Elgin, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elgin, Iowa
City
Nickname(s):  The Little Switzerland of Iowa
Location of Elgin, Iowa
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Fayette
Area
• Total	0.68 sq mi (1.76 km2)
• Land	0.68 sq mi (1.76 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	807 ft (246 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	685
• Density	1,010.32/sq mi (389.88/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	52141
Area code(s)	563
FIPS code	19-24645
GNIS feature ID	0456274

Elgin is a city in Fayette County, Iowa, United States. The population was 685 at the time of the 2020 census.

Geography

Elgin is located at 42°57′21″N 91°38′11″W / 42.95583°N 91.63639°W / 42.95583; -91.63639 (42.955965, -91.636394) at the confluence of Otter Creek with the Turkey River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.66 square miles (1.71 km²), all land.

Elgin and the neighboring towns of Clermont and Wadena made up the Valley Community School district. Due to diminishing class sizes and less aid from the state of Iowa, Valley combined services in 2013 with the nearby North Fayette School district, which comprises the towns of West Union, Hawkeye and Fayette and the combined district is now called North Fayette Valley, with the middle school being in Elgin and the high school located in West Union. The school's mascot is now called the Tigerhawks (from a combination of the two schools' mascots, the Tigers and the Hawks, respectively).

The population of Elgin, Iowa from US census data

History

The area had previously been the home of Sioux and Winnebago Indians. After the 1846 Winnebago Treaty, Indians were forcibly removed from the area by the US military and moved to Minnesota. In the summer of 1848, a flood of white settlers arrived. Matthew Conner built a log cabin and general store and the settlement was first called "Shin Bone Valley." Surveyor M. V. Burdick renamed the town "Elgin" in 1851 in honor of his hometown, Elgin, Illinois. Benjamin Dimond became the postmaster at Elgin in 1852, the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Minnesota Railway came through in 1872, and the Elgin Times newspaper was established in 1875. The town subsequently became a major destination for Swiss immigrants.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 683 people, 318 households, and 191 families living in the city. The population density was 1,034.8 inhabitants per square mile (399.5/km²). There were 343 housing units at an average density of 519.7 per square mile (200.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.8% White, 0.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.1% from other races, and 0.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

There were 318 households, of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.9% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.75.

The median age in the city was 43.8 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.7% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 23.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.

Education

Elgin is a part of the North Fayette Valley Community School District. It was previously a part of the Valley Community School District, which merged into the North Fayette Valley district on July 1, 2018.

See also

In Spanish: Elgin (Iowa) para niños