Creston, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Creston, Iowa
City
Location of Creston, Iowa
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Union
Established	1869
Area
• Total	5.25 sq mi (13.60 km2)
• Land	5.19 sq mi (13.44 km2)
• Water	0.06 sq mi (0.16 km2)
Elevation	1,283 ft (391 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,536
• Density	1,452.30/sq mi (560.78/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	50801
Area code(s)	641
FIPS code	19-17265
GNIS feature ID	467666

Creston is a city in Union County, Iowa. It is also the main town, or county seat, of Union County. In 2020, about 7,536 people lived there.

History of Creston

Creston in 1908

The old train station, built in 1899, is now Creston's City Hall and an Amtrak stop.

Creston started in 1868 as a camp for workers building the Burlington and Missouri Railroad. The town got its name because it was on the highest point, or "crest," of the railroad line. This line connected the areas of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

The land around Creston was mostly used for farming. Industries that helped farmers also grew in the town. Creston even had a flour mill in the early 1900s. The town was officially created in 1869 and became an incorporated city in 1871.

The railroad company chose Creston as an important stop. They built machine shops, a roundhouse (where trains were turned around), and a construction camp. Many railroad workers, including African Americans, moved to Creston from bigger cities like Chicago. In 1899, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) opened a new train station in Creston. This station was a large, three-story building made of yellow brick. It had a special red-tiled roof called a mansard roof.

In the middle of the 1900s, fewer people traveled by passenger train. This meant fewer jobs at the railroad, which affected Creston's economy and population. A tornado destroyed the old machine shop in 1946. The rest of the roundhouse burned down in 1981. The CB&Q station served train passengers for 69 years. In 1978, it was updated to become the city hall.

Today, the railroad, now called BNSF Railway, still uses Creston. It's a key spot for moving grain and coal. Train crews change shifts here. Crews from Creston operate trains to Lincoln, Nebraska. Crews from Galesburg, Illinois, and Lincoln stay in Creston before heading back home.

Creston is also a stop for Amtrak's California Zephyr train. This train travels daily between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area. Amtrak has used Creston's historic CB&Q station since 2019.

2012 Tornado

On April 14, 2012, a strong tornado hit Creston. It caused a lot of damage to the hospital, the community college, a church, and the high school. The town's tornado sirens did not go off, so people were surprised.

Patients from the hospital had to be moved to other hospitals nearby. The college dorms had roof and window damage. Students had to stay in local hotels for the rest of the school year. Luckily, no one died, and only 14 people had minor injuries. The main hospital was almost finished with a big renovation when the tornado hit. One year later, after $10 million in repairs, the hospital was fully restored.

Geography of Creston

Creston is located in southwest Iowa on U.S. Route 34. It is about 55 miles (90 km) southwest of Des Moines. It is also about 80 miles (129 km) east of Omaha, Nebraska. The city covers about 5.25 square miles (13.60 km²) of land and a small amount of water.

McKinley Lake is inside a large park in Creston. There are also three other lakes for fun activities within seven miles of the city. These include Green Valley State Park, Summit Lake, Twelve Mile Lake, and Three Mile Recreation Area.

Climate

Creston has a climate with hot summers and cold winters. This type of climate is called a hot-summer humid continental climate.

Population Information

2020 Census

In 2020, Creston had 7,536 people living there. There were 3,301 households, which are groups of people living together. The city had about 1,452 people per square mile.

Most people in Creston were White (91.8%). Other groups included Black or African American (1.5%), Native American (0.4%), and Asian (0.6%). About 4.1% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.

About 25% of households had children under 18. The average age in Creston was 39.3 years old. About 25.8% of residents were under 20. About 20.7% were 65 years or older. The city had slightly more females (51.5%) than males (48.5%).

Education in Creston

Creston has public schools that are part of the Creston Community School District:

• Creston High School
• Creston Middle School
• Creston Elementary School

There are also private schools in Creston:

• St. Malachy School (for grades K-8)
• Mayflower Heritage Christian Academy (for grades K-8)

Colleges

Creston is home to two colleges:

• Southwestern Community College
• Buena Vista University – Creston Campus

Notable People from Creston

Many interesting people have connections to Creston:

• Harry Archer, a composer and bandleader for Broadway shows.
• William Bell, a famous tuba player.
• Julee Cruise, an actor and singer.
• Walter Cunningham, an astronaut who flew on the Apollo 7 mission to the Moon. He was also a physicist and author.
• Sherry Edmundson Fry, a sculptor who helped start the U.S. Army Camouflage Corps.
• Dick Wick Hall, a writer and humorist.
• Jerry Harrington, a professional baseball player.
• Bob Hawk, a radio personality.
• Jerome C. Hunsaker, who designed flying boats and airships.
• James M. McCoy, who was the 6th Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Air Force.
• Edward E. Miller, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois.
• Frank Phillips, who founded the Phillips Petroleum Company.
• John Robinson, one of the most recorded drummers in music history.
• Ray Sorensen, a state representative in the Iowa House of Representatives.
• Phyllis Thede, who lived in Creston as a child and is now an Iowa state representative.
• Kiersten Warren, an actress.

See also

In Spanish: Creston (Iowa) para niños