Thor is a town in Norway Township, Humboldt 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 181 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

The town of Thor is a farming community which was originally built up chiefly by Scandinavian immigrants. Settlement of the township started in 1869 with the filing of a claim by Ole Willicksen, who was a native of

Stavanger, Norway Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...

. In 1881, the town of Thor was laid out by the Western Town Lot Company. Thor was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1882. It was named after the mythical deity

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

in Old Norse mythology. Thor was formerly serviced by Iowa Highway 302, which was decommissioned in 1980.

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 , 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 181 people, 67 households, and 48 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 181.8 inhabitants per square mile (70.2/km²). There were 77 housing units at an average density of 77.4 per square mile (29.9/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 92.8%

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, 0.0% Native American, 0.0% 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 5.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 5.0% of the population. Of the 67 households, 47.8% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% 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, 11.9% were cohabitating couples, 20.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 23.9% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 28.4% of all households were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals, 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 31.8 years. 34.3% of the residents were under the age of 20; 7.2% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 26.5% were from 25 and 44; 18.8% were from 45 and 64; and 13.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.6% male and 46.4% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 186 people, 73 households, and 49 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 80 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.2%

, 1.1% Asian, and 2.7% 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 3.2% of the population. There were 73 households, of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were

living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.12. The median age in the city was 32.7 years. 25.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 32.9% were from 25 to 44; 17.8% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.2% male and 47.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 174 people, 82 households, and 45 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 88 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 100.00%

. There were 82 households, out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were

living together, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.1% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.76. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,000, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $23,000 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 $18,410. About 9.5% of families and 10.3% 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 16.0% of those under the age of eighteen and 24.1% of those 65 or over.

Education

The Eagle Grove Community School District serves children from PreK to 12th grade. The district covers area of

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a ...

, Humboldt, and Webster counties, and serves the communities of Eagle Grove, Thor,

Vincent Vincent (Latin: ''Vincentius'') is a masculine given name originating from the Roman name ''Vincentius'', which itself comes from the Latin verb ''vincere'', meaning "to conquer." People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003) ...

, Woolstock, and the surrounding rural areas.

References

{{authority control Cities in Humboldt County, Iowa Cities in Iowa