Sac City, Iowa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sac City, Iowa
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| Nickname(s):
"Home of Good Indians"
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| Motto(s):
"Where Spirit Flows and Opportunity Grows"
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Location of Sac City, Iowa
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Iowa |
| County | Sac |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.96 sq mi (12.86 km2) |
| • Land | 4.90 sq mi (12.68 km2) |
| • Water | 0.07 sq mi (0.17 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,217 ft (371 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,063 |
| • Density | 421.36/sq mi (162.67/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
50583
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| Area code(s) | 712 |
| FIPS code | 19-69645 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0460882 |
Sac City is a city in and the county seat of Sac County, Iowa, United States, located just southwest of the eastern intersection of U.S. Routes 20 and 71 in the rolling hills along the valley of the North Raccoon River. The city is one of 45 designated Main Street Iowa communities through the Main Street Iowa development program. The population was 2,063 in the 2020 census, a decline from the population of 2,368 in 2000.
Contents
History
Sac City was first platted in 1855 by Joshua Keith Powell of Fort Dodge, Iowa. The town was so named because the Sac and Fox Indians were in possession of the land at the time of the Louisiana Purchase. The City of Sac City was incorporated 19 years later, in 1874.
Judge Eugene Criss, credited with being the father of Sac City, left Wisconsin and crossed the Mississippi River in the early months of 1855 by covered wagon. He was in search of waterpower and had the desire to establish a settlement in a new and untried country. Deciding upon the North Raccoon River to begin his settlement, Judge Criss proceeded to erect the first log cabin in Sac City, establish himself in the hotel business, as well as keep a stage station and general store for nearby settlers.
As early as 1859, there was talk of building a railroad through Sac County, but the first railroad did not come through Sac City until 1879. The railroad companies refused to lay tracks through undeveloped or mildly developed areas, and Sac City did not meet the requirements. The railroad companies demanded communities be far enough advanced to provide a quick return to capital before they would construct a steam and iron highway through the area. When it came, the railroad benefited Sac City incredibly. The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company connected Sac City, Wall Lake, Auburn, Odebolt, Lake View, Early, and Schaller as well as the cities where crops were sold.
The first Sac County Fair was held in 1871 on 10 acres (40,000 m2) of ground east of Sac City that had been purchased by the Sac County Agricultural Society the same year. The fair was one of the biggest events of the year and brought people in wagons and buggies from miles around to see the harness races, livestock exhibits, produce, needlework, and art goods.
The Sac City Chautauqua Association was organized in December 1904 with 120 members. The Association brought many fine programs to the community, and because transportation was still slow and laborious, many families stayed in tents on the grounds for the entire Chautauqua session, about eight or nine days. At first the meetings were held in a tent, but by 1908, the citizens of Sac City built a Chautauqua Building in which to hold their meetings, and which is now the only one left of its kind in the state of Iowa.
Modern-day
In May 2017 lifelong Sac City resident and businessman John Criss donated US$5.7 million of his estate to the city for beautification projects.
Geography
Sac City's longitude and latitude coordinates in decimal form are 42.421154, -94.995083.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.93 square miles (12.77 km2), of which 4.86 square miles (12.59 km2) is land and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km2) is water.
Climate
Humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is relatively well distributed year-round in many areas with this climate. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Dfa" (Hot Summer Continental Climate).
| Climate data for Sac City, Iowa, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 68 (20) |
70 (21) |
88 (31) |
96 (36) |
108 (42) |
107 (42) |
113 (45) |
114 (46) |
103 (39) |
95 (35) |
80 (27) |
69 (21) |
114 (46) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 47.6 (8.7) |
53.5 (11.9) |
70.7 (21.5) |
82.2 (27.9) |
88.7 (31.5) |
92.0 (33.3) |
93.0 (33.9) |
91.5 (33.1) |
89.3 (31.8) |
83.8 (28.8) |
67.9 (19.9) |
52.9 (11.6) |
94.4 (34.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 26.4 (−3.1) |
31.1 (−0.5) |
44.4 (6.9) |
58.9 (14.9) |
70.1 (21.2) |
80.1 (26.7) |
83.2 (28.4) |
80.9 (27.2) |
75.2 (24.0) |
61.8 (16.6) |
45.1 (7.3) |
31.7 (−0.2) |
57.4 (14.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 17.1 (−8.3) |
21.5 (−5.8) |
34.0 (1.1) |
46.7 (8.2) |
58.5 (14.7) |
69.0 (20.6) |
72.5 (22.5) |
69.9 (21.1) |
62.4 (16.9) |
49.5 (9.7) |
34.7 (1.5) |
22.9 (−5.1) |
46.6 (8.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 7.8 (−13.4) |
11.8 (−11.2) |
23.5 (−4.7) |
34.5 (1.4) |
46.9 (8.3) |
57.8 (14.3) |
61.7 (16.5) |
58.9 (14.9) |
49.7 (9.8) |
37.2 (2.9) |
24.4 (−4.2) |
14.0 (−10.0) |
35.7 (2.1) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −14.0 (−25.6) |
−8.9 (−22.7) |
2.8 (−16.2) |
21.2 (−6.0) |
33.6 (0.9) |
45.7 (7.6) |
51.6 (10.9) |
49.9 (9.9) |
35.3 (1.8) |
21.9 (−5.6) |
8.1 (−13.3) |
−7.1 (−21.7) |
−17.4 (−27.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −35 (−37) |
−30 (−34) |
−19 (−28) |
4 (−16) |
23 (−5) |
32 (0) |
42 (6) |
35 (2) |
21 (−6) |
−2 (−19) |
−11 (−24) |
−28 (−33) |
−35 (−37) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.73 (19) |
0.96 (24) |
1.82 (46) |
3.48 (88) |
4.59 (117) |
5.14 (131) |
3.89 (99) |
4.43 (113) |
2.89 (73) |
2.42 (61) |
1.57 (40) |
1.17 (30) |
33.09 (841) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 7.0 (18) |
7.4 (19) |
4.2 (11) |
1.9 (4.8) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.5 (1.3) |
2.7 (6.9) |
7.2 (18) |
30.9 (79) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 4.9 | 5.4 | 7.4 | 9.9 | 12.6 | 11.3 | 8.9 | 9.3 | 8.5 | 8.3 | 5.2 | 5.5 | 97.2 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 3.6 | 3.6 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 3.8 | 15.4 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 156 | — | |
| 1880 | 595 | 281.4% | |
| 1890 | 1,249 | 109.9% | |
| 1900 | 2,079 | 66.5% | |
| 1910 | 2,201 | 5.9% | |
| 1920 | 2,630 | 19.5% | |
| 1930 | 2,854 | 8.5% | |
| 1940 | 3,165 | 10.9% | |
| 1950 | 3,170 | 0.2% | |
| 1960 | 3,354 | 5.8% | |
| 1970 | 3,268 | −2.6% | |
| 1980 | 3,000 | −8.2% | |
| 1990 | 2,492 | −16.9% | |
| 2000 | 2,368 | −5.0% | |
| 2010 | 2,220 | −6.2% | |
| 2020 | 2,063 | −7.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,220 people, 1,018 households, and 590 families residing in the city. The population density was 456.8 inhabitants per square mile (176.4/km2). There were 1,165 housing units at an average density of 239.7 per square mile (92.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.3% White, 0.1% African American, 0.2% Asian, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.2% of the population.
There were 1,018 households, of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.0% were non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.75.
The median age in the city was 48.8 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18% were from 25 to 44; 28.8% were from 45 to 64; and 26.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.2% male and 53.8% female.
Arts and culture
Library
The Sac City Public Library contains over 20,000 volumes, magazines, films, educational, videos, and computers available to the public. Patrons may make use of the children's wing, an adult wing, a periodical room, computer room, group study area, individual study area and the children's activity area. Through association with the Iowa Library Network, additional volumes contained in libraries throughout the state may be obtained.
Landmarks
- Sac County Courthouse - Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- Sac City Monument Square Historic District - Features a monument to the soldiers of the Union Army
- World’s largest popcorn ball - Adjacent to the Sac City Museum
Pop culture
- Popcorn ball
Sac City was home to a previous world's largest popcorn ball, which weighed 3,100 pounds and was housed in its own building. A new popcorn ball was created in 2009, weighing 5,060 pounds. On June 18, 2016, volunteers assembled another possible record breaking ball weighing in at 9,370 pounds, now displayed in a new pavilion as a roadside attraction.
Infrastructure
Transportation
- Airport
The Sac City Municipal Airport (ICAO: KSKI) is located approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of the central business district. Access to the airport is provided by U.S. Route 20, U.S. Route 71 and County Roads D42 and M54. The Airport is located on 136 acres (0.55 km2) owned by the City of Sac City. The established elevation is 1,250 feet (380 m) above sea level (MSL).
The Sac City Municipal Airport is a Class III Airport with a concrete main runway (18/36) 4,100 feet and 75 ft (23 m) wide with a crosswind runway of 44 ft (13 m) by 2,667 ft (813 m) The secondary runway (14/32) surface is blacktop.
Education
The city is served by the East Sac County Community School District. It was a part of the Sac Community School District until July 1, 2011, when it merged into East Sac County.
Notable people
- Earl Dew, jockey
- George B. Perkins, businessman and Iowa politician
- Doug Shull, former Iowa State legislator
- Scott Stanzel, former White House Deputy Press Secretary
- Samuel A. Stouffer, social scientist
- Eric Swalwell, member of the United States House of Representatives from California
- Paul Zahniser, baseball player
See also
In Spanish: Sac City (Iowa) para niños
