Centerville, Iowa
Encyclopedia : C : CE : CEN : Centerville, Iowa
Centerville is a city in Appanoose County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,924 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Appanoose County[Geographic references#6GR6]. Centerville once boasted a rich history of coal mining that attracted many European immigrants, especially Italian-Americans and Croatian Americans to the area.
Centerville is the birthplace and childhood home of Metropolitan Opera baritone Simon Estes.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.8 km² (4.6 mi²). 11.7 km² (4.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.88%) is water.
History
Founded in 1846 by Jonathon Stratton under name Chaldea, the town was planned around a unique two-block long city square. The name was later changed to Centerville.The town experienced its peak population in the early 1900s as the popularity of coal peaked. After that point, as coal usage dwindled, the coal industry that had been the town's life blood collapsed. In the 1950s and 1960s a civic movement to promote new industries began. This effort culminated in the building of Iowa's largest recreational lake, Rathbun Lake, in 1971. Today the town is supported by many industrial plants, mostly in the area of plastic products. In June of 2006, the largest employer in town, a Rubbermaid plant, announced that it would shut down in September 2006. Approximately 500 workers are to be displaced by this move. The Appanoose County Railraod was formed out of discarded pieces of the Wabash and Rock Island lines to maintain a rail link to the outside world.
From the 1990s to present day, the town has focused on quality-of-life issues, in an attempt to attract and keep young families in the area. A new emphasis on the arts, culture and local history has emerged, culminating in the Townscape project to beautify the town square area, which has hundreds of parking spaces between the shops' sidewalks and the courthouse lawn--in effect, six-lane wide streeting around the courthouse provides four lanes of public parking. It is the largest town square in Iowa.
Today the city conducts an annual Pancake Day, in which local businesses cook up pancakes which they provide their customers for free to show thanks for their continued patronage.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 5,924 people, 2,583 households, and 1,516 families residing in the city. The population density was 506.0/km² (1,310.5/mi²). There were 2,935 housing units at an average density of 250.7/km² (649.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.35% White, 0.81% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.44% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.52% of the population.There were 2,583 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.3% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.88.
Population spread: 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,498, and the median income for a family was $36,855. Males had a median income of $28,333 versus $21,207 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,574. About 11.3% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
External links
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