Ottumwa ( ) is a
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
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
Wapello County, Iowa
Wapello County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 35,437. The county seat is Ottumwa, Iowa, Ottumwa. The county was formed on February 17 ...
, United States.
The population was 25,529 at the time of the
2020 U.S. Census.
Located in the state's southeastern section, the city is split into northern and southern halves by the
Des Moines River.
History
The city's name derives from the Native American
Meskwaki
The Meskwaki (sometimes spelled Mesquaki), also known by the European exonyms Fox Indians or the Fox, are a Native American people. They have been closely linked to the Sauk people of the same language family. In the Meskwaki language, th ...
language, translating to "tumbling waters" in reference to the Appanoose Rapids on the Des Moines River.
In May 1843, several investors formed the Appanoose Rapids Company and staked claim to 467 acres of land in the present site of Ottumwa. Their
colonization
475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence.
Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples f ...
involved claiming land supporting three
indigenous settlements. The first official cabin was built in May 1843 after the area was opened to settlement (an earlier cabin built in defiance of this date was destroyed by Army troops at that time). The original platt was titled Louis Ville.
In 1844 the city was named as the county seat.
[
The town was severely damaged during the flood of 1851.
In 1857, coal was being mined from the McCready bank, a site along Bear Creek four miles west of Ottumwa. In 1868, Brown and Godfrey opened a ]drift mine
Drift mining is either the mining of an ore deposit by Underground mining (hard rock), underground methods, or the working of coal seams accessed by adits driven into the surface outcrop of the coal bed. A drift mine is an underground mine in whic ...
four miles northwest of town. By 1872, Brown and Godfrey employed 300 men and had an annual production of 77,000 tons. In 1880, the Phillips Coal and Mining Company opened a mine two miles northwest of town. In subsequent years, they opened 5 more shafts in the Phillips and Rutledge neighborhoods, just north of Ottumwa. The Phillips number 5 shaft was deep, with a 375-HP steam hoist. By 1889, the state mine inspector's report listed 15 mine shafts in Ottumwa. In 1914, the Phillips Fuel Company produced over 100,000 tons of coal, ranking among the top 24 coal producers in the state. Coal mining was so important to the local economy that, from 1890 to 1892, the Coal Palace was erected in Ottumwa as an exhibition center
A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...
.
John Morrell & Company and their meat packing comples played a significant role in the development of Ottumwa from 1877 to 1973.
When the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad arrived in Ottumwa in September 1859, it ran parallel to the river channel. The availability of rail transportation encouraged both commercial and industrial expansion along the northwest to southeast axis. Access to the south bank of the river at first was by ferry from the foot of Green Street. By 1875 this ferry had been replaced by a bridge, and a number of additions had been made to the city during the first thirty years, all located on the north side of the Des Moines River. As development (almost exclusively residential) climbed the bluffs, the streets on top of the hills were laid out to compass points, rather than parallel to the river. Although there was some development on the south side of the river, South Ottumwa was not brought into the city limits until the 1880s.
Presidential visits
Visits by a sitting U.S. president include:
* Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...
in 1890; toured the Coal Palace and spoke to a crowd of over 40,000.
* Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
in 1903; made a brief train stop while travelling the United States.
* Harry Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
in 1950; while on a 16-state train trip in support of his Fair Deal.
* Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
in 1971; arrived in Air Force One
Air Force One is the official air traffic control-designated Aviation call signs, call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. The term is commonly used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modifie ...
at the Ottumwa Industrial Airport to dedicate the nearby Rathbun Lake dam and reservoir. Nixon had been stationed at the Ottumwa airport while serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
* Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
in 2010; spoke at Indian Hills Community College.
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 , of which is land and is water.
Northeastern Wapello County contains large deposits of coal, and there are also large deposits of clay in the region, which played an important role in the industrial development of Ottumwa.[
Ottumwa is the center of the Ottumwa Micropolitan Statistical Area which includes all of Wapello County.
]
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Ottumwa has a hot-summer humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.
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 25,529 people, 10,098 households, and 6,048 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 1,589.5 inhabitants per square mile (613.7/km2). There were 11,254 housing units at an average density of 700.7 per square mile (270.5/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 74.3% 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 ...
, 5.4% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 2.0% 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 ...
, 8.6% from other races and 6.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 15.7% of the population.
Of the 10,098 households, 30.8% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% 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, 8.5% were cohabitating couples, 30.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 21.4% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 40.1% of all households were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older.
The median age in the city was 36.7 years. 27.9% of the residents were under the age of 20; 6.3% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 26.0% were from 25 and 44; 22.9% were from 45 and 64; and 17.0% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census there were 25,023 people, 10,251 households, and 6,208 families in the city. The population density was . There were 11,257 housing units at an average density of . The racial 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 ...
, 4.06% 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, 1.6% 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 ...
, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% 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 ...
, 4.5% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races.
There were 10,251 households, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.4% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% 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 2.97.
The median age in the city was 37.4 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 25% were from 45 to 64; and 16% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 24,998 people, 10,383 households, and 6,530 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 11,038 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.33% 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 ...
, 1.27% 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 ...
, 0.33% Native American, 0.78% 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 ...
, 1.38% from other races, and 0.89% 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 2.76% of the population.
There were 10,383 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88.
Age spread: 22.9% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,174, and the median income for a family was $37,302. Males had a median income of $31,222 versus $20,934 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,040. About 10.9% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Top employers
According to Ottumwa's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city were:
The Quincy Place Mall is a Shopping mall in Ottumwa.
Arts and culture
Historic districts
* Historic Railroad District
* Fifth Street Bluff Historic District
* Ottumwa Cemetery
* Court Hill Historic District
* Vogel Place Historic District
* North Fellows Historic District
The North Fellows Historic District is a historic district located in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States. The city experienced a housing boom after World War II. This north side neighborhood of single-family brick homes built between 1945 and 1959 ...
Historic structures
* B'nai Jacob Synagogue
* Benson Block
* Benson Building 1930
* First National Bank Building 1915
* Foster/Bell House
* Hofmann Building
* Hotel Ottumwa
* J.W. Garner Building
* Jay Funeral Home
* Jefferson Street Viaduct
* Burlington Depot
* Ottumwa City Hall
* Ottumwa Public Library
* Ottumwa Young Women's Christian Association
* St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church
* Trinity Episcopal Church
* Wapello County Courthouse
Video games
Twin Galaxies
Twin Galaxies is a social media platform and video game database. Twin Galaxies is the official supplier of video game records to ''Guinness World Records''.
History
In mid-1981, Walter Day, founder of Twin Galaxies, Inc., visited more than 1 ...
, a social media platform, is located in Ottumwa. For this reason, Ottumwa's mayor proclaimed the city the "Video Game Capital of the World" in 1982. The city's proclamation was recognized by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley. The city hosted the first North American Video Olympics in 1982. In 2009, an International Video Game Hall of Fame was planned.
Education
Public School System
The city of Ottumwa and the surrounding rural areas of Wapello County are served by the Ottumwa Community School District.
Ottumwa is served by Ottumwa High School, Evans Junior High, and multiple neighborhood elementary schools including Douma and Liberty on the Southern side of the city, and James, Horace Mann, Wilson, Eisenhower, and Fahrney Elementary serving the Northern side.
Higher education
Ottumwa is the home of Indian Hills Community College, a two-year community college. Between 1928 and 1980, it was also home to Ottumwa Heights College, a women's college that merged with Indian Hills in 1979 to create one institution. Indian Hills is located at the former Ottumwa Heights campus. Buena Vista University has a regional campus located here.
Media
Paired with Kirksville, Missouri
Kirksville is the county seat of and most populous city in Adair County, Missouri, United States. Located in Benton Township, Adair County, Missouri, Benton Township, its population was 17,530 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Kirk ...
, Ottumwa is a media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television station, television and radio broadcasting, ra ...
region, ranked #201 by Nielsen. Television stations include Fox/NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
/ The CW+ affiliate KYOU-TV ( channel 15) and K18GU-D ( channel 12; translator
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...
of KIIN channel 12 in Iowa City
Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...
). Dual ABC/ CBS affiliate KTVO ( channel 3) is licensed to and has its main offices near Kirksville, but has a second studio and news bureau in Ottumwa.
The '' Ottumwa Courier'' is the primary daily newspaper.
"Ottumwa Radio" is the primary regional radio provider with multiple stations.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Ottumwa Regional Airport is a general aviation airport owned by the City of Ottumwa and is operated by the Airport Advisory Board.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
, the national passenger rail system, provides service to the Ottumwa Amtrak station, operating its ''California Zephyr
The ''California Zephyr'' is a Amtrak Long Distance, long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago, Illinois, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area (at Emeryville station, Emeryville), via Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha, Denver, Sa ...
'' daily in both directions between Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, and Emeryville, California, across the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...
from San Francisco.
Ottumwa Transit Authority operates bus services throughout the Ottumwa area. The fixed-route system includes five routes and a shopping shuttle. It also operates a para-transit service known as Ottumwa Transit Authority Lift and Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC), a dial-a-ride service geared towards employees.
The five routes that operate Monday through Friday are: #1 North, #2 East West, #3 South Residential, #4 South Commercial, and #7 Airport. There are also two routes that operate on Saturday only; no routes operate on Sunday.
10–15 Regional Transit Agency provides a regional dial-a-ride service throughout Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lucas, Mahaska, Monroe, Van Buren, Wapello and Wayne counties.
Currently, U.S. Route 34 and Iowa Highway 149
Iowa Highway 149 is a highway which runs from south to north in Iowa. It has a length of . Iowa 149 begins at U.S. Route 34 (Iowa), U.S. Highway 34 in Ottumwa, Iowa, Ottumwa and ends at Williamsburg, Iowa, Williamsburg at Interstate 80 in Iowa ...
serve the town, replacing a former segment of U.S. Highway 63. Route 63 now bypasses the town as part of the Burlington to Des Moines
Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...
expressway. The Jefferson Street Viaduct over the Des Moines River is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
Railroads
The BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...
has tracks through Ottumwa. This is a major corridor in the Chicago-Omaha line that is double track, and western coal makes up a large percentage of the freight carried on this line. The BNSF tracks travel under U.S. Highway 34, pass through the business district, under the U.S. Highway 63 bridge, cross the Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad tracks at grade, exit Ottumwa, and later cross over the Des Moines River on their way to Albia, Iowa, and later Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
.
The Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad was acquired by the Canadian Pacific in 2008. Ottumwa is located on the Davenport, Iowa, to Kansas City, Mo. line and is a crew change point.
The Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...
has trackage rights over the BNSF through Ottumwa.
Notable people
* Tom Arnold, actor
* Chris Ash, head football coach, Rutgers University
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
* Steve Bales, Apollo 11
Apollo 11 was a spaceflight conducted from July 16 to 24, 1969, by the United States and launched by NASA. It marked the first time that humans Moon landing, landed on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin l ...
flight controller
* Jason Black, former professional mixed martial artist
* Stephen Blumberg, notorious rare book thief
* Bud Clancy, Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
player
* Walter Day, video game statistician
* Edna Ferber
Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' So Big'' (1924), '' Show Boat'' (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), '' Cima ...
, novelist who lived in Ottumwa as a child
* Elnora M. Gilfoyle, occupational therapist and educator.
* Donald Keyhoe, Marine Corps major and aviator, UFO researcher and author
* Dan Knight, jazz pianist, Steinway artist, composer, Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
nominee
* Bob Lee (baseball), Major League Baseball pitcher
* Herschel Loveless (1911–1989), Mayor of Ottumwa 1949–53, 34th Governor of Iowa 1957–61
* Emma Louise Lowe, musician, educator, former First Lady of American Samoa and former First Lady of Guam. Born in Ottumwa.
* E. J. Mather, college football and basketball player and coach. Born in Ottumwa.
* Mariannette Miller-Meeks
Mariannette Jane Miller-Meeks (born September 6, 1955) is an American physician and politician who has served as a U.S. representative from Iowa since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, she represents the state's 1st congressional distric ...
, Iowa Congresswoman, U.S. House of Representatives. Long-time Ottumwa resident.
* Jack E. McCoy, Iowa state legislator
* Arthur A. McGiverin, the longest-serving Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court. Lived in Ottumwa for many years. Died in 2019 at the age of 90.
* R. W. Scott McLeod, U.S. Department of State official and Ambassador to Ireland; grew up in Ottumwa
* Karen Morley, actress and political activist; born as Mildred Linton, she was adopted and left Iowa for California with her family at age 13
* Carol Morris, Miss Iowa USA 1956, Miss USA 1956, Miss Universe 1956
Miss Universe 1956 was the fifth Miss Universe pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States on 20 July 1956.
At the end of the event, Hillevi Rombin of Sweden crowned Carol Morris of the United S ...
, actress
* Honoré Willsie Morrow, author, editor
* Harry Ostdiek, Major League Baseball player
* Beverley Owen, actress
* Overton Phillips, racing driver
* Mary Florence Potts, iron inventor
* Daniel F. Steck, U.S. senator (1926–1931)
* Hal Walker
Hal Walker (March 20, 1896 – July 3, 1972) was an American film director. He was known for doing some of the earliest Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis films such as ''At War with the Army'' and ''Sailor Beware (1952 film), Sailor Beware'' and some ...
(1896–1972), film director
* Jake Weimer (1873–1928), Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
player 1903–05
* Adam Young, musician
In popular culture
* Cpl. "Radar" O'Reilly – Company clerk from '' M*A*S*H'' book and television series was from Ottumwa, Iowa.
* The television movie '' The Woman Who Loved Elvis'' starring Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952), also known mononymously as Roseanne, is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom ''Roseanne'' (19 ...
(then the wife of Ottumwa native Tom Arnold) was partially filmed in Ottumwa.
* In the sitcom ''Roseanne
''Roseanne'' is an American television sitcom created by Matt Williams (producer), Matt Williams that originally aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997, and briefly revived from March 27, 2018, to May ...
'', Roseanne Conner's restaurant, the Lanford Lunch Box, was based on the Canteen Lunch in the Alley, in central downtown Ottumwa, which has been a stopping point for Ottumwans since the 1920s. Many famous patrons have been seen eating a "Canteen", a loose meat sandwich similar to a Maid-Rite.
* The U.S. Navy harbor tug was named for the city.
See also
*
References
External links
Ottumwa portal style website
��City government, Health, Transit, Airport and more
*
*
*
{{Authority control
1843 establishments in Iowa Territory
Cities in Iowa
Cities in Wapello County, Iowa
County seats in Iowa
Micropolitan areas of Iowa
Populated places established in 1843