West Point is a city in Lee 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 921 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the

Fort Madison Fort Madison is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, Lee County, Iowa, United States along with Keokuk, Iowa, Keokuk. Of Iowa's 99 counties, Lee County is the only one with two county seats. The population was 10,270 at the time of ...

– Keokuk, IA- MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

West Point was incorporated on March 25, 1858. The name of West Point was chosen by officers of the garrison at Fort Des Moines (Montrose).

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 921 people, 426 households, and 246 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 1,448.7 inhabitants per square mile (559.3/km²). There were 464 housing units at an average density of 729.9 per square mile (281.8/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 96.2%

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 ...

, 0.4% 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 ...

, 0.3% from other races and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 0.7% of the population. Of the 426 households, 21.4% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% 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, 5.6% were cohabitating couples, 25.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 20.2% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 42.3% of all households were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, 20.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 47.9 years. 20.5% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.2% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 21.4% were from 25 and 44; 24.4% were from 45 and 64; and 29.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 966 people, 432 households, and 267 families living in the city. The

was . There were 452 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.1%

, 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% Asian, and 0.5% 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 0.9% of the population. There were 432 households, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were

living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.2% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.71. The median age in the city was 44.2 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 22.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 980 people, 426 households, and 264 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 450 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.90%

, 0.10% from other races.

or Latino of any race were 0.51% of the population. There were 426 households, out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were

living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.8% 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 2.83. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $38,409, and the median income for a family was $50,724. Males had a median income of $36,797 versus $22,750 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 $27,289. About 4.6% of families and 4.4% 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 2.9% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Fort Madison Community School District Fort Madison Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in Fort Madison, Iowa.Home
Fort Madison Comm ...

serves the city; its high school is

Fort Madison High School The Fort Madison High School (FMHS) is located in Fort Madison, Iowa. As the only high school of the Fort Madison Community School District, it serves Fort Madison, Houghton, St. Paul, and West Point. It also serves the unincorporated area of ...

. The Roman Catholic Holy Trinity Catholic Schools maintains an elementary campus in West Point; the secondary school is in

, and there are early childhood campuses in Fort Madison and St. Paul. Previously the Marquette Catholic School System maintained its high school and administrative offices in West Point; in 2005 it merged into the Holy Trinity system.

Sweet Corn Festival

West Point is home to Iowa's Largest Sweet Corn Festival. The first festival was in August 1958. There are nearly 25,000 visitors during the four-day event and over 17 tons of sweet corn. The festival includes free sweet corn and stage entertainment, arts and crafts, bingo, 5K and 10K run, queen crowning,

tractor pull Truck and tractor pulling, also known as power pulling, is a form of a motorsport competition in which antique or modified tractors pull a heavy drag or sled along an , track, with the winner being the tractor that pulls the drag the farth ...

, city

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

, and teen dance.

Notable people

* Gene Fraise, Iowa farmer and state legislator * Imogene King, a pioneer in nursing theory and practice

References

External links

City-Data
Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about West Point
City of West Point, Iowa Website
{{authority control Cities in Lee County, Iowa Cities in Iowa Fort Madison–Keokuk, IA-IL-MO Micropolitan Statistical Area