Sac 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 In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 9,814. 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 Sac City. Both were named for the

Sauk people The Sauk or Sac (Sauk language, Sauk: ''Thâkîwaki'') are Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans and Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their historical territory was near Green Bay, Wisconsin. Today they have t ...

, a local Native American tribe. In February 2007, in its third annual list of the “Best Places to Live in Rural America”, '' Progressive Farmer'' magazine placed Sac County as #7 in the overall rankings. In 2009, the magazine ranked Sac County as the tenth "Best Place" in the Midwest Region.

History

On January 13, 1846, the legislative body of the Iowa Territory authorized creation of twelve counties, with general descriptions of their boundaries. This brought the number of counties in the Iowa Territory to 22. By the end of 1846, the territory had been accepted into the Union as the State of Iowa (December 28, 1846). By 1851, the new state had grown to the extent that the original 22 counties needed to be divided into smaller, more accessible units. Accordingly, on January 15, 1851, the

Iowa General Assembly The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Repre ...

enacted an omnibus bill which created 43 new counties by reducing the previous counties. Sac County was named after the

, at that time called the Sac Indians. It took some time for the new organization to fully function. Sac City was designated the county seat in 1856, and construction of the first county courthouse was complete in 1862. By 1873 the burgeoning population had outgrown that structure and a larger (85 x 56 feet brick) building was authorized to replace it. The new courthouse, complete with impressive bell tower, was placed in service in January 1874, and was used until 1888 when it burned. To replace that structure, the present courthouse was built. It was enlarged and remodeled in the 1980s.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.6%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 20 – runs east–west through the northern part of the county, through Early and north of Sac City. * US 71

U.S. Highway 71 – from its intersection with US 20 (east of Sac City), runs south, turns 4 miles east to Auburn, then continues south into Carroll County. * Elongated circle 39

Iowa Highway 39 – from its intersection with Iowa 175 at Odebolt, runs south into Crawford County. * Elongated circle 110

Iowa Highway 110 – from its intersection with US 20, runs north into Buena Vista County. * Elongated circle 175

Iowa Highway 175 – enters west side of county at Odebolt, runs east to intersection with US 71, east of Lake View.

Adjacent counties

* Buena Vista County – north * Calhoun County – east * Carroll County – south and southeast * Cherokee County – northwest * Crawford County – south and southwest * Ida County – west * Pocahontas County - northeast

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 9,814 in the county, with a population density of . 97.09% of the population reported being of one race. 90.86% were non-Hispanic White, 0.47% were Black, 3.61% were Hispanic, 0.11% were Native American, 0.32% were Asian, 0.09% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 4.54% were some other race or more than one race. There were 5,118 housing units, of which 4,273 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 10,350 in the county, with a population density of . There were 5,429 housing units, of which 4,482 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 11,529 people, 4,746 households, and 3,198 families residing in the county. 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 5,460 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.53%

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 ...

, 0.26%

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 ...

, 0.09% Native American, 0.14% 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 ...

, 0.40% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. 0.96% 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 4,746 households, out of which 28.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% 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, 6.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.60% were non-families. 29.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.92. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.10% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 23.50% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 22.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,874, and the median income for a family was $40,504. Males had a median income of $26,183 versus $19,753 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 $16,902. About 6.80% of families and 9.90% 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 14.00% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Holstein Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...

. Residents outside the three Sac County-based districts are within either the South Central Calhoun School District in areas around Lytton. A small part of northwestern Sac County is within the Galva–Holstein Community School District, which shares Ridge View High School with Schaller-Crestland SD. Former school districts include: * Odebolt-Arthur Community School District * Rockwell City-Lytton Community School District * Southern Cal Community School District * Wall Lake View Auburn Community School District

Geocaching

Sac County is a rich area for

geocaching Geocaching (, ) is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called ''geocaches'' or ''caches'', at sp ...

. The county was "put on the map" when geocachers hid a series of caches a mile wide and 8 miles high to spell "SAC" along rural roads between Sac City and Lytton in August 2011.

Communities

Cities

* Auburn * Early * Lake View * Lytton * Nemaha * Odebolt * Sac City (county seat) * Schaller * Wall Lake

Unincorporated community

* Carnarvon''Viola Township, Sac County IA'' Google Maps (accessed August 20, 2018)
/ref>

Townships

* Boyer Valley * Cedar * Clinton *

Cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (profession), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * C ...

* Coon Valley *

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

* Douglas * Eden * Eureka * Jackson * Levey * Richland * Sac *

Viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

* Wall Lake * Wheeler

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Sac County. † ''county seat''

Politics

The Democrats have only carried Sac County a total of 5 times since 1912: 1932 and 1936 by

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

, 1948 by

Harry S. 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 ...

, 1964 by

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

, and 1988 by

Michael Dukakis Michael Stanley Dukakis ( ; born November 3, 1933) is an American politician and lawyer who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history and only the s ...

. Most of these in Democratic landslides, with 1988 being the notable big exception as Dukakis overperformed here, as he had almost everywhere else in Iowa, due to the farm crisis of the 1980s.

References

External links

Sac County government's website
{{Coord, 42, 22, 52, N, 95, 06, 46, W, region:US-IA_type:adm2nd_source:dewiki, display=title Iowa placenames of Native American origin 1851 establishments in Iowa Populated places established in 1851