Story City, Iowa
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Story City is a city in
Story County, Iowa Story County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 98,537, making it the ninth-most populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Nevada, Iowa, Nevada; ...
. It is located within the
Ames, Iowa Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines in central Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University (ISU). According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Ames ha ...
Metropolitan Statistical Area which envelops the entirety of Story County and combined with the
Boone, Iowa Boone ( ) is a city in Des Moines Township, Boone County, Iowa, Des Moines Township, and county seat of Boone County, Iowa, United States. It is the principal city of the Boone, Iowa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Boone ...
Micropolitan Statistical Area makes up the larger Ames-Boone, Iowa Combined Statistical Area. The population was 3,352 in the 2020 census, a slight increase from 3,228 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

Story City was known as Fairview throughout much of its early history. The named changed in 1881 when the town established a post office and discovered that the Fairview name was already in use for another town. Story City was renamed after Supreme Court Justice
Joseph Story Joseph Story (September18, 1779September10, 1845) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1812 to 1845. He is most remembered for his opinions in ''Martin ...
. The boundaries of "Old Fairview" are outlined by signs during
Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
n Days, and is approximately in the northeast corner of current Story City with the southern boundary being Broad Street. Story City was laid out including Fairview in 1878, and officially incorporated in 1881. The railroad arrived in 1878 and connected the city to Ames by the narrow-gauge Des Moines & Minnesota and to Des Moines via the
Chicago and North Western Railroad The Chicago and North Western was a Railroad classes#Class I, 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 t ...
in Ames. The city has deep historic and cultural ties to the
Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
n countries of
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, and mostly
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. A large contingent of the city's current population is descended from a major immigration of people from Nordic countries in the 1840s through 1860s. It is evident in the large number of
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
churches in the community with ministers historically delivering sermons in different languages (Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian) respective of the makeup of their congregations.


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 which is all land.


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 3,352 people, 1,484 households, and 882 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 1,219.1 inhabitants per square mile (470.7/km2). There were 1,611 housing units at an average density of 585.9 per square mile (226.2/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 93.0%
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 ...
, 0.8% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% 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 ...
, 1.3% from other races and 3.9% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...
persons of any race comprised 3.3% of the population. Of the 1,484 households, 26.1% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% 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, 4.9% were cohabitating couples, 27.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 19.5% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 40.6% of all households were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals, 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 45.7 years. 22.6% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.3% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 22.0% were from 25 and 44; 25.4% were from 45 and 64; and 25.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% 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 3,431 people, 1,472 households, and 895 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 1,586 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.2%
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 ...
, 0.3%
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, 1.3% from other races, and 0.7% 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 3.1% of the population. There were 1,472 households, of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% 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, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.2% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the city was 44.4 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 23% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.5% male and 53.5% 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 3,228 people, 1,321 households, and 816 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,377 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.76%
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 ...
, 0.28%
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 ...
, 0.19% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.28% 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 0.43% of the population. There were 1,321 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% 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, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.97. 23.5% are under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.8% are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.5 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $41,275, and the median income for a family was $51,493. Males had a median income of $33,500 versus $21,161 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 $20,345. About 3.9% of families and 6.4% 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 3.7% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.


About Story City

Story City is located in central Iowa on
Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...
, 45 minutes north of
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 ...
and 10 minutes north of
Ames AMES, short Air Ministry Experimental Station, was the name given to the British Air Ministry's radar development team at Bawdsey Manor (afterwards RAF Bawdsey) in the immediate pre-World War II era. The team was forced to move on three occasion ...
which is home to
Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...
. Industrial parks, shopping malls, and several restaurants are located on the interstate, with a historic downtown located less than two miles west of I-35. Bethany Life Communities, American Packaging, Eby, and Innovative Lighting are major employers in Story City. The Story Theatre/Grand Opera House is the oldest continuously operating theater in the Midwest and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to showing movies, the theater features productions by Story City's Judge Story's Theatrical Troupe during Scandinavian Days in the summer and the annual Yulefest Celebration in the winter. Story City is home to a 1913 Herschell-Spillman antique carousel. It is open at noon daily from
Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It i ...
to
Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...
. The Story City Park is situated along the banks of the
Skunk River Skunk River may refer to: * Skunk River (Iowa), river in Iowa * Skunk River (Platte River), river in Minnesota {{dis ...
, one of Iowa's recreational water trails. It is the starting point for the Skunk River Canoe Trail. City Park is home to a historic swinging bridge, constructed in 1936 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's
Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...
program; it was damaged by ice in March 2019. The Skunk River Greenbelt Trail system begins just south of Story City, immediately off Interstate 35 on County Road E-18. Story City has a nine-hole River Bend Golf Course featuring 2,980 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 37. The course rating is 34.3 and it has a slope rating of 117 on bluegrass. Designed by Charles Calhoun, the River Bend golf course opened in 1971. Story City is located at the western boundary of the Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area.


Arts and culture

Story City features an annual Scandinavian Days celebration. The event began in 1965, occurs in the first week of June, and features live music with a
beer garden A beer garden (German: ''Biergarten'') is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees. Beer gardens originated in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital city, in the 19th century, and remain co ...
, rides, and games. Participants find themselves in an immersion of Nordic culture in the form of food and arts. An annual storytelling festival, STORY! Celebrating the Art of Storytelling, is also held each September. ''Area churches include the following'': Immanuel Lutheran Church ( LCMC), St. Petri Lutheran Church ( ELCA), Harvest Evangelical Free Church, Grace United Methodist Church, Church of Christ, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, St. Peter and Paul's Catholic Church (Located 7 miles southwest of Story City). Riverside Bible Camp is located 2 miles north of Story City. The Nordic traditions of the community are evident in some of ethnic foods of the area. Popular and frequently served food items around Story City include: *
Kumla Kumla is a locality and the seat of Kumla Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with a population of 21,640 as of 2018. Geography Kumla is situated roughly 15 kilometres south of neighbouring city Örebro, and is connected to its much larger nei ...
, potato dumpling made from finely cut potatoes mixed with flour, and typically served with boiled ham, ham broth, and plenty of butter. *
Lutefisk ''Lutefisk'' ( Norwegian, in Northern and parts of Central Norway, in Southern Norway; ; ; literally " lye fish") is dried whitefish, usually cod, but sometimes ling or burbot, cured in lye. It is made from aged stockfish (air-dri ...
*
Kringle Kringle (, ) is a Northern European pastry, a variety of pretzel. Pretzels were introduced by Roman Catholic monks in the 13th century in Denmark, and from there they spread throughout Scandinavia and evolved into several kinds of sweet, salty o ...
*
Lefse Lefse () is a traditional soft Norwegian flatbread. It is made with riced potatoes, can include flour, all purpose (wheat) flour, and includes butter, and milk, cream, or lard. It is cooked on a large, flat griddle. Special tools are used to pr ...
*
Krumkake (; meaning 'curved cake'; : ) is a Norwegian cookie made of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and cream. A special decorative two-sided iron griddle similar to a waffle iron is traditionally used to bake the thin round cakes, similar to Italian p ...
* Rosettes


Education

The Roland–Story Community School District operates public schools. The district was established on July 1, 1969, with the merger of the
Roland Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...
and
Story City Story City is a city in Story County, Iowa. It is located within the Ames, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area which envelops the entirety of Story County and combined with the Boone, Iowa Micropolitan Statistical Area makes up the larger Ames- ...
school districts. Story City is the home of the Roland–Story Senior High School. Roland–Story High School's athletic teams are known as
Norsemen The Norsemen (or Northmen) were a cultural group in the Early Middle Ages, originating among speakers of Old Norse in Scandinavia. During the late eighth century, Scandinavians embarked on a Viking expansion, large-scale expansion in all direc ...
and participate in Heart of Iowa conference and
Iowa High School Athletic Association The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) is the regulating body for male Iowa high school interscholastic athletics and is a full member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. Its female counterpart, the Iowa Gir ...
level 2A sports.


Media

Print media
Story City Herald
- weekly newspaper Digital media
The Rocket
- digital media and streaming audio Radio: KHOI KHJJ


Notable people

* Rich Olive, former Iowa State Senator *
Lars Pearson Lars Pearson (born 1973, in Iowa) is an American writer, high school teacher, editor, and journalist. He is the owner/publisher of Mad Norwegian Press, a publishing company specializing in reference guides to television shows including ''Buffy t ...
, publisher / editor-in-chief,
Mad Norwegian Press Mad Norwegian Press is an American publisher of science-fiction guides and novels. The company has worked with authors such as Harlan Ellison, Peter David, Diana Gabaldon, Tanya Huff, Emma Bull, Elizabeth Bear, Mary Robinette Kowal, Seanan McGui ...
(2011 Hugo Award winner) * Marlene Perez, author *
Hank Severeid Henry Levai Severeid (June 1, 1891 – December 17, 1968) was an American professional baseball player and scout. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1911 to 1926, most notably as a member of the St. Louis Browns where, he was kn ...
(1891–1968)
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 ...
catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...
* Chris Taylor (1950–1979) bronze medal winner for
freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...
in the
1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...
*The band
Radio Moscow Radio Moscow (), also known as Radio Moscow World Service, was the official international broadcasting station of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics until 1993, when it was reorganized into Voice of Russia, which was subsequently reorga ...
was formed in the city.


Popular culture

Bill Willingham William Willingham (born 1956) is an American writer and artist of comics, known for his work on the series '' Elementals'' and ''Fables''. Career William Willingham was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. During his father's military career the fam ...
's 2012 graphic novel Fable: Werewolves of the Heartland is set entirely in Story City.


References


External links


City government websiteMuseums of Story City
* {{authority control Cities in Story County, Iowa Cities in Iowa Populated places established in 1881 1881 establishments in Iowa