Louisa County ( ) is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,837. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Wapello. Louisa County is part of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Louisa County was formed on December 7, 1836, as a part of Wisconsin Territory. Two theories have been offered for the origins of its name: one is that it was named after Louisa Massey, who was very well known in the area at the time because she avenged the murder of her brother when she shot the party responsible; the other is that it was named after Louisa County, Virginia. Louisa County became a part of Iowa Territory upon its formation on July 4, 1838. The first courthouse was a simple wood-framed building. In 1840, a second courthouse, measuring 40' x 20' (about 12 x 6 m), was constructed of stone. In 1854, a third structure was built. The courthouse used today was erected in 1928.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.8%) is water. Its eastern border is adjacent to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 61 * Iowa Highway 70 * Iowa Highway 78 * Iowa Highway 92

Adjacent counties

* Johnson County (northwest) * Muscatine County (north) * Rock Island County, Illinois (northeast) * Mercer County, Illinois (east) * Des Moines County (south) * Henry County (southwest) * Washington County (west)

National protected area

* Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge * Cone Marsh National Wildlife Area

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 10,837 in the county, with a population density of . There were 4,712 housing units, of which 4,180 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 11,387 in the county, with a population density of . There were 5,002 housing units, of which 4,346 were occupied.

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 12,183 people, 4,519 households, and 3,316 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 5,133 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.91%

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 ...

, 0.25%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.18% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 4.56% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. 12.62% of the population were

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. There were 4,519 households, out of which 35.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.30% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.60% were non-families. 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.11. In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.70% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $39,086, and the median income for a family was $43,972. Males had a median income of $31,293 versus $22,085 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 county was $17,644. About 7.00% of families and 9.30% 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 12.40% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Columbus City * Columbus Junction * Cotter * Fredonia * Grandview * Letts * Morning Sun * Oakville * Wapello

Unincorporated community

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

* Toolesboro

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Louisa County. † ''county seat''

Government

Townships

* Columbus City * Concord * Eliot * Elm Grove * Grandview * Jefferson * Marshall * Morning Sun * Oakland * Port Louisa * Union * Wapello

Politics

References

External links

Louisa County
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louisa County, Iowa 1836 establishments in Wisconsin Territory Populated places established in 1836 Muscatine, Iowa micropolitan area Iowa counties on the Mississippi River