Sac City 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
Sac 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,
located just southwest of the eastern intersection of
U.S. Routes 20 and
71 in the rolling hills along the valley of the
North Raccoon River. The city is one of 45 designated Main Street Iowa communities through the Main Street Iowa development program. The population was 2,063 in the
2020 census, a decline from the population of 2,368 in
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
.
History
Sac City was first platted in 1855 by Joshua Keith Powell of
Fort Dodge, Iowa
Fort Dodge is a city in and the county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. F ...
. The town was so named because the
Sac and
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 ...
peoples were in possession of the land at the time of the
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...
. The City of Sac City was incorporated 19 years later, in 1874.
Judge Eugene Criss, credited with being the father of Sac City, left
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
and crossed 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 ...
in the early months of 1855 by
covered wagon
A covered wagon, also called a prairie wagon, whitetop, or prairie schooner, is a horse-drawn or ox-drawn wagon used for passengers or freight hauling. It has a canvas, tarpaulin, or waterproof sheet which is stretched over removable wooden ...
. He was in search of waterpower and had the desire to establish a settlement in a new and untried country. Deciding upon the
North Raccoon River to begin his settlement, Judge Criss proceeded to erect the first
log cabin
A log cabin is a small log house, especially a minimally finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first-generation home building by settl ...
in Sac City, establish himself in the
hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
business, as well as keep a stage station and
general store
A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...
for nearby settlers.
As early as 1859, there was talk of building a
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
through Sac County, but the first railroad did not come through Sac City until 1879. The railroad companies refused to lay tracks through undeveloped or mildly developed areas, and Sac City did not meet the requirements. The railroad companies demanded communities be far enough advanced to provide a quick return to capital before they would construct a steam and iron highway through the area. When it came, the railroad benefited Sac City incredibly. The
Chicago and North Western Transportation Company
The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...
connected Sac City, Wall Lake, Auburn, Odebolt, Lake View, Early, and Schaller as well as the cities where crops were sold.
The first Sac County Fair was held in 1871 on of ground east of Sac City that had been purchased by the Sac County Agricultural Society the same year. The fair was one of the biggest events of the year and brought people in wagons and buggies from miles around to see the harness races, livestock exhibits, produce, needlework, and art goods.
The Sac City
Chautauqua
Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...
Association was organized in December 1904 with 120 members. The Association brought many fine programs to the community, and because transportation was still slow and laborious, many families stayed in tents on the grounds for the entire Chautauqua session, about eight or nine days. At first the meetings were held in a tent, but by 1908, the citizens of Sac City built a Chautauqua Building in which to hold their meetings, and which is now the only one left of its kind in the state of Iowa.
Modern-day
In May 2017 lifelong Sac City resident and businessman John Criss donated
US$
The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
5.7 million of his
estate to the city for
beautification projects.
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.
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).
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 2,063 people, 953 households, and 524 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 421.3 inhabitants per square mile (162.7/km
2). There were 1,130 housing units at an average density of 230.8 per square mile (89.1/km
2). 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 95.4%
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 ...
, 0.5%
Black or African American, 0.0%
Native American, 0.1%
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 ...
, 1.1% from other races and 2.9% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 2.8% of the population.
Of the 953 households, 21.6% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% 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, 7.5% were cohabitating couples, 31.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 19.2% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 45.0% of all households were non-families. 38.7% of all households were made up of individuals, 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older.
The median age in the city was 46.6 years. 21.5% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.7% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 21.8% were from 25 and 44; 24.7% were from 45 and 64; and 26.2% 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
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 2,220 people, 1,018 households, and 590 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 1,165 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.3%
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 ...
, 0.1%
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 ...
, 0.2%
Asian, and 1.3% 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 0.2% of the population.
There were 1,018 households, of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% 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, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.0% were non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.75.
The median age in the city was 48.8 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18% were from 25 to 44; 28.8% were from 45 to 64; and 26.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.2% male and 53.8% female.
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 2,368 people, 1,082 households, and 642 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,209 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.61%
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 ...
, 0.34%
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 ...
, 0.04%
Native American, 0.08%
Asian, 0.34% from
other races, and 0.59% 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 0.93% of the population.
There were 1,082 households, out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% 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, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.70.
19.1% are under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 29.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,300, and the median income for a family was $39,139. Males had a median income of $25,409 versus $19,137 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 $17,229. About 7.9% of families and 13.6% 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 23.4% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Library
The Sac City Public Library contains over 20,000 volumes, magazines, films, educational, videos, and computers available to the public.
Landmarks
*
Sac County Courthouse - 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 ...
*
Sac City Monument Square Historic District - Features a monument to the soldiers of the
Union Army
*World’s largest popcorn ball - Adjacent to the Sac City Museum
Pop culture
;Popcorn ball
Sac City was home to a previous world's largest popcorn ball, which weighed 3,100 pounds and was housed in its own building. A new popcorn ball was created in 2009, weighing 5,060 pounds. On June 18, 2016, volunteers assembled another possible record breaking ball weighing in at 9,370 pounds, now displayed in a new pavilion as a roadside attraction.
Infrastructure
Transportation
;Airport
The Sac City Municipal Airport (
ICAO
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...
: KSKI) is located approximately south of the central business district. Access to the airport is provided by U.S. Route 20, U.S. Route 71 and County Roads D42 and M54. The Airport is located on owned by the City of Sac City. The established elevation is above sea level (MSL).
The Sac City Municipal Airport is a Class III Airport with a concrete main runway (18/36) 4,100 feet and wide with a crosswind runway of by The secondary runway (14/32) surface is blacktop.
Health care
Loring Hospital in Sac City, Iowa, is a 25-bed
Critical Access Hospital serving Sac County and neighboring counties. Loring Hospital opened in September 1950. The hospital began a US$10 million construction and renovation project to address changing health care needs, and prepare for future growth.
Education
The city is served by the
East Sac County Community School District.
[East Sac County]
" 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 18, 2018. It was a part of the
Sac Community School District until July 1, 2011, when it merged into East Sac County.
[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
*
Earl Dew, jockey
*
George B. Perkins, businessman and Iowa politician
*
Doug Shull, former
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 ...
State legislator
*
Scott Stanzel, former
White House Deputy Press Secretary
*
Samuel A. Stouffer, social scientist
*
Eric Swalwell, member of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
*
Paul Zahniser, baseball player
See also
*
U.S. Route 20 in Iowa
*
U.S. Route 71 in Iowa
Notes
References
External links
City websiteEast Sac County Schools websiteComprehensive Statistical Data and more about Sac City
{{authority control
Cities in Sac County, Iowa
Cities in Iowa
County seats in Iowa