Leon, Iowa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leon, Iowa
|
|
|---|---|
Decatur County Courthouse in Leon
|
|
Location of Leon, Iowa
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Iowa |
| County | Decatur |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.14 sq mi (8.13 km2) |
| • Land | 3.13 sq mi (8.11 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,047 ft (319 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 1,822 |
| • Density | 581.74/sq mi (224.60/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
50144
|
| Area code(s) | 641 |
| FIPS code | 19-44535 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0468204 |
| Website | http://cityofleoniowa.com |
Leon is a city in and the county seat of Decatur County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,822 at the time of the 2020 census.
The city is located near the Little River Lake Recreation Area. Leon is home to a major rodeo that has been Rodeo of the Year in Iowa for many years.
Contents
History
Center Township was organized as part of the formation of the county on 1 April 1850. Because Decatur City was inaccessible to the rest of the county during the area's periodic floods, a majority of the county voted to move the county seat to a nearby location east of the Little River. Because the residents of Decatur City refused to respect the results of the vote, the county records were stolen and moved by ox-drawn wagon under cover of darkness. The new settlement was originally named Independence, but that name was soon discovered to have already been taken by another town in Buchanan County. It was then renamed South Independence before the state legislator and veteran W.H. Cheevers successfully argued for renaming it Leon in honor of the Jewish "Fighting Doctor" David Camden de Leon in 1855.
It was formally incorporated as a city in 1858. It was a shipping point on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.
Geography
Leon is located on US Route 69 and Iowa Highway 2 approximately 12 miles northeast of Lamoni.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.18 square miles (8.24 km2), of which, 3.17 square miles (8.21 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Leon has a hot-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.
| Climate data for Leon, Iowa, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1902–2012 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 66 (19) |
75 (24) |
87 (31) |
92 (33) |
91 (33) |
107 (42) |
109 (43) |
107 (42) |
102 (39) |
95 (35) |
80 (27) |
68 (20) |
109 (43) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 55.2 (12.9) |
61.6 (16.4) |
75.4 (24.1) |
83.2 (28.4) |
86.2 (30.1) |
91.4 (33.0) |
95.9 (35.5) |
95.8 (35.4) |
89.8 (32.1) |
83.1 (28.4) |
70.3 (21.3) |
58.3 (14.6) |
97.5 (36.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 32.7 (0.4) |
37.6 (3.1) |
50.4 (10.2) |
62.5 (16.9) |
71.9 (22.2) |
80.8 (27.1) |
85.5 (29.7) |
83.6 (28.7) |
76.0 (24.4) |
64.2 (17.9) |
49.8 (9.9) |
37.7 (3.2) |
61.1 (16.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 22.6 (−5.2) |
26.7 (−2.9) |
38.7 (3.7) |
49.6 (9.8) |
60.1 (15.6) |
69.7 (20.9) |
74.2 (23.4) |
72.0 (22.2) |
63.2 (17.3) |
51.6 (10.9) |
38.9 (3.8) |
27.8 (−2.3) |
49.6 (9.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 12.6 (−10.8) |
15.7 (−9.1) |
27.0 (−2.8) |
36.8 (2.7) |
48.3 (9.1) |
58.5 (14.7) |
62.8 (17.1) |
60.5 (15.8) |
50.4 (10.2) |
38.9 (3.8) |
27.9 (−2.3) |
17.8 (−7.9) |
38.1 (3.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −9.9 (−23.3) |
−7.3 (−21.8) |
6.7 (−14.1) |
19.9 (−6.7) |
32.5 (0.3) |
43.0 (6.1) |
50.7 (10.4) |
47.9 (8.8) |
32.5 (0.3) |
22.1 (−5.5) |
10.4 (−12.0) |
−6.5 (−21.4) |
−16.6 (−27.0) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −30 (−34) |
−36 (−38) |
−21 (−29) |
7 (−14) |
23 (−5) |
35 (2) |
44 (7) |
35 (2) |
22 (−6) |
13 (−11) |
−12 (−24) |
−33 (−36) |
−36 (−38) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.90 (23) |
1.51 (38) |
2.29 (58) |
3.80 (97) |
5.54 (141) |
5.56 (141) |
4.43 (113) |
4.54 (115) |
4.17 (106) |
3.17 (81) |
2.07 (53) |
1.35 (34) |
39.33 (1,000) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 8.0 (20) |
6.0 (15) |
4.9 (12) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
1.5 (3.8) |
7.8 (20) |
28.5 (71.56) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 6.0 | 7.1 | 9.0 | 11.5 | 14.3 | 12.9 | 10.6 | 9.9 | 8.3 | 9.0 | 7.4 | 6.7 | 112.7 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 5.0 | 4.7 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 4.3 | 17.9 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service (mean maxima and minima 1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1870 | 820 | — |
| 1880 | 1,367 | +66.7% |
| 1890 | 1,422 | +4.0% |
| 1900 | 1,905 | +34.0% |
| 1910 | 1,991 | +4.5% |
| 1920 | 2,193 | +10.1% |
| 1930 | 2,006 | −8.5% |
| 1940 | 2,307 | +15.0% |
| 1950 | 2,139 | −7.3% |
| 1960 | 2,004 | −6.3% |
| 1970 | 2,142 | +6.9% |
| 1980 | 2,094 | −2.2% |
| 1990 | 2,047 | −2.2% |
| 2000 | 1,982 | −3.2% |
| 2010 | 1,977 | −0.3% |
| 2020 | 1,822 | −7.8% |
| Source: Source: |
||
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,977 people, 826 households, and 482 families living in the city. The population density was 623.7 inhabitants per square mile (240.8/km2). There were 952 housing units at an average density of 300.3 per square mile (115.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.1% White, 0.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population.
There were 826 households, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.6% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 3.08.
The median age in the city was 40.2 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 20.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.
Notable residents
- Steven V. Carter, politician
- Sarah Bond Hanley, politician
- John Clinton Porter, politician
Chamber of Commerce
Chamber history
On January 15, 1888, a meeting of the business men of Leon was held at the Courthouse at which steps were taken towards organizing a business men's association. At this meeting a committee was appointed for the purpose of drawing up a plan of organization. At a second meeting, the committee recommended that an association be formed at once under the name of the Leon Board of Trade. The shares of stock were fixed at $5 each, and each member of the board was required to take not less than one share of the stock. The constitution and by-laws were at once circulated for signatures, and within 15 minutes thirty of the business men of the town had signified their intention of becoming members of the board. The Board of Trade existed successfully and helpfully for a number of years.
The Leon Commercial Club was established on April 26, 1907. The object of the club was to promote the civic and industrial interests of the city and to place Leon on equal footing with similarly sized cities in the State. The officers were: James F. Harvey - President A.L. Ackerly - Vice President William J Springer - Secretary CW Robinson - Treasurer
(Adapted from History of Decatur County Iowa and Its People, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1915)
Today this organization is known as the Leon Chamber of Commerce. Current membership consists of 58 business members and a number of private, individual members. The purpose of this organization is to unite into one central organization all of the civic, industrial and commercial activities of this community, To aid, encourage and promote the best interests of the City of Leon and the County of Decatur, To acquire real and personal property, to mortgage, lease and dispose of same, To do any and all things permitted by law for a non-profit corporation, and to exercise any and all powers and privileges permitted by law concerning the same.
In 2013, the Leon Chamber of Commerce and the Leon Community Development Corporation (LCDC) were merged into one organization. Leon Chamber of Commerce remained and LCDC become a subcommittee of the Leon Chamber of Commerce.
Education
The Central Decatur Community School District operates local area public schools.
See also
In Spanish: Leon (Iowa) para niños
