Story County, Iowa
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Story 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 ...
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 ...
of
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 98,537, making it the ninth-most populous county in Iowa. 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
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
; the largest city is Ames. The geographical center of Iowa lies in Story County, northeast of Ames. Story County comprises the Ames, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the
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 ...
- Ames- West Des Moines, IA Combined Statistical Area. The county 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 ...
in Ames.


History

The land that today is known as Story County was originally prairie with the exception of some groves along the larger streams in the area. In 1846 the boundaries of Story County were established. The county has an area of and is square in shape. The county was named after
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 ...
, a preeminent
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
Justice, in 1853. The first settlers to the area came from
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, then from the New England states of New York and
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. Later, many
Norwegians Norwegians () are an ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians are descended from the Norsemen, Norse of the Early ...
,
Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...
and
Danes Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. History Early history Denmark ...
came directly from overseas and inhabited the area. The first large population influx occurred during the 1850s. Story County was not mentioned in the Federal
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 ...
in 1850, but figures from the State of
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 ...
put the population at 214 in 1852. By 1860 the population had increased to 4,501. Three commissioners were appointed by the Iowa legislature to determine the county seat location. On June 27, 1853, they announced
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
as their choice. Nevada (pronounced ''Nuh-VAY-Dah'') was named after the
Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...
mountain range in California. Like many Midwestern towns, cities and counties, many prominent locations from the newly explored West and
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
of the late 1840s inspired the naming of towns and counties in Iowa during this period. Railroad construction did more to develop Story County than any other single factor. The first railroad came to the county in 1863 with the first station being built in Colo. Railroads were such a decisive factor in determining the location of towns that several communities in Story County moved to be closer to the rail line. Some flourishing little towns that were bypassed by the railroad soon disappeared. Although Nevada was long the population center of the county, Ames was the most widely known of the towns because of the busy railroad depot where travelers would transfer to their next train. Story County has had five courthouses. The first, a two-level frame building, was erected in 1856. Fire destroyed it in 1863, and it was replaced by a similar structure, which was replaced by a larger three-level building in 1877, situated on the town square. This building's tower served as a vantage point to view the countryside; it was eventually removed for safety reasons. The fourth courthouse was built in 1967 and placed in service on May 18, 1968. That building is still in use as offices for the Board of Supervisors, Auditor, Treasurer, Recorder, Assessor, Information Technology, Facilities Management, Health and Planning & Development Offices. A cannon from the Civil War rests on the lawn. The current courthouse, the Story County Justice Center, opened in 2002. The Justice Center, comprising the law enforcement and judicial aspects of Story County Government. The Justice Center houses the Sheriff's Office & Jail, Attorney, and Clerk of Court. Story County consists of 16 townships and 15 incorporated cities, and 4 unincorporated towns. The population of 79,981 in the 2000 census consisted of 71,114 in urban areas and 8867 in rural areas.


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.1%) is water. The geographical center of Iowa lies in Story County, northeast of Ames.


Adjacent counties

* Hamilton County (northwest) * Hardin County (northeast) * Marshall County (east) * Jasper County (southeast) * Polk County (south) * Boone County (west)


Transportation


Transit

* CyRide *
Jefferson Lines Jefferson Lines (JL or JLI) is a regional intercity bus company operating in 14 states in the Midwest and the West of the United States. History The company is operated by Jefferson Partners L.P., located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jefferson P ...


Major highways

* * * * * * * *


Airports

Story County is home to the Ames Municipal Airport, on the south side of Ames. The nearest large airport is the Des Moines International Airport, on the south side of Des Moines, some 30 miles from Story County.


Rail lines

Story County contains three rail lines, all controlled by the
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...
Company. The Overland Route runs east–west on its route from
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
to California, passing near Ames, Colo and Nevada in Story County. The Spine Line runs north–south on its route from
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
to
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
, passing near McCallsburg, Nevada and Cambridge. The third line in Story County begins at Ames and runs near Gilbert and Story City.


Demographics


2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 98,537 in the county, with a population density of . 93.90% of the population reported being of one race. There were 41,361 housing units, of which 38,273 were occupied.


2010 census

The following Story County statistics were gathered by the 2010 U.S. Census.''2010 Census''
/ref> Population Story County had a population of 89,542, a 12% increase from the 2000 Census. Of that number, 17.8% of those people are under the age of 18, and 10% are over the age of 65, 95.1% of those people (age 25+) are high school graduates, and 45.4% (age 25+) hold at least a bachelor's degree. Commuting time Story County workers age 16 and older spent an average of 16.6 minutes traveling to work between 2005 and 2009. Workforce data There were 45,010 individuals working in Story County and 81.5% of those people live in Story County. The remaining percentages break down as follows: 6.8% live in Boone County (directly west) 4.2% live in Polk County (directly south) 2.1% live in Hamilton County (directly north) 1.2% live in Hardin County (directly north) 1.1% live in Marshal County (directly east). There were 43,839 working individuals who lived in Story County and worked anywhere, and 83.7% of those people worked in Story County. Household data According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the median household income in 2009 was $48,165, with an average of 2.41 people per household between 2005 and 2009. The per capita income in the past 12 months (2009 dollars) between 2005 and 2009 was $24,202.


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 79,981 people, 29,383 households, and 17,042 families in the county. The population density was . There were 30,630 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.14%
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 ...
, 1.83%
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 ...
or
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 ...
, 0.16% Native American, 5.10% Asian, 0.03%
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 ...
, 0.60% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. 1.55% 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. Of the 29,383 households 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.60% were married couples living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.00% were non-families. 26.70% of households were one person and 7.60% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.94. Age spread: 19.10% under the age of 18, 28.30% from 18 to 24, 25.50% from 25 to 44, 17.30% from 45 to 64, and 9.80% 65 or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 104.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.40 males. The median household income was $40,442 and the median family income was $55,472. Males had a median income of $36,756 versus $26,941 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,949. About 5.50% of families and 14.10% 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 6.80% of those under age 18 and 4.30% of those age 65 or over.


Story County laborshed

Total potential labor force According to the Story County Laborshed Analysis, which was analyzed and compiled by the Iowa Workforce Development in August 2011, Story County has a total potential labor force of 424,702 people, which breaks down as follows: * Employed – 75.3% * Unemployed – 8.37% * Homemakers – 7.8% * Retired – 8.2% Likelihood to accept / change employment The estimated number of individuals who are very likely or somewhat likely to change or accept employment is 106,383, or 25%. * Employed – 87.6% * Unemployed – 3% * Homemakers – 5.2% * Retired – 4.2% Unemployment Of those unemployed and willing to enter / re-enter employment: * Average age – 45 * Male – 50% * Female – 50% * Have Education Beyond High School – 67.5% Wages The estimated wage range to attract the upper 66-75% of qualified hourly wage applicants is $10 to $10.44 per hour, with a median of the lowest wage at $10 per hour. Commute Those unemployed and willing to enter / re-enter employment are willing to commute an average of 24 miles one way for the right opportunity.


Law enforcement

Primary law enforcement for the county rests with the Story County Sheriff's Office. The department provides law enforcement services for the contract towns and unincorporated areas of Story County, as well as providing for courthouse security, operating the county jail, and performing civil procedures. Paul H. Fitzgerald has served as Sheriff since 1993. Other law enforcement agencies in the county include: * Ames Police Department * Iowa State University Police Division * Nevada Police Department * Huxley Police Department * Story City Police Department


Communities


Cities

* Ames *
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
* Collins * Colo * Gilbert * Huxley * Kelley *
Maxwell Maxwell may refer to: People * Maxwell (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** James Clerk Maxwell, mathematician and physicist * Justice Maxwell (disambiguation) * Maxwell baronets, in the Baronetage of N ...
* McCallsburg *
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
*
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 ...
* Sheldahl * Slater * Story City * Zearing


Unincorporated communities

* Fernald * Iowa Center * Shipley


Townships

* Collins * Franklin * Grant *
Howard Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...
* Indian Creek * Lafayette * Lincoln * Milford *
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
* New Albany *
Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
* Richland * Sherman * Union * Warren * Washington


Population ranking

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


Politics

Prior to 1988, Story County was primarily Republican in presidential elections, only failing to back the Republican Party candidate three times between 1896 and 1984. Since 1988, Story County has voted reliably Democratic, mirroring the trend in counties dominated by college towns.
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
's 2016 election performance in the county was over 3 points worse than
Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
in 2012, despite Trump outperforming Romney statewide by nearly 5 percent and winning Iowa's electoral votes.


Education

School districts in the county include:
Text list
/ref> * Ames Community School District * Ballard Community School District * Collins-Maxwell Community School District * Colo-Nesco Community School District * Gilbert Community School District * Nevada Community School District * North Polk Community School District * Roland-Story Community School District * United Community School District * West Marshall Community School District


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Story County, Iowa


References


External links


Story County government's website

Ames Historical Society
Includes reference materials, early maps and many historical images
ISU Extension - Story County

Story County Foundation
{{Coord, 42, 02, 16, N, 93, 27, 59, W, region:US-IA_type:adm2nd_source:dewiki, display=title 1846 establishments in Iowa Territory Populated places established in 1846