Louisa County, Iowa

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Louisa County, Iowa
Map
Location in the state of Iowa
Iowa's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	information needed
Seat	Wapello
Area - Total - Land - Water	418 sq mi (1,082 km²) 402 sq mi (1,041 km²) 16 sq mi (41 km²), 3.77%
Population - (2000) - Density	12,183 30/sq mi (12/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website: www.louisacountyiowa.org

Louisa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of 2000, the population is 12,183. Its county seat is Wapello.^[1]

1 Geography
- 1.1 Major highways
- 1.2 Adjacent counties
2 History
3 Demographics
4 Cities and towns
5 Notes

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 418 square miles (1,082 km²), of which, 402 square miles (1,041 km²) of it is land and 16 square miles (41 km²) of it (3.77%) is water.

[edit] Major highways

[edit] Adjacent counties

Johnson County (northwest)
Muscatine County (north)
Rock Island County, Illinois (northeast), across the Mississippi River
Mercer County, Illinois (east), across the Mississippi River
Des Moines County (south)
Henry County (southwest)
Washington County (west)

[edit] History

Louisa County was formed on December 7, 1836. It was named after Louisa Massey, who was very well-known here at the time because she avenged the murder of her brother when she shot the party responsible.

The first courthouse was a simple wood-framed building. In 1840, a second courthouse, measuring 40' x 20' (about 12 x 6 m), was constructed of stone. In 1854, a third structure was built. The courthouse used today was erected in 1928.^[2]

[edit] Demographics

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Louisa County.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	13,516	—
1910	12,855	-4.9%
1920	12,179	-5.3%
1930	11,575	-5.0%
1940	11,384	-1.7%
1950	11,101	-2.5%
1960	10,290	-7.3%
1970	10,682	3.8%
1980	12,055	12.9%
1990	11,592	-3.8%
2000	12,183	5.1%
IA Counties 1900-1990

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 12,183 people, 4,519 households, and 3,316 families residing in the county. The population density was 30 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 5,133 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.91% White, 0.25% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 4.56% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. 12.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,519 households out of which 35.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.30% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.60% were non-families. 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.70% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,086, and the median income for a family was $43,972. Males had a median income of $31,293 versus $22,085 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,644. About 7.00% of families and 9.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.40% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.