Bedford, Iowa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bedford, Iowa
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
Location of Bedford, Iowa
|
|
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Iowa |
| County | Taylor |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.61 sq mi (4.18 km2) |
| • Land | 1.60 sq mi (4.16 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,171 ft (357 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 1,508 |
| • Density | 939.56/sq mi (362.70/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
50833
|
| Area code(s) | 712 |
| FIPS code | 19-05365 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2394105 |
Bedford is a city in Taylor County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,508 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Taylor County. Lake of Three Fires State Park is located several miles northeast of Bedford.
History
The community is believed to have gotten its name from Thomas J. Bedford, who was the first west bound Pony Express rider to deliver the mail on its final leg from Benicia, California to Oakland, California on April 23, 1861. Bedford is believed to have operated Bedfords Store and Trading Post in 1848 within the city limits. He moved to California later that year, in the California Gold Rush.
The community was called "Grove" when a post office was established on June 30, 1855. On June 24, 1856 it was changed to Bedford. Other histories have noted possible other sources of the name:
- Bedford in England (possible original home of early settlers)
- Bedford, Indiana (reputed home of the surveyor)
- Bedford, Pennsylvania (reputed home of a "government engineer")
The community was formally established as the county seat of Taylor County by a legislative act in 1853. The town was formally laid out on lots sold on July 4, 1853 (which at the time identified the community as "Bedforde"). According to town legend, a barrel of whiskey was placed on the grounds and lots sold for $10 to $20 - although none of the lots were paid for at the time.
The present Taylor County Courthouse was built in 1893.
Bedford was served by a branch of the Burlington Northern Railroad (formerly Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad or "CB&Q") that ran from Creston, Iowa to St. Joseph, Missouri This line was removed along with almost all the branches in southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri in the late 1970s to early 1980s
Bedford is also served by Iowa Highway 148 which runs north and south into Missouri, and Iowa Highway 2 runs east and west and connects most of the county seats in the southern tier of Iowa counties. There is an excellent series of farm to market road system , mostly paved, as well.
Geography
Bedford is located along the East Fork of the One Hundred and Two River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.61 square miles (4.17 km2), of which 1.60 square miles (4.14 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bedford has a hot-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.
| Climate data for Bedford, Iowa, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1898–2018 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 68 (20) |
76 (24) |
90 (32) |
94 (34) |
97 (36) |
102 (39) |
110 (43) |
108 (42) |
107 (42) |
94 (34) |
81 (27) |
70 (21) |
110 (43) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 55.0 (12.8) |
60.2 (15.7) |
74.2 (23.4) |
83.3 (28.5) |
86.5 (30.3) |
91.7 (33.2) |
96.1 (35.6) |
95.0 (35.0) |
90.0 (32.2) |
82.3 (27.9) |
69.2 (20.7) |
56.1 (13.4) |
97.5 (36.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 31.9 (−0.1) |
37.1 (2.8) |
49.9 (9.9) |
62.0 (16.7) |
72.0 (22.2) |
81.6 (27.6) |
85.6 (29.8) |
84.0 (28.9) |
77.1 (25.1) |
64.7 (18.2) |
49.4 (9.7) |
36.8 (2.7) |
61.0 (16.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 22.2 (−5.4) |
26.7 (−2.9) |
38.7 (3.7) |
50.1 (10.1) |
61.3 (16.3) |
71.3 (21.8) |
75.5 (24.2) |
73.6 (23.1) |
65.4 (18.6) |
52.8 (11.6) |
38.9 (3.8) |
27.6 (−2.4) |
50.3 (10.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 12.4 (−10.9) |
16.3 (−8.7) |
27.6 (−2.4) |
38.2 (3.4) |
50.5 (10.3) |
61.1 (16.2) |
65.4 (18.6) |
63.1 (17.3) |
53.7 (12.1) |
40.9 (4.9) |
28.5 (−1.9) |
18.4 (−7.6) |
39.7 (4.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −9.0 (−22.8) |
−4.5 (−20.3) |
7.7 (−13.5) |
22.9 (−5.1) |
36.6 (2.6) |
47.6 (8.7) |
54.5 (12.5) |
51.6 (10.9) |
36.8 (2.7) |
24.5 (−4.2) |
11.8 (−11.2) |
−4.4 (−20.2) |
−15.2 (−26.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −32 (−36) |
−34 (−37) |
−24 (−31) |
1 (−17) |
19 (−7) |
37 (3) |
40 (4) |
37 (3) |
22 (−6) |
10 (−12) |
−11 (−24) |
−30 (−34) |
−34 (−37) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.08 (27) |
1.49 (38) |
2.42 (61) |
3.60 (91) |
5.27 (134) |
5.54 (141) |
4.64 (118) |
4.32 (110) |
3.38 (86) |
2.97 (75) |
2.13 (54) |
1.59 (40) |
38.43 (975) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 7.6 (19) |
7.2 (18) |
3.3 (8.4) |
1.3 (3.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.7 (1.8) |
7.9 (20) |
28.1 (70.75) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 5.5 | 6.5 | 8.0 | 10.5 | 11.6 | 9.8 | 9.2 | 8.9 | 7.2 | 7.6 | 6.0 | 6.6 | 97.4 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 3.0 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 3.7 | 12.4 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service (mean maxima and minima 1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1870 | 720 | — |
| 1880 | 1,763 | +144.9% |
| 1890 | 1,643 | −6.8% |
| 1900 | 1,977 | +20.3% |
| 1910 | 1,883 | −4.8% |
| 1920 | 2,073 | +10.1% |
| 1930 | 2,100 | +1.3% |
| 1940 | 2,151 | +2.4% |
| 1950 | 2,000 | −7.0% |
| 1960 | 1,807 | −9.7% |
| 1970 | 1,733 | −4.1% |
| 1980 | 1,692 | −2.4% |
| 1990 | 1,528 | −9.7% |
| 2000 | 1,620 | +6.0% |
| 2010 | 1,440 | −11.1% |
| 2020 | 1,508 | +4.7% |
| Source: and Iowa Data Center Source: |
||
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,440 people, 614 households, and 382 families living in the city. The population density was 900.0 inhabitants per square mile (347.5/km2). There were 730 housing units at an average density of 456.3 per square mile (176.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 97.4% White, 0.5% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population.
There were 614 households, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.8% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.91.
The median age in the city was 43.9 years. 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.6% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 23.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.
Education
It is within the Bedford Community School District.
See also
In Spanish: Bedford (Iowa) para niños
