Fort Atkinson is a city in Winneshiek 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 312 at the time of the 2020 census. It is home to the historic Fort Atkinson State Preserve and hosts a large annual fur-trapper

rendezvous Rendezvous or rendez-vous may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Rendezvous'' (1923 film), a silent film adventure melodrama * ''Rendezvous'' (1930 film), a German musical directed by Carl Boese * ''Rendezvous ...

each September. Fort Atkinson holds the largest regional

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticate ...

auction every Wednesday.

History

Fort Atkinson was built to protect the

Ho-Chunk The Ho-Chunk, also known as Hocąk, Hoocągra, or Winnebago are a Siouan languages, Siouan-speaking Native Americans in the United States, Native American people whose historic territory includes parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois ...

(Winnebago) during their removal from

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. The name honors Henry Atkinson, the commanding officer in charge of the effort. Construction began in May 1840 and was complete by the summer of 1842. The

regular army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

turned the fort over to Iowa volunteers as the troops stationed there were needed for the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. After the Ho-Chunk were removed from Iowa the post was abandoned on February 14, 1849.

Geography

Fort Atkinson is located at (43.144034, −91.934839). 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 312 people, 154 households, and 95 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 982.4 inhabitants per square mile (379.3/km²). There were 171 housing units at an average density of 538.4 per square mile (207.9/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 96.5%

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 ...

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

, 0.6% from other races and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 2.6% of the population. Of the 154 households, 23.4% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% 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, 6.5% were cohabitating couples, 18.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 26.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 38.3% of all households were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 48.0 years. 19.2% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.5% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 22.8% were from 25 and 44; 27.9% were from 45 and 64; and 25.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.9% male and 47.1% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 349 people, 160 households, and 102 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 170 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.0%

, 1.7% from other races, 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 of any race were 3.2% of the population. There were 160 households, of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were

living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.3% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age in the city was 47.3 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.4% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 25.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 389 people, 165 households, and 102 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 169 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.49%

, 0.26% Native American and 0.26% Asian.

or Latino of any race were 0.26% of the population. There were 165 households, out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were

living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,205, and the median income for a family was $38,333. Males had a median income of $27,292 versus $17,813 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 $14,702. About 12.3% of families and 12.7% 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 9.6% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

City government

Fort Atkinson is governed by Mayor Paul Herold and a city council composed of Paul Schmitt, Lori Schroeder, Robert Glass, Dale Leuenberger, and Kay Schmitt.

Schools

Fort Atkinson is located in the Turkey Valley School District, a small K-12 school with about 575 students. The district's schools serve students from the small communities of Lawler, Waucoma, St. Lucas, Protivin, Fort Atkinson, and Jackson Junction. The schools themselves are located in Jackson Junction. There is also a private Catholic school in Protivin called Trinity Catholic School.

Notable people

* Judson Dean Howard (c. 1878 – 1961), speleologist known for helping establish

Lava Beds National Monument Lava Beds National Monument is located in northeastern California, in Siskiyou County, California, Siskiyou and Modoc County, California, Modoc counties. The monument lies on the northeastern flank of Medicine Lake Volcano, which is the largest ...

in California

References

{{Authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Winneshiek County, Iowa