Buena Vista County, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Buena Vista County
U.S. county
Buena Vista County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1851
Named for	Battle of Buena Vista
Seat	Storm Lake
Largest city	Storm Lake
Area
• Total	580 sq mi (1,500 km2)
• Land	575 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Water	5.3 sq mi (14 km2)  0.9%
Population  (2020)
• Total	20,823
• Density	35.90/sq mi (13.86/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th

Buena Vista County is a county in the state of Iowa. A county is like a smaller region within a state. As of the 2020 census, about 20,823 people lived here.

The main town, or county seat, is Storm Lake. The county got its name from the Battle of Buena Vista. This was an important battle in the Mexican–American War. The county is part of the Storm Lake, IA area.

History of Buena Vista County

Buena Vista County was created on January 15, 1851. Before that, it was just open land. It was named to remember the Battle of Buena Vista. This battle happened during the Mexican-American War, which ended in 1848. The United States won the battle and gained a lot of new land.

Geography and Nature

Buena Vista County covers about 580 square miles. Most of this is land, about 575 square miles. The rest, about 5.3 square miles, is water. The North Raccoon River starts in this county. It begins north of the town of Marathon.

Main Roads in the County

You can travel through Buena Vista County on several important roads:

• U.S. Highway 71
• Iowa Highway 3
• Iowa Highway 7
• Iowa Highway 10
• Iowa Highway 110

Neighboring Counties

Buena Vista County shares its borders with these other counties:

• Clay County (to the north)
• Pocahontas County (to the east)
• Sac County (to the south)
• Cherokee County (to the west)

Population and People

The number of people living in Buena Vista County has changed over the years. Here's a look at the population from different censuses:

Population of Buena Vista County from US census data.

2020 Census Information

The 2020 census counted 20,823 people in the county. This means there were about 36 people per square mile. Most people (89.44%) said they belonged to one race. There were 8,141 homes, and 7,447 of them were lived in.

Here's a breakdown of the different groups of people in Buena Vista County from the 2020 census:

This chart shows the age groups and gender of people in Buena Vista County in 2022.

2010 Census Information

In 2010, the county had 20,260 people. There were 8,237 homes, and 7,522 of them were occupied.

Law Enforcement and Safety

The badge of the Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office.

The Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office is in charge of keeping the peace. They help keep everyone safe throughout the county. Their duties include patrolling, making sure the courthouse is secure, running the county jail, and handling official paperwork.

The current Sheriff is Kory Elston. The office has both full-time and reserve deputies. Reserve deputies are volunteers who help out. In 2013, the reserve officers won an award for being an outstanding unit. The Sheriff's Office is located in Storm Lake, Iowa.

Cities and Towns

Buena Vista County has several cities and towns:

Townships in the County

The county is also divided into sixteen smaller areas called townships:

How Cities Rank by Population

Here's a list of the cities and towns in Buena Vista County. They are ranked by how many people lived there in the 2020 census.

† The county seat, which is the main town.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Buena Vista para niños