Sac County, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sac County
U.S. county
Sac County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	January 15, 1851
Named for	Sac and Fox Nation
Seat	Sac City
Largest city	Sac City
Area
• Total	578 sq mi (1,500 km2)
• Land	575 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Water	3.3 sq mi (9 km2)  0.6%
Population  (2020)
• Total	9,814
• Density	16.979/sq mi (6.556/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th

Sac County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,814. The county seat is Sac City. Both were named for the Sauk people, a local Native American tribe.

In February 2007, in its third annual list of the “Best Places to Live in Rural America”, Progressive Farmer magazine placed Sac County as #7 in the overall rankings. In 2009, the magazine ranked Sac County as the tenth "Best Place" in the Midwest Region.

History

On January 13, 1846, the legislative body of the Iowa Territory authorized creation of twelve counties, with general descriptions of their boundaries. This brought the number of counties in the Iowa Territory to 22.

By the end of 1846, the territory had been accepted into the Union as the State of Iowa (December 28, 1846). By 1851, the new state had grown to the extent that the original 22 counties needed to be divided into smaller, more accessible units. Accordingly, on January 15, 1851, the Iowa General Assembly enacted an omnibus bill which created 43 new counties by reducing the previous counties. Sac County was named after the Sauk people, at that time called the Sac Indians.

It took some time for the new organization to fully function. Sac City was designated the county seat in 1856, and construction of the first county courthouse was complete in 1862. By 1873 the burgeoning population had outgrown that structure and a larger (85 x 56 feet brick) building was authorized to replace it.

The new courthouse, complete with impressive bell tower, was placed in service in January 1874, and was used until 1888 when it burned.

To replace that structure, the present courthouse was built. It was enlarged and remodeled in the 1980s.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 578 square miles (1,500 km²), of which 575 square miles (1,490 km²) is land and 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²) (0.6%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 20 – runs east–west through the northern part of the county, through Early and north of Sac City.
• U.S. Highway 71 – from its intersection with US 20 (east of Sac City), runs south, turns 4 miles east to Auburn, then continues south into Carroll County.
• Iowa Highway 39 – from its intersection with Iowa 175 at Odebolt, runs south into Crawford County.
• Iowa Highway 110 – from its intersection with US 20, runs north into Buena Vista County.
• Iowa Highway 175 – enters west side of county at Odebolt, runs east to intersection with US 71, east of Lake View.

Adjacent counties

• Buena Vista County – north
• Calhoun County – east
• Carroll County – south and southeast
• Cherokee County – northwest
• Crawford County – south and southwest
• Ida County – west
• Pocahontas County - northeast

Demographics

Population of Sac County from US census data

2020 census

2022 US Census population pyramid for Sac County from ACS 5-year estimates

The 2020 census recorded a population of 9,814 in the county, with a population density of 16.9454/sq mi (6.5427/km²). 97.09% of the population reported being of one race. 90.86% were non-Hispanic White, 0.47% were Black, 3.61% were Hispanic, 0.11% were Native American, 0.32% were Asian, 0.09% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 4.54% were some other race or more than one race. There were 5,118 housing units, of which 4,273 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 10,350 in the county, with a population density of 17.974/sq mi (6.940/km²). There were 5,429 housing units, of which 4,482 were occupied.

Education

School districts include:

• Alta-Aurelia Community School District
• East Sac County Community School District
• Galva-Holstein Community School District
• Newell-Fonda Community School District
• Odebolt Arthur Battle Creek Ida Grove Community School District
• Schaller-Crestland Community School District
• South Central Calhoun Community School District
• Storm Lake Community School District

Three districts are based in the county: East Sac County School District (ESC) is the largest school district in Sac County, with the Schaller-Crestland School District serving the northwestern portion of the county and Odebolt-Arthur School District serving the southwest part. Successful completion of the curriculum of these schools leads to graduation from East Sac County High School, OA-BCIG High School, or Ridge View High School respectively. Only ESC HS is located in Sac County, with OA-BCIG HS in Ida Grove and Ridge View in Holstein.

Residents outside the three Sac County-based districts are within either the South Central Calhoun School District in areas around Lytton. A small part of northwestern Sac County is within the Galva–Holstein Community School District, which shares Ridge View High School with Schaller-Crestland SD.

Former school districts include:

• Odebolt-Arthur Community School District
• Rockwell City-Lytton Community School District
• Southern Cal Community School District
• Wall Lake View Auburn Community School District

Geocaching

Sac County is a rich area for geocaching. The county was "put on the map" when geocachers hid a series of caches a mile wide and 8 miles high to spell "SAC" along rural roads between Sac City and Lytton in August 2011.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated community

Townships

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Sac County.

† county seat

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Sac para niños