Appanoose County, Iowa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Appanoose County
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Appanoose County Courthouse
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Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
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 Iowa's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Iowa |
| Founded | 1843 |
| Named for | Chief Appanoose |
| Seat | Centerville |
| Largest city | Centerville |
| Area | |
| • Total | 516 sq mi (1,340 km2) |
| • Land | 497 sq mi (1,290 km2) |
| • Water | 19 sq mi (50 km2) 3.7% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 12,317 |
| • Density | 23.870/sq mi (9.216/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
Appanoose County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,317. Its county seat is Centerville.
Contents
History
Appanoose County was formed on February 17, 1843, from open territory. It was named for the Meskwaki Chief Appanoose, who did not engage in war against Black Hawk, advocating peace. The present county seat was formerly called Chaldea, and was later renamed to Senterville in honor of Congressman William Tandy Senter of Tennessee. In April 1848, the courthouse, constructed at the expense of $160, was put into use and served as such until 1857. The second courthouse was opened in 1864, and was burned down to the first floor during an explosive Fourth of July fireworks demonstration. The third courthouse was dedicated on May 21, 1903, and remains in use.
In the summer of 1832 a company of cavalry set out from Davenport on a reconnaissance which extended as far west as Fort Leavenworth. They passed through what would become Appanoose County in a nearly southwest direction, passing near the present city of Moulton, camping overnight at a spring southwest of Cincinnati, and leaving the area and crossing into Missouri near the southwest corner of Pleasant Township. Early settlers in search of claims found two trails. The route taken by the cavalrymen and another with a general north–south direction, passing through Washington Township, and known as the bee trace and used in the summer by honey collectors. A post office in Washington Township was called Beetrace. The Beetrace post office was discontinued on March 1, 1886. This may have been originally an Indian trail. The first settlers say that it was a tolerably well-defined wagon road as far north as the Beetrace post office and that it could be followed easily into Taylor Township. Another "bee-trace" ran from Missouri diagonally through Davis County and terminated near Unionville.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 516 square miles (1,340 km2), of which 497 square miles (1,290 km2) is land and 19 square miles (49 km2) (3.7%) is water. Rathbun Reservoir, created by damming the Chariton River, is its main physical feature.
Major highways
Iowa Highway 2
Iowa Highway 5
Iowa Highway 202
Adjacent counties
- Monroe County (north)
- Wapello County (northeast)
- Lucas County (northwest)
- Davis County (east)
- Schuyler County, Missouri (southeast)
- Putnam County, Missouri (southwest)
- Wayne County (west)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 3,131 | — | |
| 1860 | 11,931 | 281.1% | |
| 1870 | 16,456 | 37.9% | |
| 1880 | 16,636 | 1.1% | |
| 1890 | 18,961 | 14.0% | |
| 1900 | 25,927 | 36.7% | |
| 1910 | 28,701 | 10.7% | |
| 1920 | 30,535 | 6.4% | |
| 1930 | 24,835 | −18.7% | |
| 1940 | 24,245 | −2.4% | |
| 1950 | 19,683 | −18.8% | |
| 1960 | 16,015 | −18.6% | |
| 1970 | 15,007 | −6.3% | |
| 1980 | 15,511 | 3.4% | |
| 1990 | 13,743 | −11.4% | |
| 2000 | 13,721 | −0.2% | |
| 2010 | 12,884 | −6.1% | |
| 2020 | 12,317 | −4.4% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 12,119 | −5.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2018 |
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2020 census
The 2020 census recorded a population of 12,317 in the county, with a population density of 23.8066/sq mi (9.1918/km2). 96.66% of the population reported being of one race. 93.03% were non-Hispanic White, 0.61% were Black, 1.88% were Hispanic, 0.19% were Native American, 0.57% were Asian, 0.06% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 3.66% were some other race or more than one race. There were 6,306 housing units of which 5,320 were occupied.
2010 census
The 2010 census recorded a population of 12,884 in the county, with a population density of 25.976/sq mi (10.029/km2). There were 6,633 housing units, of which 5,627 were occupied.
Communities
Cities
Townships
Appanoose County is divided into seventeen townships:
- Bellair
- Caldwell
- Chariton
- Douglas
- Franklin
- Independence
- Johns
- Lincoln
- Pleasant
- Sharon
- Taylor
- Udell
- Union
- Vermillion
- Walnut
- Washington
- Wells
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Appanoose County.
† county seat
| Rank | City/Town/etc. | Municipal type | Population (2020 Census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | † Centerville | City | 5,412 |
| 2 | Moravia (partially in Monroe County) | City | 636 (637 total) |
| 3 | Moulton | City | 607 |
| 4 | Mystic | City | 322 |
| 5 | Cincinnati | City | 290 |
| 6 | Exline | City | 160 |
| 7 | Unionville | City | 75 |
| 8 | Numa | City | 68 |
| 10 | Plano | City | 59 |
| 9 | Rathbun | City | 43 |
| 11 | Udell | City | 28 |
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Appanoose para niños
