Spirit Lake is a city in Dickinson 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 5,439 at the 2020 census. It is 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 Dickinson County. The town is located along the western shore of East Okoboji Lake, in the Iowa Great Lakes region.

History

The Dakota Sioux originated the name of "Spirit Lake" referring to it as "The Lake of The Spirit." In 1856, three brothers-in-law created the town of Spirit Lake after a visit to the Lakes area piqued their interest. The three brothers-in-law, O.C. Howe, B.F. Parmenter, and R.U. Wheelock, were soon joined by various other settlers, making homes along the lakes' shores. These settlers however, did not get along peacefully with the natives, and on March 13, 1857 Chief Inkpaduta of the Sioux led a revolt against the non-native settlers, killing all but four women. File:Courthouse in Spirit Lake, Iowa (1902).jpg, Courthouse, 1902 File:Stevens Block in Spirit Lake, Iowa (1902).jpg, Stevens Block, 1902 File:FI0002907.jpg, Main Street, 1936 File:FI0005595.jpg, Main Street, 1920

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

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 5,439 people, 2,380 households, and 1,410 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 1,214.6 inhabitants per square mile (469.0/km²). There were 2,806 housing units at an average density of 626.6 per square mile (241.9/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 94.2%

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 ...

, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% 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 ...

, 0.8% from other races and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 2.6% of the population. Of the 2,380 households, 25.4% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 6.6% were cohabitating couples, 26.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 19.7% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 40.8% of all households were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 42.5 years. 23.4% of the residents were under the age of 20; 5.4% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 and 44; 24.3% were from 45 and 64; and 23.0% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 4,840 people, 2,157 households, and 1,268 families living in the city. The

was . There were 2,578 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.7%

, 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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1%

, 0.1% from other races, and 1.1% 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 1.3% of the population. There were 2,157 households, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.2% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 41.9 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 19.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,261 people, 1,792 households, and 1,130 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,024 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.99%

, 0.14%

, 0.12% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population. There were 1,792 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.92. Age spread: 24.6% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,224, and the median income for a family was $44,652. Males had a median income of $30,746 versus $21,357 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 $18,661. About 5.3% of families and 6.6% 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 2.9% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education in the city of Spirit Lake is provided by the Spirit Lake Community School District.

Media

Spirit Lake is served by the Dickinson County News, both in print and online, KUOO-FM (103.9) and KUQQ-FM.

Notable people

* Berkley Bedell (1921–2019), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 6th district (1975–1987) * Margaret Hance (1923–1990), first female mayor of

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

(1976–1983) * Douglas Franklin Wright (1940–1996), serial killer

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Dickinson County, Iowa Micropolitan areas of Iowa County seats in Iowa

History

Geography

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

2000 census

Education

Media

Notable people

See also

References

External links