Hedrick is a city in Keokuk 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 728 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

In 1882, the

Burlington and Western Railway The Burlington and Northwestern Railway (B&NW) was a narrow gauge railroad system in Iowa that operated during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It connected Burlington, Iowa with branches to Washington and Oskaloosa, Iowa. In ...

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

line, and its competitor, the

Iowa Central Railway Iowa ( ) is a state in the upper 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, Illinois to the east and southeast, Misso ...

, built competing east–west lines through the area. These crossed the Rock Island tracks here, so it was a natural location for a station and town.David Lotz and Charles Franzen, 'Rails to a County Seat', The Print Shop, Washington Iowa, 1989; pages 37, 47-52. Hedrick was incorporated on April 23, 1883. It was named for General Hedrick. The Burlington and Western was widened to

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...

in 1902 and merged into the

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, CB&Q, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado ...

a year later. The Minneapolis and St. Louis took over the Iowa Central around the same time, and the Burlington line was abandoned in 1934. By 1991 several businesses in the community's main street closed, and the economy had declined. The school serving the town closed that year. In 2023, the city was struck by an EF-4 rated

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

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 of it 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 728 people, 303 households, and 196 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 467.3 inhabitants per square mile (180.4/km²). There were 335 housing units at an average density of 215.0 per square mile (83.0/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 96.2%

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 ...

, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.1% 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 ...

, 0.0% from other races and 3.3% 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 2.5% of the population. Of the 303 households, 26.1% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% 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, 9.2% were cohabitating couples, 23.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 20.5% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 35.3% of all households were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 39.8 years. 26.4% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.5% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 and 44; 26.4% were from 45 and 64; and 17.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.8% male and 49.2% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 764 people, 310 households, and 211 families living in the city. The

was . There were 356 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.3%

, 1.2%

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 ...

, and 0.5% 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 1.4% of the population. There were 310 households, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were

living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.9% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age in the city was 37.7 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 10% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 832 people, 335 households, and 233 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 371 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.92%

, 0.12% Native American, 0.12% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.84% of the population. There were 335 households, out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were

living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% 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 3.04. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,714, and the median income for a family was $37,917. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $20,476 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 $14,166. About 9.0% of families and 13.5% 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 16.4% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Few businesses are open in the old historic business district; most businesses open to the public are located along Highway 149.

Arts and culture

Hedrick is notable for its well-preserved brick Main Street and its depot, formerly serving the

Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway The Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway (M&StL) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I railroad that built and operated lines radiating south and west from Minneapolis, Minnesota for 90 years from 1870 to 1960. The railway never reached ...

(east-west) and 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 ...

(north-south).

Notable person

Neal Edward Smith Neal Edward Smith (March 23, 1920 – November 2, 2021) was an American politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives for the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party from Iowa from 1959 until 1995, the long ...

, Former U.S. Representative

Education

Hedrick is in the

Pekin Community School District Pekin Community School District is a rural state school, public school district headquartered in Pekin, Iowa, Pekin, an unincorporated area in Jefferson County, Iowa, near Packwood, Iowa, Packwood. It serves the following incorporated communi ...

, which operates schools in Pekin. The former

Hedrick Community School District The Hedrick Community School District was a school district serving Hedrick, Iowa. The town had a school for around 100 years. The school experienced a population decline as Hedrick's economy faltered; in its final year it had about 200 student ...

was involuntarily dissolved by the State of Iowa on July 1, 1991,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 January 14, 2019. due to not meeting state requirements to be a certified school in that state. It was the first school district in Iowa to be closed involuntarily by the state government. Students in Hedrick itself were rezoned to Pekin schools.

References

External links

Hedrick, Iowa

{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Keokuk County, Iowa 1883 establishments in Iowa