Lakota, Iowa Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Lakota, Iowa
City
November sunset in Lakota, Iowa
Location of Lakota, Iowa
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Kossuth
Germania, Iowa	1892
Area
• Total	0.73 sq mi (1.89 km²)
• Land	0.73 sq mi (1.89 km²)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Elevation	1,142 ft (348 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	267
• Density	366.26/sq mi (141.47/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	50451
Area code(s)	515
FIPS code	19-42825
GNIS feature ID	0458207

Lakota is a city in Kossuth County, Iowa, United States. The population was 267 at the time of the 2020 census. Prior to 1919, the town was known as Germania.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2010 census
Education
Notable people
Gallery
See also

History

The present town of Lakota was originally named Germania. The original town site of Germania was surveyed and filed for record by the Northern Iowa Land and Town Lot Company, August 26, 1892. The town received its name from the German heritage of many of the early settlers in the area. In 1918, the hysteria of World War I was sweeping the country. Residents couldn't change their origin to protect themselves from the popular hatred of the time, but they could take the stigma of all things German from the town by wiping its name off the map, which they did. An election was held on October 1, 1918, to vote to change the name of Germania to Lakota. A canvas of the votes showed there were 48 yes and 32 no votes cast. Mayor J. Gus Thaves filed the certificate changing the name to Lakota at the Kossuth County Courthouse on October 16, 1918. However the name was not officially changed by the post office until August 5, 1919. The town was renamed Lakota, an Indian word with several different translations. Some say Lakota means "beautiful prairie" or as other translations say Lakota means "plenty", others say it means "allies".

Geography

Lakota is located at 43°22′41″N 94°5′39″W / 43.37806°N 94.09417°W / 43.37806; -94.09417 (43.377953, -94.094274).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.19 square miles (0.49 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical populations
Year	Pop.	±%
1900	384	—
1910	436	+13.5%
1920	472	+8.3%
1930	409	−13.3%
1940	457	+11.7%
1950	443	−3.1%
1960	459	+3.6%
1970	385	−16.1%
1980	330	−14.3%
1990	281	−14.8%
2000	255	−9.3%
2010	255	+0.0%
2020	267	+4.7%
Source: and Iowa Data Center Source: U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 255 people, 119 households, and 71 families living in the city. The population density was 1,342.1 inhabitants per square mile (518.2/km²). There were 136 housing units at an average density of 715.8 per square mile (276.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.1% White, 0.8% Native American, 3.9% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.9% of the population.

There were 119 households, of which 18.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.3% were non-families. 37.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.72.

The median age in the city was 48.4 years. 19.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.6% were from 25 to 44; 31% were from 45 to 64; and 24.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.4% male and 48.6% female.

Education

It is within the North Iowa Community School District, which was established on July 1, 1996, by the merger of the Buffalo Center–Rake–Lakota Community School District and the Thompson Community School District. On July 1, 1992, the Lakota Community School District merged with the Buffalo Center–Rake Community School District to form the Buffalo Center–Rake–Lakota district, and that district merged into North Iowa in 1996.