Rockwell City is a city 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 ...

Calhoun County, Iowa Calhoun County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,927. Its county seat is Rockwell City. History Calhoun County was formed on January 15, 1851, from open land originally named ''Fox Co ...

, United States. The population was 2,240 in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

."Calhoun County, IA."

National Association of Counties The National Association of Counties (NACo) is an organization that represents County (United States), county governments in the United States.

. ''www.naco.org.'' Retrieved June 10, 2014.

History

Rockwell City 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 1876. It is named for its founders, John M. Rockwell, and his wife Charlotte M. Rockwell.

Demographics

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 1,709 people, 773 households, and 471 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 . There were 916 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.4%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.8% 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 0.4% of the population."2010 Population Finder: Rockwell City, Iowa." (listed under 'Rockwell City city')

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 ...

. ''www.census.gov.'' Retrieved June 10, 2014. There were 773 households, of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% 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, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.1% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.77. The median age in the city was 47.6 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.5% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 25.4% 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

of 2000, there were 2,264 people, 818 households, and 503 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 951 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.99%

, 3.09%

, 0.53% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 0.80% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.68% of the population. There were 818 households, out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were

living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.79. 18.0% are under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 125.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 132.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,071, and the median income for a family was $42,625. Males had a median income of $28,519 versus $22,929 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 $17,671. About 6.1% of families and 9.5% 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 9.0% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

According to the

, the city has a total area of , all land."Rockwell City, IA."
''www.usa.com.'' Retrieved June 10, 2014.

Climate

Humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is relatively well distributed year-round in many areas with this climate. 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 ...

subtype for this climate is " Dfa" (Hot Summer Continental Climate).

Education

Rockwell City is within the South Central Calhoun Community School District. It was a part of the Rockwell City Community School District until July 1, 1993, when it merged into the Rockwell City–Lytton Community School District. That in turn merged into South Central Calhoun on July 1, 2014.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 July 20, 2018.

Notable people

* Charles G. Boyd, 4-Star General of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

was born in rural Rockwell City. * Hubert Stanley Wall, mathematician, was born in Rockwell City.

Life Magazine feature

In 1958, Rockwell City resident Barry Wichmann was recognized for his IQ of 162Wilson, John Rowan. Life Science Library: The Mind.

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Time Inc. Time Inc. (also referred to as Time & Life, Inc. later on, after their two onetime flagship magazine publications) was an American worldwide mass media corporation founded on November 28, 1922, by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden and based in New ...

128-129. 1964.Sochurek, Howard, and Stan Wayman
"Crisis in Education: Schoolboys Point Up A U.S. Weakness."

Life Magazine ''Life'' (stylized as ''LIFE'') is an American magazine launched in 1883 as a weekly publication. In 1972, it transitioned to publishing "special" issues before running as a monthly from 1978 to 2000. Since then, ''Life'' has irregularly publi ...

44.12. 24 March 1958: 25-35. ''Google Books.'' Retrieved June 10, 2014.Villet, Grey
"Crisis in Education: Part III. The Waste of Fine Minds."

44.14. 7 Apr. 1958: 89-97. ''Google Books.'' Retrieved June 10, 2014. Wichmann's school lacked the resources to fully meet his needs, and his high intelligence led to frequent bouts of loneliness. He also suffered from

dyscalculia Dyscalculia () is a learning disability resulting in difficulty learning or comprehending arithmetic, such as difficulty in understanding numbers, numeracy, learning how to manipulate numbers, performing mathematical calculations, and learning f ...

, a learning disability similar to

dyslexia Dyslexia (), previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, wri ...

. He eventually moved to

Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the northwesternmost Administrative divisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, Virginia, Frederi ...

, where he finished high school and went on to obtain a PhD in

clinical psychology Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well ...

from

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public university, public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the ...

. Bracey, Gerald W.br>"The First Time 'Everything Changed.'"
''The 17th Bracey Report on the Condition of Public Education.'' ''www.aasa.org'', October, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2014.

Arts and culture

Annual events

Since 2009, Rockwell City has hosted the annual "Sweet Corn Daze" festival, which typically takes place on the first weekend in August and includes a parade, various events, and vendors. Rockwell City also hosts the annual Calhoun County Expo, Calhoun County's county fair. Rockwell City was selected as the location for the county fair in a county-wide election in 1980. Prior to that time, Calhoun County had two county fairs, one in Rockwell City and one in neighboring Manson. A 1979 state law, however, required counties to select a single county fair to be the "Official State Fair" which necessitated the vote and consolidation of county fairs in Calhoun County (among other Iowa counties).

Landmarks

''Calhoun County Courthouse.'' The courthouse was constructed in 1914, with an architectural style of Neoclassical Revival and outer walls of limestone, with a red clay tile roof. ''Calhoun County Historical Museum.'' Formerly the building of the Rockwell City High School, this building has been home to the Calhoun County Historical Museum since 1986. The museum traces its origins back to 1902 and seeks to preserve documents and artifacts related to the history and people of Calhoun County. As of January 2023, the museum is open on Sundays from 1-3pm from June to September or by appointment. '' Rockwell City Bridge.'' One of two rainbow bridges in Calhoun County (the other being in Lake City), this bridge was built in 1915 and put into disuse with the realignment of U.S. Highway 20 in 1981. The bridge was added to 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 ...

in 1998. In 2020, the bridge and some adjacent land was turned into a local park.

Pop culture

On the December 18, 2003, episode of

Jeopardy! ''Jeopardy!'' is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead g ...

, the $500 answer in the category "U.S. City Nicknames" was "Rockwell City in this state calls itself the 'Golden buckle on the

Corn Belt The Corn Belt is a region of the Midwestern United States and part of the Southern United States that, since the 1850s, has dominated corn production in the United States. In North America, ''corn'' is the common word for maize. More genera ...

.' ""JEOPARDY! Game - December 18, 2003."
''www.jeoparchive.com.'' Retrieved March 27, 2019.‌

References

External links

Chamber of Commerce

Graphic-Advocate Newspaper

Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Rockwell City {{authority control Cities in Calhoun County, Iowa Cities in Iowa County seats in Iowa