Onawa is a city in, and 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 ...

of, Monona 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 2,906 at the time of the 2020 Census. It is the largest town on the Iowa side of the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

between

Council Bluffs Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

and Sioux City.

History

Onawa was named for a character mentioned in the poem '' The Song of Hiawatha'' by

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to comp ...

. Onawa was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1857, and the railway arrived to the city in 1867. The city is known for having the widest main street in the continental United States. Onawa was the site of a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp for captured German soldiers between 1944 and 1946. Historical documents indicate there were never more than 50 POWs in camp. A larger camp existed near the central Iowa town of Algona, and housed as many as 5,400 German POWs.

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. Onawa is located in the

Loess Hills The Loess Hills are a formation of wind-deposited loess soil in the westernmost parts of Iowa and Missouri, and the easternmost parts of Nebraska and Kansas, along the Missouri River. Geology The Loess (, , or ) Hills are generally located be ...

region of western Iowa, a unique geological and environmental area. Nearby are such natural areas as Lewis & Clark State Park, Preparation Canyon State Park, and the Loess Hills State Forest.

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 2,906 people, 1,290 households, and 704 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 551.6 inhabitants per square mile (213.0/km²). There were 1,436 housing units at an average density of 272.6 per square mile (105.2/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 90.2%

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, 3.5% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.4% from other races and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 1.9% of the population. Of the 1,290 households, 26.6% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% 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, 8.1% were cohabitating couples, 32.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 21.3% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 45.4% of all households were non-families. 39.8% of all households were made up of individuals, 24.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 42.0 years. 25.3% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.4% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 22.8% were from 25 and 44; 23.3% were from 45 and 64; and 23.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.

2010 census

As of the 2010 Census, there were 2,998 people, 1,345 households, and 756 families living in the city. The

was . There were 1,519 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.4% non-Hispanic

, 0.4% non-Hispanic Black or African American, 1.7% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.0% 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 1.2% of the population. There were 1,345 households, of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were

living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.8% were non-families. Thirty-eight point nine percent of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.9% 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 2.91. The median age in the city was 44.8 years. Twenty-three point two of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.8% were from 45 to 64; and 24% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,091 people, 1,329 households, and 796 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,452 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.86%

, 0.03%

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 ...

, 1.16% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.03%

, 0.03% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 1.07% of the population are

or Latino of any race. There were 1,329 households, out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were

living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.89. Population spread: 22.8% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 25.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,796, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $27,981 versus $20,292 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 $17,928. About 3.3% of families and 6.3% 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 4.9% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

West Monona Community School District operates public schools serving the community.

Culture

The Eskimo Pie was created in Onawa in 1920 by Chris Nelson, an ice cream shop owner.

Notable people

* E. Wight Bakke, educator; born and raised in Onawa * John Stevens Berry, attorney and author; born and raised in Onawa * Charles "Buster" Brown, Major League Baseball pitcher * Ken Carlson, politician; lives in Onawa * Kristine Jepson, opera singer * Neil E. McNeil, attorney and justice of Oklahoma Supreme Court, born in Onawa * Wayne M. Ropes, businessman and Iowa Secretary of State'Prominent Former County and State Officla ic?Dies At Des Moines Sunday,' The Onawa Democratic Weekly, July 22, 1948, pg. 1

References

External links

Onawa
Government, Chamber of Commence, and more

- comprehensive statistical data and more about Onawa {{authority control Cities in Monona County, Iowa Cities in Iowa County seats in Iowa