Marshalltown, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marshalltown, Iowa
City
City of Marshalltown
Main Street
Location within Marshall County and Iowa
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Marshall
Founded	1853
Incorporated	March 5, 1923
Area
• Total	19.22 sq mi (49.79 km2)
• Land	19.20 sq mi (49.72 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2)
Elevation	942 ft (287 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	27,591
• Rank	16th in Iowa
• Density	1,437.18/sq mi (554.89/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code	50158
Area code	641
FIPS code	19-49755
GNIS ID	0458824

Marshalltown is a city in Marshall County, Iowa. It is the main city, also known as the county seat, of the county. In 2020, about 27,591 people lived there. This makes Marshalltown the 16th largest city in Iowa. The city is home to the Iowa Veterans Home and Marshalltown Community College.

History of Marshalltown

A man named Henry Anson was the first European settler in the area. In April 1851, Anson found a spot he called "the prettiest place in Iowa." He built a log cabin between the Iowa River and Linn Creek. You can find a plaque at 112 West Main Street where his cabin once stood.

In 1853, Anson named the town Marshall. He named it after Marshall, Michigan, where he used to live. The town's name changed to Marshalltown in 1862. This was because another town named Marshall already existed in Henry County. (That other Marshall later changed its name to Wayland in 1880).

Potawatomi chief Johnny Green helped Anson convince early settlers to stay. In the mid-1850s, Anson gave land for a county courthouse. People in the town donated money to build it. In 1863, Marshalltown became the official county seat, taking over from the village of Marietta. The town then started to grow quickly. By 1900, Marshalltown had 10,000 residents. Many businesses began here, like Fisher Controls, Lennox International, and Marshalltown Company.

Baseball in Marshalltown

Adrian Cap Anson, a baseball legend from Marshalltown.

Adrian Constantine "Cap" Anson was the first European child born in Marshalltown. He was the son of Henry and Jennette Anson. Adrian became a famous Major League Baseball player. He was so good that he was put into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. Many people thought he was one of the best players of his time.

Baseball became very popular as Marshalltown grew. Adrian's brother, Sturgis, was also a talented baseball player. Both brothers played for teams at the University of Notre Dame. Later, they came back to Marshalltown to play for the town's team. With their father, Henry, they formed a strong team. This team became the best in Iowa.

In 1868, the Marshalltown team won the Iowa state championship. Henry Anson played third base, Sturgis was in center field, and Adrian played second base. In 1870, Marshalltown played a game against the skilled Rockford Forest Citys. Marshalltown lost, but Rockford's team offered contracts to all three Ansons. Adrian accepted, starting his professional baseball career in 1871.

Baseball stayed popular in Marshalltown. In the early 1880s, Billy Sunday played for the town's team. In 1882, with Sunday playing left field, Marshalltown beat the state champion Des Moines team 13–4. Marshalltown later created a minor league team called the Marshalltown Ansons. They played from 1914 to 1928 in different leagues.

Natural Disasters in Marshalltown

Marshalltown has faced some big natural disasters.

Tornadoes in Marshalltown

Major damage in downtown Marshalltown after an EF3 tornado in July 2018.

On April 23, 1961, an F3 tornado hit the south side of Marshalltown. It caused a lot of damage to buildings. One person died and 12 people were hurt.

On July 19, 2018, another strong tornado hit the city. This EF3 tornado had winds up to 145 miles per hour. It went right through downtown Marshalltown. The tornado destroyed the spire on top of the courthouse. It also badly damaged many homes, businesses, and old buildings downtown. The tornado was on the ground for 23 minutes. It traveled about 8.41 miles and was up to 1200 yards wide. Luckily, no one died, but 23 people were injured.

The 2020 Derecho

On August 10, 2020, Marshalltown was hit by a very powerful storm called a derecho. This storm caused huge damage across the city. Winds reached about 99 miles per hour. Over a hundred cars near a factory had their windows broken. Roofs were ripped off buildings, and pieces of wood were stuck into the sides of other buildings.

One week after the storm, nearly 7,000 people in the city still had no electricity. Power was mostly back on by August 23. The storm also caused a lot of damage to public parks and trees in Marshalltown and Marshall County.

Immigration and Community Changes

Marshalltown's population has become more diverse over time. In the 1990s and 2000s, many Hispanic immigrants, mostly from Mexico, moved to Marshalltown. This happened in many Midwestern towns with meat-packing plants. Later, in the 2010s, a smaller group of refugees from Burma also arrived.

These new residents have helped Marshalltown grow and change.

Geography and Climate

Marshalltown covers about 19.31 square miles. Most of this area is land, with a small amount of water. The city is surrounded by other counties. These include Hardin and Grundy to the north, Tama to the east, Jasper to the south, and Story to the west.

What is Marshalltown's Climate Like?

Marshalltown has a type of climate called a hot-summer humid continental climate. This means it has warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters.

Who Lives in Marshalltown?

Marshalltown is more diverse than the rest of Iowa. In 2019, about 85% of people in Iowa were non-Hispanic white. In Marshalltown, this number was about 59.8%. This difference is mostly because Marshalltown has a large Hispanic population. In 2019, about 30.7% of people in Marshalltown were Hispanic.

How Many People Live Here? (2020 Census)

In 2020, there were 27,591 people living in Marshalltown. There were 10,275 households and 6,588 families. The city had about 1,437 people per square mile.

About 64.8% of the people were White. About 2.7% were Black or African American. About 1.1% were Native American. About 5.3% were Asian. About 0.1% were Pacific Islander. About 14.4% were from other races. And about 11.6% were from two or more races. About 31.3% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 33.2% of households had children under 18. The average age in the city was 36.7 years. About 29.0% of residents were under 20 years old.

Economy: What Jobs Are in Marshalltown?

Marshalltown has several important businesses and employers.

Local Businesses

• Marshalltown Company makes tools for construction and archaeology. It is based in Marshalltown.
• The Big Treehouse is a large tourist attraction near Marshalltown.

Top Employers in Marshalltown

Here are some of the biggest employers in the city:

Education: Schools in Marshalltown

The Marshalltown Community School District serves the city.

The very first schoolhouse in Marshalltown was a log cabin. It was built in 1853 on Main Street. Neary Hoxie was the first teacher there.

In 1874, high school classes were held in an old building. It was on North Center Street. The high school had 45 students.

As of 2020, Marshalltown has many schools. There are six elementary schools. There is one intermediate school. There is also a Catholic school (PreK–6) and a Christian school (1–8). Students in 7th and 8th grade go to a middle school. Marshalltown High School has over 1,000 students.

Some parts of Marshalltown are also served by the East Marshall Community School District. This district started in 1992. The BCLUW Community School District serves some areas near Marshalltown too.

Infrastructure: Getting Around Marshalltown

Transportation

U.S. Route 30 goes around the south side of town. Iowa Highway 14 runs through the middle of the city. An expressway, Iowa Highway 330, connects Marshalltown to Des Moines.

Marshalltown has public bus service called Marshalltown Municipal Transit (MMT). There are also taxicab services. Trailways Coach Nationwide also serves the city.

A local airport serves Marshall County. It is about four miles north of town. The closest major airport is Des Moines International Airport. This airport is about 53 miles southwest of Marshalltown.

Currently, there is no passenger train service in Marshalltown.

Notable People from Marshalltown

Many interesting people have come from Marshalltown:

Sister Cities

Marshalltown has special relationships with cities in other countries:

• Budyonnovsk, Russia
• Minami-Alps, Japan

See also

In Spanish: Marshalltown (Iowa) para niños