Columbus Junction is a city in Louisa 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 ...

. The population was 1,830 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area. Columbus Junction is home of the historic Swinging Bridge, found one block south of Highway 92 near downtown. The 262-foot-long steel cable and wood suspension bridge was built in 1922 as an elevated walkway connecting Third and Fourth streets. The Columbus Community School District (which serves Columbus Junction, Columbus City, Fredonia, Cotter, Conesville, and other surrounding townships) is based in Columbus Junction. The school's colors are blue and white and their mascot is a wildcat. The city's largest employer is a

Tyson Foods Tyson Foods, Inc. is an American multinational corporation based in Springdale, Arkansas that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second-largest processor and marketer of broiler industry, chicken, beef, and pork after JBS ...

meat processing plant located just north of the city on Highway 70.

History

Columbus Junction began as a settlement located at the intersection of two railroad lines. 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 ...

(also known as the Rock Island ine built an east–west line through the area in 1858, and the perpendicular north–south Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Minnesota Railroad (BCR&M) line was built in 1870. The first local business, a restaurant and boarding house imported via the Rock Island from

Muscatine, Iowa Muscatine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,797 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an increase from 22,697 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. It is loca ...

, opened the day after a BCR&M train made the inaugural stop and crossing of the newly completed intersection. Just a month later, on March 12, 1870, the town 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. Neighboring Columbus City had been established before the railroads arrived and both the Rock Island and BCR&M had built their lines over a mile's distance away. Because they had invested in the latter line, they were permitted to name the new town, and so it became Columbus Junction. The largest sustained period of growth for Columbus Junction was from 1960 to 2000, driven primarily by job creation in meat processing. From 1961 to 1982

Rath Packing Company The Rath Packing Company was a meatpacking company located in Waterloo, Iowa, between 1891 and 1985. Background George John Rath (variously referred to as George Rath and John George Rath) was born in 1821 in Breitenau, Württemberg province, Ge ...

operated a hog processing plant just north of the city. In 1985 the facility reopened under the ownership of IBP, and in 2001 was bought by

. Immigration has played a strong role in the history of Columbus Junction. The most recent wave of immigrants includes refugees from the

Chin State Chin State (, ) is a state in western Myanmar. Chin State is bordered by Sagaing Division and Magway Division to the east, Rakhine State to the south, the Chattogram Division of Bangladesh to the west, and the Indian states of Mizoram to th ...

Myanmar (Burma) Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. Many of them work in the meat processing plants. The Iowa Flood of 2008 impacted Columbus Junction along with many other towns and cities. The damage dealt by the inundation affected 29 businesses and non-profits, but the community has since been able to recover.

Geography

Columbus Junction is located between the cities of Columbus City and Fredonia. It lies at the confluence of two rivers, the

and the Cedar. 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.

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 1,830 people, 655 households, and 438 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 873.8 inhabitants per square mile (337.4/km²). There were 719 housing units at an average density of 343.3 per square mile (132.6/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 49.5%

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 ...

, 1.4% Black or African American, 1.3% Native American, 10.2% 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 ...

, 23.2% from other races and 14.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 45.4% of the population. Of the 655 households, 34.7% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% 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, 6.3% were cohabitating couples, 25.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 16.9% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 33.1% of all households were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 37.4 years. 28.0% of the residents were under the age of 20; 6.0% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 26.5% were from 25 and 44; 22.1% were from 45 and 64; and 17.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.5% male and 49.5% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 1,899 people, 687 households, and 468 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 760 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 74.2%

, 1.6%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 3.4% Asian, 17.4% from other races, and 3.0% 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 48.0% of the population. There were 687 households, of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were

living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.9% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.28. The median age in the city was 35.9 years. 27.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 13% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.8% male and 48.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,900 people, 691 households, and 487 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 748 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.32%

, 0.58%

, 0.05% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 12.37% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 39.00% of the population. There were 691 households, out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were

living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.24. 28.6% are under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,167, and the median income for a family was $42,188. Males had a median income of $27,841 versus $22,566 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 $16,314. About 9.7% of families and 11.2% 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 13.7% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Bill Orr, former First Gentleman of

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

(1987–1991), raised in Columbus Junction. * Karl Weber, television and radio actor who starred in Maverick, Perry Mason, Dr. Kildare and other shows

References

External links

City website
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Louisa County, Iowa Muscatine, Iowa micropolitan area Populated places established in 1870 1870 establishments in Iowa

History

Geography

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

2000 census

Notable people

See also

References

External links