Shelby County, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shelby County
U.S. county
Shelby County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1851
Named for	Isaac Shelby
Seat	Harlan
Largest city	Harlan
Area
• Total	598 sq mi (1,550 km2)
• Land	598 sq mi (1,550 km2)
• Water	0.6 sq mi (2 km2)  0.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,746
• Estimate  (2023)	11,806
• Density	19.642/sq mi (7.584/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th

Shelby County is a county in the state of Iowa, USA. It's like a special area within the state. In 2020, about 11,746 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, where the county government is located, is Harlan. The county was named after Isaac Shelby, who was the very first governor of Kentucky.

History of Shelby County

Shelby County was officially created on January 15, 1851. It got its name from General Isaac Shelby. He was a hero in the American Revolutionary War and later became the first Governor of Kentucky.

The first people started settling in Shelby County around 1848 in a place called Galland's Grove. At first, Shelbyville was chosen as the county seat in 1855. But in April 1859, the county seat was moved to Harlan.

The first courthouse in Harlan was built in 1860. A second one was built in 1875. The courthouse you see today was started in 1892 and finished in 1893. It's made of stone and has three floors. This courthouse and the buildings around it are important historical places. They were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. The building was fixed up in 1978 and is still used as the courthouse today.

Geography of Shelby County

Shelby County covers a total area of about 591 square miles. Almost all of this area is land, with only a tiny bit (about 0.6 square miles) being water.

Main Roads in Shelby County

These are some of the important roads that go through Shelby County:

• U.S. Highway 59
• Iowa Highway 37
• Iowa Highway 44
• Iowa Highway 173
• Iowa Highway 191
• County Highway M16
• County Highway F58
• County Highway F32
• County Highway F24
• County Highway M36

Fun Places to Visit

• Shelby County Speedway

Neighboring Counties

Shelby County shares its borders with these other counties:

• Crawford County (to the north)
• Audubon County (to the east)
• Cass County (to the southeast)
• Pottawattamie County (to the south)
• Harrison County (to the west)

People and Population

The number of people living in Shelby County has changed over the years.

A chart showing the population of Shelby County from past US censuses.

What the 2020 Census Shows

In 2020, the census counted 11,746 people living in Shelby County. This means there were about 20 people for every square mile. Most people (about 90%) were non-Hispanic White. There were also people from other backgrounds, including Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian. About 5,421 homes were counted, and most of them (4,981) were lived in.

This chart shows the age groups of people living in Shelby County in 2022.

What the 2010 Census Showed

The 2010 census found that 12,167 people lived in the county. There were 5,542 homes, and 5,085 of them were occupied.

Towns and Communities

Shelby County has several towns and smaller communities.

Cities in Shelby County

Special Census Areas

These are smaller communities that are counted in the census but are not officially cities:

• Corley
• Jacksonville

Other Small Places

These are other small, unincorporated communities:

• Botna
• Red Line
• Manteno

Townships in Shelby County

A township is a small area of land, usually with a local government.

How Big Are the Towns?

This table shows the population of the cities and special census areas in Shelby County, based on the 2020 census.

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

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Shelby (Iowa) para niños