Walcott ( /ˈwɔlkɔt/ ''WAWL-cawt'', �wɔlkət is a city in Muscatine and Scott counties in the U.S. 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 ...

. The population was 1,551 at the time of the 2020 census. Walcott's interchange on Interstate 80 is home to an enormous complex of restaurants, motels and truck stops, including the Iowa 80 truck stop, which is the world's largest. Most of Walcott is part of the Davenport– Moline– Rock Island, IA- IL Metropolitan Statistical Area, but the Muscatine County portion of the city is considered part of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Walcott was incorporated on July 10, 1894. The City of Walcott was originally platted in 1854. The first passenger train route west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

began service in 1855 and helped Walcott grow. William Walcott, who was a director of Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, donated $500 in 1855 for the construction of a school building, with the stipulation that the fledgling town along the railroad tracks near Davenport be named after him. Long before Walcott was even a vision to William Walcott, it was a great expanse of open prairie inhabited by the Kaskaskia people. The Kaskaskias were later driven out of the

Quad Cities The Quad Cities is a region of five cities (originally Tri-Cities, later four, see #History, History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport, Iowa, Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, Bettendorf (the fifth to be included) in southeaster ...

area by the renegade Meskwaki tribe. This tribe, a splinter of the Canadian

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

, was America's largest Indian nation. In 1857, much of the Walcott land was sold for as low as 75 cents an acre, enabling many German and Scotch-Irish immigrants to settle in the area. Many of the Scotch-Irish worked for the railroad builders and settled on the farmland south and west of the town. While they contributed much to the early development of Walcott, circa 1871 they began to move farther west. Most of the German settlers were from

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

in northern Germany, and some came from eastern and southern Germany. By 1910, nearly 90 percent of the farmland in Scott County was owned by German immigrants or their descendants. A petition for incorporation was signed and presented to Judge C.M. Waterman of the District Court at Davenport on June 5, 1894. At that time, the total population was 354. The election was held on July 7, 1894, and of the 81 votes cast, 54 were in favor of the incorporation. The result of the election was approved and filed by the District Court on July 14, 1894. Long before most small towns thought of supplying their citizens with water, Walcott had plans for an efficient and adequate water system. Walcott was the first rural Scott County community to build a water system and water tower. The installation was completed in 1897, and provided the citizens of Walcott with inexpensive water service, good drinking water, and improved fire protection. In 1914, the first sewage disposal system was built. Lagoons for the sanitation system were installed in the late 1960s and three cells were added to the lagoon system in 1975. As early as 1897, the people of Walcott banded together to provide an organized way of fighting the terror and destructiveness of fire. In those early days, the department consisted of a small number of volunteer firemen and two hand-pulled hose carts. In 1931, the town built a fire station and city hall. Today, that same building houses the Fire Department and City Hall. The Walcott Savings Bank was organized in 1894 with a capital stock of $30,000. On April 1, 1904, the Farmers Savings Bank began business with at capital stock of $25,000. In 1911, Walcott was declared the richest town in the US in consideration of the bank deposits for its population of 300, according to Dunn & Co. in the Bankers' Journal of New York. During the depression year of 1931, the two banks were consolidated and Walcott Trust and Savings Bank was formed. The original town was expanded in 1962 to include Highway 6. Additional ground was annexed in 1973 to include the Interstate 80 interchange area and the French and Hecht Building, which currently houses FirstCo Inc. In the early 1990s, quadrants adjacent to and near the Interstate 80 interchanged were also annexed in. The annexation of the area near Interstate 80 has increased the area's valuation significantly. Many businesses, including the world's largest truck stop, Iowa 80 Truck Stop, are located within the city limits. In 1997, Walcott joined in a sister city partnership with Bredenbek, Germany.

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.

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 1,551 people, 664 households, and 417 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 498.5 inhabitants per square mile (192.5/km²). There were 711 housing units at an average density of 228.5 per square mile (88.2/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 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 ...

, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% 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 ...

, 1.0% from other races and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 2.8% of the population. Of the 664 households, 30.1% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% 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, 6.6% were cohabitating couples, 26.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 19.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 37.2% of all households were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 43.2 years. 25.2% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.2% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 and 44; 26.2% were from 45 and 64; and 21.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 1,629 people, 694 households, and 456 families living in the city. The

was . There were 806 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.5%

, 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, 0.3% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.2% 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 2.5% of the population. There were 694 households, of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were

living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the city was 40.3 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 15.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,528 people, 623 households, and 437 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 644 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.38%

, 0.33%

, 0.07% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.92% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.11% of the population. There were 623 households, out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were

living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.94. 26.0% are under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $45,281, and the median income for a family was $52,625. Males had a median income of $40,296 versus $22,067 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 $20,018. About 4.0% of families and 7.0% 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 7.1% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Davenport Community School District serves almost all of Walcott. Zoned schools include Walcott Elementary School, Walcott Intermediate School, and Davenport West High School.
West High School detail map
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Town twinning

* Bredenbek in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

References

External links

City-Data.comCity of Walcott, Iowa Website
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Muscatine County, Iowa Cities in Scott County, Iowa Cities in the Quad Cities Muscatine, Iowa micropolitan area 1894 establishments in Iowa