Gowrie, Iowa
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Gowrie is a city in
Webster County, Iowa Webster County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,999. The county seat is Fort Dodge. The county was established in January 1851, one of 43 counties established by a legislative package. This ...
, United States. The population was 952 at the time of the 2020 census.


History

A post office called Gowrie has been in operation since 1871. The city was named after
Gowrie Gowrie () is a region in central Scotland and one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It covered the eastern part of what became Perthshire. It was located to the immediate east of Atholl, and originally included the area aroun ...
, in Scotland. Gowrie began as a stop on the railroad. It grew in its early years as the Swedish settlers built a local economy which served area farmers. Today, the town has a swimming pool, golf course, athletic stadium, and curb-and-gutter throughout the town. Historically, its peak was 1970, and at that time the downtown area had the following businesses: (* designate companies still in business) Gowrie Municipal Swimming Pool*, Gowrie Gowrie Youth Center/Skating Rink*, Johnson RediMix, Johnson Sinclair Service, Bruntlett Elevator*, Johnson Lumber Company, Gowrie Dry Clean, Carr's Grocery, Gambles Hardware, Webster-Calhoun Co-op Telephone Co.*, Sunray DX, Palmer and Son's Funeral Home*, Dairy Sweet, Buskee Industries, Gowrie Car Wash, Ranniger's Appliance, Ranniger's Water Care, Imels Clothing, Wendells Appliances, Redman Barber Shop, Erb Law Offices, Dr. Rungee, DDS, Dr. Borgen, MD, Paladium Lanes Bowling Alley, First National Bank, Gowrie Cafe, Palmer Hardware, Hasty's Cafe, Smith's Meat Market, Gowrie Star Theater, Earl Braend Ford, The Canteen, Larson's Phillip 66, Standard Gas Station, VFW, Gowrie Library, Lee Benson Motors*, Pontiac, Jansa TV Repair, Laundromat, Skip's Tap, Lane Barber Shop, The White House Sundry, and The Gowrie News*. Other businesses in town included: Dixon Hatcheries, Hubbard Veterinary Clinic, Lizer Sale barn, Anderson Elevator, Gowrie Municipal Golf Course*, Swanson Florist and Garden Center*, and the COOP.


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 952 people, 412 households, and 251 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 661.6 inhabitants per square mile (255.4/km2). There were 472 housing units at an average density of 328.0 per square mile (126.7/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 91.6%
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, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% 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 6.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 5.9% of the population. Of the 412 households, 25.5% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% 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, 6.6% were cohabitating couples, 30.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 18.2% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 39.1% of all households were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 43.3 years. 24.7% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.3% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 21.5% were from 25 and 44; 25.5% were from 45 and 64; and 23.0% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.


2010 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 2010, there were 1,037 people, 442 households, and 281 families living 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 . There were 489 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.7%
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 ...
, 1.0%
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 ...
, 0.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian, and 1.1% 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 1.6% of the population. There were 442 households, of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% 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, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.4% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 45.2 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.9% were from 45 to 64; and 24.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.


2000 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 2000, there were 1,038 people, 429 households, and 277 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 468 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.36%
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 ...
, 0.19%
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 ...
, 0.29% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.29% from other races, and 0.48% 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 1.06% of the population. There were 429 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% 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, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.96. 24.5% are under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 26.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,136, and the median income for a family was $44,342. Males had a median income of $30,398 versus $20,278 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 $17,348. About 4.0% of families and 6.2% 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 8.0% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.


Education

It is in the Southeast Valley Community School District. Southeast Valley High School in Gowrie is that district's comprehensive high school. Previously, Gowrie was served by the Prairie Valley Community School District, which formed on July 1, 1993 with the merger of the Cedar Valley Community School District and the Prairie Community School District.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 February 23, 2019. In 2023 that district merged into the Southeast Valley district.


Arts and culture

Each year, the town hosts the Gowrie
Fourth of July Independence Day, known colloquially as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States which commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing th ...
Celebration, which draws thousands of people from around the state for the parade, fireworks, carnival, and bandshell performances. The parade is the longest running consecutive parade in
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 ...
, beginning in 1873 and continuing each year since. Several churches are located in the community, including both
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
and
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
churches. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, an open-arched structure, was built by hometown business, Johnson Lumber Company, owned by Axel and Carl Johnson, and was completed in March, 1931.


Notable people

*
Darrell Huff Darrell Huff (July 15, 1913 – June 27, 2001) was an American writer, and is best known as the author of '' How to Lie with Statistics'' (1954), the best-selling statistics book of the second half of the twentieth century. Career Huff was ...
, writer *
Everett Franklin Lindquist Everett Franklin Lindquist (June 4, 1901 – May 13, 1978) was a professor of education at the University of Iowa College of Education. He is best known as the creator of the ACT (test), ACT and other standardized tests. His contributions to the fi ...
, educator and creator of the ACT * Ronald H. Lingren, clinical psychologist and member of the
Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...
* Carl A. Youngdale, decorated Major general in the
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...


References


External links


Gowrie Iowa
Portal style website, Government, Business, Recreation and more

Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Gowrie {{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Webster County, Iowa