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Greene County, Iowa facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Greene, Iowa.
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Greene County
U.S. county
Greene County Courthouse
Greene County Courthouse
Map of Iowa highlighting Greene County
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Map of the United States highlighting Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Iowa
Founded 1851
Named for Nathanael Greene
Seat Jefferson
Largest city Jefferson
Area
 • Total 571 sq mi (1,480 km2)
 • Land 570 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Water 1.6 sq mi (4 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 8,771
 • Density 15.361/sq mi (5.931/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 4th

Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,771. The county seat is Jefferson. The county is named in honor of General Nathanael Greene.

History

Greene County was formed on January 15, 1851, and from 1854, self-governed. It was named after General Nathanael Greene, a hero in the Revolutionary War. The first settler was Truman Davis. He settled on the Raccoon River. The first courthouse was built in 1856 from wood. Previously, court was held in a log cabin southeast of Jefferson. The second courthouse, of red brick, was built in 1870. The present Greene County Courthouse used today was built in 1917.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 571 square miles (1,480 km2), of which 570 square miles (1,500 km2) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2) (0.3%) is water.

Major highways

  • US 30.svg U.S. Highway 30
  • Circle sign 4.svg Iowa Highway 4
  • Elongated circle 25.svg Iowa Highway 25
  • Elongated circle 144.svg Iowa Highway 144

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1860 1,374 —
1870 4,627 236.8%
1880 12,727 175.1%
1890 15,797 24.1%
1900 17,820 12.8%
1910 16,023 −10.1%
1920 16,467 2.8%
1930 16,528 0.4%
1940 16,599 0.4%
1950 15,544 −6.4%
1960 14,379 −7.5%
1970 12,716 −11.6%
1980 12,119 −4.7%
1990 10,045 −17.1%
2000 10,366 3.2%
2010 9,336 −9.9%
2020 8,771 −6.1%
2023 (est.) 8,584 −8.1%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900–1990
1990-2000 2010–2018
GreeneCountyIowaPop2020
Population of Greene County from US census data

2020 census

GreeneCountyIA2022PopPyr
2022 US Census population pyramid for Greene County from ACS 5-year estimates

The 2020 census recorded a population of 8,771 in the county, with a population density of 15.3492/sq mi (5.9264/km2). 96.21% of the population reported being of one race. 91.23% were non-Hispanic White, 0.32% were Black, 2.92% were Hispanic, 0.18% were Native American, 0.57% were Asian, 0.01% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 4.77% were some other race or more than one race. There were 4,309 housing units, of which 3,802 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 9,336 in the county, with a population density of 16.4248/sq mi (6.3417/km2). There were 4,546 housing units, of which 3,996 were occupied.

Cities and towns

Unincorporated community

Townships

  • Bristol
  • Cedar
  • Dawson
  • Franklin
  • Grant
  • Greenbrier
  • Hardin
  • Highland
  • Jackson
  • Jefferson
  • Junction
  • Kendrick
  • Paton
  • Scranton
  • Washington
  • Willow

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Greene County.

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2020 Census)
1 † Jefferson City 4,182
2 Grand Junction City 725
3 Scranton City 511
4 Churdan City 365
5 Rippey City 220
6 Paton City 221
7 Ralston (partially in Carroll County) City 81
8 Dana City 38

Notable people

  • George Horace Gallup (1901–1984), former resident, American statistician, invented the Gallup poll, a successful statistical method of survey sampling for measuring public opinion.
  • Loren Shriver (b. 1944), former resident, American astronaut, retired United States Air Force colonel.
  • Warren Allen Smith (1921–2017), former resident, American homosexual activist, writer and humanist.
  • Doreen Wilber (1930–2008), former resident, American archer, Olympic gold medalist.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Greene (Iowa) para niños

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