Atlantic, Iowa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Atlantic, Iowa
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| Mottoes:
Coca-Cola Capital of Iowa, Christmas Capital of Iowa (2019)
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Location of Atlantic, Iowa
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Iowa |
| County | Cass |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.34 sq mi (21.60 km2) |
| • Land | 8.29 sq mi (21.48 km2) |
| • Water | 0.04 sq mi (0.11 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,211 ft (369 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 6,792 |
| • Density | 818.81/sq mi (316.15/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
50022
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| Area code(s) | 712 |
| FIPS code | 19-03520 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0454275 |
Atlantic is a city in Iowa, United States. It is the main town, or county seat, of Cass County. The city is located along the East Nishnabotna River. In 2020, about 6,792 people lived in Atlantic.
Contents
History of Atlantic
Atlantic was started in October 1868 by a group of people, including Franklin H. Whitney. A local story says the founders thought the town was halfway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They flipped a coin, and "Atlantic" won!
The nearby Rock Island Railroad was very important for choosing the town's exact spot. Even today, the old train station is still there at the north end of Chestnut Street. Now, this old depot is used as the offices for the Chamber of Commerce.
The Gingery Log Cabin
There's an old log cabin in Atlantic City Park with a special story. It was built in 1863 by John Gingery. He was a school teacher who moved to Cass County when it was first being set up.
John Gingery and his wife, Mary, had nine of their ten children in this log house. This cabin might have also been the first school in Pymosa Township until 1868. Later, in 1976, the Atlantic Rotary Club and Boy Scout Troop 60 worked to save and rebuild the cabin. They wanted it to show what early life was like in Cass County and Iowa.
Main Street and Coca-Cola
Another interesting story is how Atlantic's main street was planned. One of the founders, Franklin H. Whitney, marked the center at what is now 6th and Chestnut streets. Then, he plowed two lines 100 feet apart all the way to the railroad.
Since 1929, Atlantic has been known for the Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company. This company bottles and sends Coca-Cola drinks to many parts of Iowa and nearby states.
Atlantic also has its own high school, Atlantic High School, where the sports teams are called the Atlantic Trojans.
Geography of Atlantic
Atlantic is located at 41.401404 degrees north latitude and -95.010867 degrees west longitude.
The city covers a total area of about 8.35 square miles (21.6 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 8.32 square miles (21.5 square kilometers), is land. Only a small part, about 0.03 square miles (0.08 square kilometers), is water.
Climate in Atlantic
Atlantic has a climate known as a "hot-summer humid continental climate." This means it has warm, humid summers and cold winters.
| Climate data for Atlantic, Iowa, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 67 (19) |
76 (24) |
91 (33) |
94 (34) |
105 (41) |
106 (41) |
117 (47) |
111 (44) |
104 (40) |
96 (36) |
83 (28) |
72 (22) |
117 (47) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 53.2 (11.8) |
58.5 (14.7) |
74.3 (23.5) |
84.1 (28.9) |
89.6 (32.0) |
93.4 (34.1) |
94.5 (34.7) |
93.5 (34.2) |
91.4 (33.0) |
85.0 (29.4) |
70.1 (21.2) |
57.0 (13.9) |
96.5 (35.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 31.2 (−0.4) |
36.1 (2.3) |
50.0 (10.0) |
62.7 (17.1) |
73.1 (22.8) |
82.8 (28.2) |
86.1 (30.1) |
84.4 (29.1) |
78.2 (25.7) |
65.0 (18.3) |
49.2 (9.6) |
36.3 (2.4) |
61.3 (16.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 20.6 (−6.3) |
24.9 (−3.9) |
37.4 (3.0) |
49.3 (9.6) |
61.2 (16.2) |
71.3 (21.8) |
74.8 (23.8) |
72.5 (22.5) |
64.5 (18.1) |
51.5 (10.8) |
37.3 (2.9) |
25.8 (−3.4) |
49.3 (9.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 9.9 (−12.3) |
13.7 (−10.2) |
24.8 (−4.0) |
35.9 (2.2) |
49.3 (9.6) |
59.8 (15.4) |
63.5 (17.5) |
60.6 (15.9) |
50.8 (10.4) |
38.1 (3.4) |
25.4 (−3.7) |
15.3 (−9.3) |
37.3 (2.9) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −14.1 (−25.6) |
−8.7 (−22.6) |
4.4 (−15.3) |
18.9 (−7.3) |
32.6 (0.3) |
44.6 (7.0) |
50.6 (10.3) |
48.2 (9.0) |
33.7 (0.9) |
20.5 (−6.4) |
7.6 (−13.6) |
−6.8 (−21.6) |
−18.6 (−28.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −37 (−38) |
−36 (−38) |
−32 (−36) |
4 (−16) |
17 (−8) |
32 (0) |
37 (3) |
33 (1) |
17 (−8) |
1 (−17) |
−16 (−27) |
−33 (−36) |
−37 (−38) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.86 (22) |
1.14 (29) |
1.89 (48) |
3.81 (97) |
5.43 (138) |
5.74 (146) |
4.40 (112) |
4.44 (113) |
3.35 (85) |
2.93 (74) |
1.65 (42) |
1.50 (38) |
37.14 (944) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 5.1 (13) |
7.9 (20) |
3.4 (8.6) |
0.5 (1.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.7 (1.8) |
2.0 (5.1) |
7.7 (20) |
27.3 (69.8) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 6.1 | 7.2 | 7.8 | 11.5 | 13.6 | 11.6 | 10.1 | 8.9 | 8.6 | 8.9 | 6.4 | 6.7 | 107.4 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 5.0 | 5.2 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 4.6 | 19.3 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
People in Atlantic: Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 1,200 | — | |
| 1880 | 3,662 | 205.2% | |
| 1890 | 4,351 | 18.8% | |
| 1900 | 5,046 | 16.0% | |
| 1910 | 4,560 | −9.6% | |
| 1920 | 5,329 | 16.9% | |
| 1930 | 5,585 | 4.8% | |
| 1940 | 5,802 | 3.9% | |
| 1950 | 6,480 | 11.7% | |
| 1960 | 6,890 | 6.3% | |
| 1970 | 7,306 | 6.0% | |
| 1980 | 7,789 | 6.6% | |
| 1990 | 7,432 | −4.6% | |
| 2000 | 7,257 | −2.4% | |
| 2010 | 7,112 | −2.0% | |
| 2020 | 6,792 | −4.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
The population of Atlantic has changed over the years. In 2020, the city had 6,792 residents. There were 3,106 households and 1,749 families living there.
Most people in Atlantic are White (93.9%). Other groups include Black or African American, Native American, Asian, and Pacific Islander. About 2.9% of the population is Hispanic or Latino.
The average age in Atlantic is about 43.9 years old. Many residents are under 20 (24.2%), and a good number are 65 or older (24.2%). The city has slightly more females (52.2%) than males (47.8%).
Education in Atlantic
The schools in Atlantic are part of the Atlantic Community School District. The main high school for the area is Atlantic High School.
Media in Atlantic
Newspaper
Atlantic is one of the smallest towns in Iowa to have its own daily newspaper, called the Atlantic News-Telegraph. The editor of this newspaper, E.P. Chase, even won a special award called the Pulitzer Prize in 1934 for his writing.
Radio Stations
Atlantic is home to three radio stations:
- KSOM 96.5 FM is a powerful station that reaches many counties. It shares local news, farm reports, and broadcasts sports like Iowa State games and NASCAR races.
- KS 95.7 plays classic rock music. It also broadcasts the Atlantic High School Trojans' sports games. Many of these games are even streamed live online.
- KJAN 1220 AM (also on FM 101.1) plays a variety of music. It provides local news, sports, weather, and farm information all day long. You can listen to Iowa Hawkeye football, St. Louis Cardinals baseball, and Kansas City Chiefs football on KJAN.
Transportation in Atlantic
Atlantic is easy to reach by car. Interstate 80 has three exits about 7-10 miles north of the city. US-6 and U.S. Route 71 also run through or near Atlantic, connecting it to other major cities like Council Bluffs/Omaha and Des Moines.
Railroads
The Iowa Interstate Railroad serves Atlantic. This railroad is a successor to the old Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. The railroad has a daily local train called "The Rover" that starts and ends in Atlantic. This train serves customers between Hancock and Des Moines. Two other freight trains pass through Atlantic daily.
For passenger trains, the closest Amtrak stations are in Omaha (about 58 miles west) and Creston (about 58 miles southeast).
Major Highways
US 6
US 71
Iowa 83
Buses
Burlington Trailways offers daily bus service to Atlantic. However, the bus stop is actually located about six miles outside of town, near Interstate 80.
Notable People from Atlantic
Many interesting people have connections to Atlantic, Iowa. Here are a few:
- Duane Acker (1931-2024) was a former president of Kansas State University.
- Don A. Allen (1907–1983) was a member of the California State Assembly.
- Harlan J. Bushfield (1882–1948) was a U.S. senator and governor of South Dakota.
- Blake Curd (born 1967) is a doctor and state legislator in South Dakota.
- Jack Drake (1934–2015) was a longtime state representative in Iowa.
- William G. Cambridge (1931-2004) was a United States federal court judge.
- Steve H. Hanke (born 1942) is a professor of economics and an adviser to presidents.
- Ryan Hawkins (born 1997) is a professional basketball player.
- Frederick C. Loofbourow (1874–1949) was a U.S. representative from Utah.
- Shannon McCormick (born 1971) is an actor and voice actor.
- Ethel T. Wead Mick (1881–1957) founded the Job's Daughters, a Masonic girls' organization.
- Michael Peterson (born 1982) was a professional American football player.
- Ed Podolak (born 1947) was a professional football player and now comments on Iowa Hawkeyes football games.
- Glen R. Smith was the Chairman and CEO of the Farm Credit Administration.
- Guy D. Smith (1907–1981) was a famous soil scientist.
- William Appleman Williams (1921–1990) was a president of the Organization of American Historians.
- M. L. Wilson (1885–1969) was an Undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Jeff Worthington (1961–2023) was a six-time gold medal-winning American paralympic athlete.
- Lafayette Young (1848–1926) was a U.S. senator from Iowa and a newspaper editor and owner.
See also
In Spanish: Atlantic (Iowa) para niños
