Early is a city in Sac 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 587 at the 2020 census.

History

Early was incorporated on May 22, 1883, and is named after D.C. Early, a local settler.

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

Early's "claim to fame" is that it is the Crossroads of the Nation, because U.S. Highway 71 and U.S. Route 20 intersect there.

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 587 people, 247 households, and 157 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 1,508.0 inhabitants per square mile (582.3/km²). There were 275 housing units at an average density of 706.5 per square mile (272.8/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 89.4%

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 ...

, 1.9% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.0% 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 ...

, 1.9% from other races and 6.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 4.4% of the population. Of the 247 households, 27.1% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% 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, 8.9% were cohabitating couples, 24.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 18.2% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 36.4% of all households were non-families. 29.6% 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 36.9 years. 25.9% of the residents were under the age of 20; 7.7% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 22.7% were from 25 and 44; 28.3% were from 45 and 64; and 15.5% 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 557 people, 246 households, and 146 families living in the city. The

was . There were 287 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.2%

, 1.4%

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, 0.5%

, 3.1% from other races, and 1.4% 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 4.5% of the population. There were 246 households, of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were

living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.7% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in the city was 40.9 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24% were from 25 to 44; 27.7% were from 45 to 64; and 16.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 605 people, 258 households, and 166 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 293 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.03%

, 0.66%

, 0.17% Native American, 2.31% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 4.13% of the population. There were 258 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were

living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.97. 27.8% were under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,972, and the median income for a family was $40,521. Males had a median income of $27,778 versus $18,929 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 $14,317. About 8.1% of families and 12.1% 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 12.0% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Early is a part of the Schaller-Crestland Community School District. The district formed on July 1, 1993, by the merger of the Schaller Community School District and the Crestland Community School District. Schaller-Crestland's nickname is the Wildcats, and their school colors are black, white, and gold.REORGANIZATION & DISSOLUTION ACTIONS SINCE 1965-66
"

Iowa Department of Education The Iowa Department of Education sets the standards for all public institutions of education in Iowa and accredits private as well as public schools. It is headquartered in Des Moines. Organization As of 2020, the Iowa Department of Education c ...

. Retrieved on November 3, 2018. Prior to consolidation with Nemaha, the Early Community School District had been known as the Cardinals, and their school colors were red and black. In 1958, the Early Community School and the Nemaha Community School merged to become the Crestland Community School District. The new district adopted the Cadets as their nickname, and their school colors were black and white. Nemaha had been known as the Bluejays; their school colors were blue and white. In 2010, Schaller-Crestland began whole grade sharing with Galva-Holstein School district. The elementary schools stayed separated, with students going to Schaller, Galva and Holstein respectively. Grades 6-8 were moved from Galva and Schaller respectively to the Early high school. Grades 9-12 were moved to Holstein's High School. Their Mascot is now the Raptors and their School Colors are Black, Gold and Orange.

Song

The city is the topic of the song "Early", by folk musician Greg Brown. It appears on his album ''44 & 66'', released in 1980.

Murder of Dustin Wehde

In August 2011, Tracey Ann Richter was charged with first-degree murder and was convicted by a jury in November 2011. On June 1, 2012,

Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' (also known simply as ''Dateline'') is a weekly American television news magazine reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on ...

aired a two-hour episode titled "Twisted", about the 2001 shooting death of Early resident Dustin Wehde. Tracey Richter, a neighbor of Wehde's, was convicted of first-degree murder on November 7, 2011, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole ase No. FECR011900 Richter appealed her conviction. On January 9, 2013, the Iowa Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of Tracey Ann Richter.

References

External links

City of Early, Iowa Website
Portal style website, Government, Business, Library, Recreation and more

Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Early {{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Sac County, Iowa