Fertile is a city in Worth 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 305 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The community was first called Rhodes Mill after William Rhodes, who settled there in 1856 and built a house. A land speculator created a fictional town nearby and named it Fontanelle, though the locals called it Putsey. Fertile was established in 1877, and named for the quality of the soil in the valley it was located in. Fertile was incorporated in 1908. Rhodes Mill is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

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

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 305 people, 133 households, and 93 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 324.2 inhabitants per square mile (125.2/km²). There were 154 housing units at an average density of 163.7 per square mile (63.2/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 92.8%

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 ...

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

, 0.3% 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 4.3% of the population. Of the 133 households, 24.8% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% 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, 10.5% were cohabitating couples, 18.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 15.8% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 30.1% of all households were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 44.2 years. 22.6% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.9% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 23.3% were from 25 and 44; 25.9% were from 45 and 64; and 23.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.1% male and 48.9% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 370 people, 148 households, and 111 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 161 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.8%

, 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 ...

, 1.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, and 0.3% 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 people of any race were 4.9% of the population. There were 148 households, of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.2% were

living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.0% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 41 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 27.8% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.9% male and 48.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 360 people, 149 households, and 102 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 161 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.83%

, 0.56%

, 0.28% Native American, 3.06% from other races, and 0.28% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 2.50% of the population. There were 149 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.4% were

living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% 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 2.94. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,558, and the median income for a family was $36,500. Males had a median income of $26,583 versus $20,179 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 $14,464. About 4.5% of families and 9.3% 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 17.5% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Residents are part of the

Forest City Community School District Forest City Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in Forest City, Iowa. The district is located in sections of Hancock, Winnebago, Worth and Cerro Gordo counties. It serves Forest City, Crystal Lake, F ...

.Forest City
."

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 July 22, 2018.

Notable people

Leo Elthon, the 32nd

Governor of Iowa A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

, was born in Fertile.

References

External links

Fertile website

Fertile Public Library
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Worth County, Iowa Mason City, Iowa micropolitan area Populated places established in 1877 1877 establishments in Iowa