Buchanan County, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Buchanan County
U.S. county
Buchanan County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1837
Named for	James Buchanan
Seat	Independence
Largest city	Independence
Area
• Total	573 sq mi (1,480 km2)
• Land	571 sq mi (1,480 km2)
• Water	2.1 sq mi (5 km2)  0.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	20,565
• Estimate  (2023)	20,691
• Density	35.89/sq mi (13.857/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Wapsipinicon River Bridge

Buchanan County is a cool place in the state of Iowa, USA. It's like a big neighborhood with its own government. In 2020, about 20,565 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, is Independence. The county was started way back in 1837. It was named after James Buchanan, who later became the 15th President of the United States.

History of Buchanan County

Buchanan County was officially created on December 21, 1837. It was formed from parts of another area called Dubuque County. The county got its name from James Buchanan. He was a US Senator who later became the President of the United States.

Geography and Roads

Buchanan County covers about 573 square miles. Most of this area is land, with only a small part being water.

Main Roads You Might See

If you travel through Buchanan County, you'll see some important roads:

• Interstate 380
• U.S. Highway 20
• Iowa Highway 27
• Iowa Highway 150
• Iowa Highway 187
• Iowa Highway 281

Neighboring Counties

Buchanan County shares its borders with several other counties:

• Clayton County (to the northeast)
• Fayette County (to the north)
• Delaware County (to the east)
• Linn County (to the southeast)
• Benton County (to the southwest)
• Black Hawk County (to the west)
• Bremer County (to the northwest)

People of Buchanan County

Population of Buchanan County over the years

The number of people living in Buchanan County has changed over time. Here's a quick look:

• In 1850, only 517 people lived here.
• By 1900, the population grew to over 21,000.
• In 2020, the county had 20,565 residents.

What the 2020 Census Showed

The 2020 census counted 20,565 people in Buchanan County. Most people, about 94%, identified as non-Hispanic White. Other groups included Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian residents. About 3.4% of the population reported being of more than one race.

Towns and Communities

Buchanan County has several towns and smaller communities.

Cities in the County

Smaller Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller places that don't have their own city government:

This old map from 1897 shows towns in Buchanan County. Some towns, like Shady Grove, are shown with fun pictures instead of exact locations. Many of these towns no longer exist today.

Some towns that used to be on maps of Buchanan County are now gone. For example, Hamerville and Vista were once small communities. Kier was another old town, and today the area is home to an Amish community. Many of these old towns, like Newtonville and Castleville, have few or no buildings left.

County Divisions: Townships

Buchanan County is divided into sixteen smaller areas called townships. These help organize the county:

Biggest Towns by Population

Here are the cities and towns in Buchanan County, ranked by how many people lived there in 2020:

† Independence is the county seat.

Education in Buchanan County

Kids in Buchanan County go to schools in different school districts. Here are some of them:

Amish Community

Buchanan County is home to a group of Amish people. This community, called the Hazleton Old Order Amish settlement, started in 1914. By 1987, there were about 1,200 Amish people living here. The Buchanan Amish affiliation is named after this county.

Images for kids

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  This chart shows the age groups of people in Buchanan County in 2022.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Buchanan (Iowa) para niños