production west of the Mississippi. In 1851, David Powers discovered the fossil remains of a

Mastodon A mastodon, from Ancient Greek μαστός (''mastós''), meaning "breast", and ὀδούς (''odoús'') "tooth", is a member of the genus ''Mammut'' (German for 'mammoth'), which was endemic to North America and lived from the late Miocene to ...

. The fossil was three and a half feet long, fourteen inches wide at the larger end, and weighed eighty-three pounds. In 1854 Brighton was sorely afflicted by the Cholera. In 1882, the

Iowa Central Railway Iowa ( ) is a state in the upper 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, Illinois to the east and southeast, Misso ...

and the narrow-gauge

Burlington and Western Railway The Burlington and Northwestern Railway (B&NW) was a narrow gauge railroad system in Iowa that operated during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It connected Burlington, Iowa with branches to Washington and Oskaloosa, Iowa. In ...

battled for right-of-way as they built west from Coppock toward Brighton. At several points, crews for the rival railroads tore up tracks the other had put down. The line through Brighton was originally platted as a street, 3 blocks south of the business district. The B&W reached Brighton in mid 1882 and claimed the entire street as its right-of way. After vandalism, arrests and court battles, the two lines built parallel tracks down the street (with the B&W claiming the center line) to their crossing west of town. This has been described as the Brighton Railroad War. Both lines crossed the

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The original Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At ...

on the east side of town. The Burlington and Western was later widened and taken over by the

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, CB&Q, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado ...

and the Iowa Central was taken over by the Minneapolis and St. Louis. There were three

railroad depot A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing such an ...

s in town. The Burlington and Western (after 1902, the

) depot was on the east side of town, at the south end of Liberty St. The Iowa Central (after 1901, the Minneapolis and St. Louis) depot was on the west side, between Mechanic St. and Harrison St. The Rock Island depot was several blocks south, also between Mechanic and Harrison. The Rock Island had a stockyard west of its depot, while the Burlington and Western stockyard was east of its depot. FI0013510

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. Brighton is located where Iowa State Road 78 and Iowa State Road 1 meet and is located near the

Skunk River Skunk River may refer to: * Skunk River (Iowa), river in Iowa * Skunk River (Platte River), river in Minnesota {{dis ...

and near Lake Darling State Park.

Climate

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 600 people, 257 households, and 161 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 767.0 inhabitants per square mile (296.2/km²). There were 279 housing units at an average density of 356.7 per square mile (137.7/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 94.2%

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, 0.7% Native American, 0.5% 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 3.8% 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 3.0% of the population. Of the 257 households, 29.6% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% 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, 8.2% were cohabitating couples, 23.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 24.1% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 37.4% of all households were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 27.3% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.3% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 and 44; 26.8% were from 45 and 64; and 16.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.3% male and 48.7% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 652 people, 269 households, and 178 families living in the city. The

was . There were 295 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.8%

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2%

, and 0.5% 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 2.8% of the population. There were 269 households, of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were

living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.8% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age in the city was 39.5 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.2% were from 25 to 44; 27.3% were from 45 to 64; and 16.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.9% male and 49.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 687 people, 285 households, and 190 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 302 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.27%

, 0.44%

and 0.29%

or Latino of any race were 0.29% of the population. There were 285 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were

living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,139, and the median income for a family was $35,781. Males had a median income of $27,450 versus $20,938 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 $15,140. About 8.9% of families and 14.1% 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 12.3% of those under age 18 and 21.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Washington Community School District operates local area schools, including Washington High School.

Notable residents

* Francis W. Cushman,

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

* William Ward Johnson,

from

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

* Mila Tupper Maynard, Unitarian minister *

Ellen Smith Tupper Ellen Smith Tupper (April 9, 1822 – March 12, 1888) was an American writer, expert beekeeper and the first female editor of an entomological journal. Early life Ellen Smith was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the daughter of Noah Smith and ...

, American apiarist and first female editor of an entomological journal

References

External links

Lake Darling State Park
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Washington County, Iowa Iowa City metropolitan area 1840 establishments in Iowa Territory