Monona County, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Monona County
U.S. county
Monona County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1851
Seat	Onawa
Largest city	Onawa
Area
• Total	699 sq mi (1,810 km2)
• Land	694 sq mi (1,800 km2)
• Water	4.9 sq mi (13 km2)  0.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,751
• Density	12.519/sq mi (4.834/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th

Monona County is a county located in the state of Iowa in the United States. It's like a special region within the state. In 2020, about 8,751 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, where the county government is located, is Onawa.

A Look Back: Monona County's History

The area where Monona County is today has an interesting past. In 1804, two famous explorers named Meriwether Lewis and William Clark stopped here during their big trip across the newly bought Louisiana Purchase. This journey was called the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Today, you can visit Lewis and Clark State Park to remember their visit.

Monona County was officially created in 1851. Its name might come from an old Native American word that means "beautiful valley."

The county was fully set up in the spring of 1854. Before that, it was part of other counties like Benton County and Harrison County.

When the town of Ashton (which was first called Bloomfield) became the county seat in 1854, the first courthouse was a simple log house. But Ashton was the county seat for only four years. In 1858, the main town was changed to Onawa, and the first Monona County Courthouse there was finished that same year.

Exploring Monona County's Geography

Monona County covers a total area of about 699 square miles. Most of this (694 square miles) is land, and a small part (about 4.9 square miles) is water.

Main Roads You Can Drive On

These are the important highways that go through Monona County:

• Interstate 29
• Iowa Highway 37
• Iowa Highway 141
• Iowa Highway 175
• Iowa Highway 183

Neighboring Counties

Monona County shares its borders with these other counties:

• Woodbury County (to the north)
• Crawford County (to the east)
• Harrison County (to the south)
• Burt County, Nebraska (to the southwest)
• Thurston County, Nebraska (to the west)

Who Lives Here? Monona County's Population

This chart shows how the population of Monona County has changed over time, based on US census data.

Every ten years, the United States counts its population in a "census." This helps us understand how many people live in different areas.

The 2020 Census Results

The 2020 census counted 8,751 people living in Monona County. This means there were about 12.5 people for every square mile. Most people (about 96%) reported being of one race. About 90% were non-Hispanic White.

This graph, called a population pyramid, shows the different age groups and genders of people living in Monona County in 2022.

The 2010 Census Results

In the 2010 census, Monona County had a population of 9,243 people. There were about 13.3 people per square mile back then.

Towns and Areas in Monona County

Monona County has several towns and smaller areas.

Cities and Towns

Smaller Unincorporated Communities

• Ticonic

Townships

Counties are often divided into smaller areas called townships. Here are the townships in Monona County:

How Towns Rank by Population

This table shows the towns in Monona County from largest to smallest, based on the 2020 census.

† This symbol means it's the county seat, the main town.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Monona para niños